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One of the greatest responsibilities of a pastor is helping the people in his care to spiritually grow and reach for their personal destinies. Tapping into their spiritual gifts is often key to this long sometimes painful process. No matter how bumpy the road, it’s the shepherd’s duty to help the sheep discover what is unique about each of them. … More Children’s Ministry Resources

These are verses that we all know too well.  So well that we might not even read them. “He took a little child and had him stand among them.  Taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Libraries all over the nation conduct summer reading programs, so why shouldn’t we?  There is a plethora of quality literature out there and children looking for something to do.  All they need is a little encouragement! Goals: Summer reading allows children to maintain skills and develop a lifelong love for books.  Reading also allows students to be engaged in learning, … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Children face a lot of fears. Some are afraid of the dark while others are afraid of trying new foods. Childhood fears are varied and diverse except for one common fear that has plagued childhood for generations, the fear of embarrassment. Let’s face it. It’s an embarrassing moment entering a room full of people for the first time. If you … More Children’s Ministry Resources

How do you teach your children in your ministry about missions? It seems that with the current “drop-out” rate of youth in the church, it is now more important than ever to cultivate a love for the gospel with our children. I try to discuss a significant missionary every now and then when discussion allows, but must confess that right … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Sam (not his real name) is a sixth grader who attends our Wednesday night AWANA club. He is a bit of a jokester, always coming up with witty remarks under his breath or pulling a prank on one of the other kids. But one night he surprised me by asking a serious question. He wanted to know why God allowed … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Sometimes it’s hard to get kids attention about global poverty. But once you can show them that American’s are super rich, it can really help them let go of the wealth idols in their life. So, let me point out a cool web calculator. You enter your annual income and it shows where you rank among the income earners in … More Children’s Ministry Resources

If you were to poll 100 children’s ministers, pastors, and directors, you’d probably find that a vast majority of them would love to have “better” Children’s Ministry facilities. For those that work with children week in and week out there is always a temptation to dream about how great it would be to have ______. For the small church, some … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Everyone has “that kid” in their children’s ministry. You know, the one who won’t sit still, never quits talking, and seems to thrive on punishment. A few weeks ago, I actually had to take “that kid” home before our ministry for that particular night even got started. He was over-the-top disobedient and my teachers were wanting me to ban him … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Recently, Tony wrote a post on praying with your children at bedtime.  That post got me to thinking about praying with your children in general.  Whether you are involved in Children’s Ministry or are “just” a parent, it is essential to teach our children to pray for everything (Phil. 4:6).  I would like to share a couple of ways we … More Children’s Ministry Resources

I just ran across several articles that offer practical tips for decorating the children’s area at your church. I wanted to pass this along because so many congregations are rethinking this space in their church campus. Many churches are goign with themed environments for their children’s ministry. Any church decor is better than four white walls, right? Anyway, if you’re … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Timmy Brister posted some great questions that originated from the kids in his church. I know a little about his church from the Kids Bible Memory System they’ve produced. But I’m still impressed with their deep theological thinking. I guess it just shows that kids do want to talk about big God questions. Here are the questions he listed: 1.  … More Children’s Ministry Resources

In many churches, Bible memorization is an essential part of their Sunday school or children’s ministry. Most Sunday school curriculum options have some element of Bible memory. Programs like AWANA are built upon a high value for scripture memory. But memorization is not a universal value in Christian Education. I am in a master’s level course titled Biblical Worldview and … More Children’s Ministry Resources

How much are your Children’s Ministry volunteers worth?Of course, they are beyond value. But, what if you could calculate the weekly budget needed to hire replacements? Here is a group exercise I developed for a College level Children’s Ministry class. I was the guest teacher on the topic of volunteers. I wanted to communicate to the students (current and future … More Children’s Ministry Resources

On October 6th, the latest Veggie Tales DVD will be released. The title is “The Wonderful Wizard Of Ha’s” and retells the story of the Prodigal Son with a wizard of Oz theme. Here is the blurb:The story of a prodigal son – VeggieTales style!Meet Darby (Junior Asparagus), the son of a Kansas floss farmer who, more than anything else … More Children’s Ministry Resources

I’ll be honest with you Tony. I didn’t think this would work.That’s what one deacon said to me last fall. I had just stepped leaped outside the box. This same deacon is now one of my leading volunteers. In fact, he ended up coaching his grandson’s soccer team! But he wasn’t the only one with questions.Q: So, are your going … More Children’s Ministry Resources