Articles about ministry situations or themes.
Update – the 2019 Children’s ministry statistics massive 36 page report and 1 page summary graphic are now online. See what we learned from over 400 surveys and looking at all the new research. Please help us by taking this simple survey. We’ll be sharing the results to help encourage everyone to keep telling kids about Jesus. Once you submit … More Children’s Ministry Resources
What are the first things kids learn from our ministry? What messages really stick? This short article (and audio) will help you focus on 4 basic lessons children need from your church or Sunday School. 4 Lessons Kids Need to Learn Every Sunday Teaching Sunday School can be hard – lesson planning requires prayer, preparation, and the right supplies. Effective … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Raising children with special needs is hard. Just getting them to school and doctors appointments can be a struggle. Depending on the disability, kids can have a very negative experience fitting into the structures or routines of regular church attendance. Even when congregations make an effort to be inclusive, the barriers are simply too much. I’m blown away by a … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Lately I’ve visited the children’s ministry in some small churches. These are exactly the kind of under-funded ministries our website exists to serve. A common theme is clear — in all the scramble to do ministry they often lack clear goals and vision for their programs. My observation — we need a map to know if we’re on the right … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Q: When is pastor appreciation day? A: The 2nd Sunday of October is the Pastor Appreciation Day Children’s Sermon for Clergy Appreciation Sunday The Gospel reading for this weekend is perfect to add some thoughts on pastor appreciation. It’s the story of when Jesus healed the 10 men with leprosy, but only one came back to offer his thanks. It’s … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Imagine a child is ready to accept Christ …. but they can’t find the words. That’s when a simple example prayer asking for salvation (aka “The Sinner’s Prayer”) is helpful. Asking God to forgive your sins is not complicated and the words alone are not magic. Jesus looks at the heart of repentance and anyone praying to Him in faith can … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Once upon a time, a scared ten-year-old girl rode a church bus to attend a Sunday School class at a church she’d never visited all because a stranger knocked on her door and invited her the week before. Her mother didn’t want her to go at first, she was against “organized religion” but the little girl didn’t give up and … More Children’s Ministry Resources
* This post was shared by our friend Steve Austin, he’s an Author, Speaker, & Coach. Click here to join his free 7 day self-care challenge. Four years ago, I was a youth pastor, sign language interpreter, wedding photographer, radio host, husband, and father. In that order. Long days and nights were the norm. I worked in a school full-time, had … More Children’s Ministry Resources
It is challenging for most children to identify truth in a culture of loud messages and alarming trends, but this devotion can help! “What is Truth?” gives children a chance to explore real truth verse by verse and equips them to tell the difference between actual truth and deception. They will also learn how to act on truth and live … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This printable devotion will help kids understand what the bible says about service. There are verses that focus on understanding what service is, identifying reasons to serve, learning what it takes to serve, and reaping the results of service. Click here to download the PDF version Children can go at their own pace and not necessarily have to fit all … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Does a Sunday school require a quorum? There are some churches out there that require golf carts to move through parking lots, tags and intercoms for childcare, and separate staff just to organize coffee fellowship. These are the congregations with fog machines, headliner worship bands, and personalized latte brands. However, not all bodies of believers are quite so numerous. Some … More Children’s Ministry Resources
I’ve been teaching kids’ church classes for a long time. I started when I was in Jr. High, I helped my parents in the Sunday School class that they taught. I am now 40 years old and am still teaching kids classes. I’ve taught 2 year olds all the way through High Schoolers. I’ve been through it all. I’ve done … More Children’s Ministry Resources
What do we want children to feel when they think about God? What attributes do we emphasize and what impressions are left when we teach students? Often, we tend to air on the side of caution. Nervous about portraying our Heavenly Father as a judgmental punisher, we sometimes wind up “dumbing God down” and highlighting His softer and friendlier elements. … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Next time you stand in front of your children’s church, take a good look around the room. Instead of seeing future leaders, think the way God does—these are leaders, now! Some people think you need to be a born leader but that’s not true. God has placed unique gifts in all of us but for most it takes some work … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Kids make great evangelists! They can often go where we can’t. Still, when a child isn’t confident in their relationship with God or how to lead others to Christ, they may be reluctant to share. Still I am committed to discipling children and part of that responsibility is sharing and teaching the gospel with others. Like Jesus showed us through … More Children’s Ministry Resources
When was the last time you had 100 percent turnout to your volunteer training? What about 50 percent? Or even 25 percent? Don’t be discouraged—we’ve all been there! But if your volunteers don’t come to your training, how can you ensure that kids are having the very best experience in classrooms and growing closer to Jesus? If this is your … More Children’s Ministry Resources
“What is Trust?” is the third devotion of its kind. Click here to see the first devotion on hope, the second devotion on love, and the instruction page. Children are given a scripture to read and a question to answer each day to practice studying God’s word. While it can be hard to trust imperfect people, especially after they have … More Children’s Ministry Resources
One of the most common questions I hear from new teachers (or those considering serving in children’s ministry) is about classroom management and discipline. How do I keep them all under control? What are the rules? What do I do when someone disobeys? What does discipline look like in the classroom? These are all great questions and should all be … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This post is very different from any I have previously written. I have been privileged so far to be used by God to write two VBS programs and dozens of Sunday school lessons. My passion, my calling, is to write Christian curriculum. But today I need to share something different. I have to be honest, I have put off writing … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Sometimes it can be very time consuming to prepare for a lesson. Gathering supplies, making copies, going to the store to buy those harder to gather supplies, all takes time. Having lesson buckets for classrooms makes it easier for teachers to teach. When I was put over the Children’s Ministries, I soon realized that all of the teachers were buying … More Children’s Ministry Resources
OK If you have ever shopped for a car or a home (or hey, even a new jacket), more likely than not you have come up with a list of properties to look for. Safety, cost value, reliability, comfort, appearance…these might all be factors. Decisions or characterizations, whether with regards to big or small items, usually involve identifying and weighing various … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Prayer is both a spiritual discipline and a holy habit. Sometimes a seasons of changing routines can break good habits or provide opportunity for start a positive new routine. That’s what I love about prayer calendars, especially for kids launching into a new year of school. Our friends at Children’s Ministry Deals have posted this eye catching free printable calendar. … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Today let’s talk about self-care. I know, it just sounds bad doesn’t it? (It has the word “self” in it so it must be bad, right?) I’d like to challenge that thinking–it’s a fallacy and one that can hurt you. Since I’m not comfortable using my ministry friends for this example (although there are quite a few, I’ll be the … More Children’s Ministry Resources
It can be a bit of a challenge to minister to neighborhood families due to today’s incredible busyness and cultural distractions. Nonetheless, our communities need the love of Christ more than ever, so a continued effort for outward ministry is absolutely necessary. But how do we get our own families involved? Here are five family-friendly ideas for outreach. Host a … More Children’s Ministry Resources