One wise minister once said, “If you don’t put on a program for kids, they will put on one for you.” Those words are so true! From beginning to end, I plan almost every detail of our weekly meeting but I used to fall short with pre-church activities. Many of our children arrive early on one of our vans or … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Clearly hearing God’s voice can save us from some serious missteps in our daily Christian walk. Jesus told his disciples,”My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 (NIV) What an encouraging verse, but how can we achieve good spiritual hearing? I like these three object lessons; they demonstrate the most important concepts about … More Children’s Ministry Resources
The offering portion of your VBS should undoubtedly be one of the most exciting times in your children’s program. Giving is essential to Christian ministry; it both blesses the ministry and the people who receive the ministering. Why shouldn’t it be joyful? Here’s what we do for taking up an offering at special kids’ events. I run contests, usually it’s … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Looking for an inexpensive summer theme for a VBS, kids’ event or Sunday School? You can easily put together a summer Sunday camp with items from around your home. Kids love this playful theme and it works for day and night! If you can get your hands on one, a star projector works great at a “camp in.” Flip off … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Teaching kids the Bible is one thing but teaching them to read, understand and use it correctly is another. I’m constantly amazed at how little our children do know about using a Bible and I accept part of the blame. At the first of every year, I teach a series of “classes” that introduces kids that are new to scripture … More Children’s Ministry Resources
No offense to the curriculum professionals but I just love dreaming up and creating crusade ideas from popular culture; however, I am a child evangelist at heart. A few months ago, I began planning our next kids’ crusade; we have several a year. I really wanted to return to an old favorite based on the movie, “The Prince of Egypt” … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Kids can’t drive but they still hold a tremendous influence over parents that do. When kids are motivated to attend church there is no stopping them. So short of an expensive, time-consuming event what is a children’s pastor to do? Start by motivating the group that you already have. Strengthen your base with ministry segments that will keep kids coming … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Hosting a kids’ event takes a ton of effort, planning and prayer. By the time the event comes around, I’m ready for it to be over but just running through it without thought won’t yield the results I want. After investing so much, financially and spiritually, I want to get the most from the kids’ event I’m involved with. You … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Sending home small Mother’s Day gifts makes kids, moms and me happy but with a group as large as mine, that can cost a pretty penny. When you’ve got more than a handful of kids, what can you do for cheap mother’s day gifts for kids? My volunteers and I recently brainstormed on this subject and came up with some … More Children’s Ministry Resources
When a new family visits your children’s ministry, you’ve got one opportunity to make a good impression. Your core families may forgive you for an overflowing garbage can or your late arrival but new families…not so much. Unfortunately, ministry isn’t always neat and tidy and even the most organized kids’ pastor can have an off day. I know I have! … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Poll a group of ministry leaders and they will all tell you that teaching kids Bible stories is an important bullet point in their vision. That’s awesome and I agree! But with so many kids (and families) unfamiliar with the Bible, we have to go a step further today. We must teach kids to use the Bible themselves too. I … More Children’s Ministry Resources
What do you do when a dozen kids show up 30 minutes early for kids’ church and you have just one volunteer? Shut the door and post a sign that reads, “Come back in 30 minutes?” Of course not! You never want to turn away kids but you do have to consider handling crowd control correctly. I can’t speak for … More Children’s Ministry Resources
When it comes to kids’ church, I am a theme addict. Not only do I constantly (well, almost) brainstorm ideas for themes, my volunteers and kids do too. All credit for this winning idea goes to one of the children I mentor for ministry–and she’s only 10 years old! For those of you don’t regularly use monthly themes, you could … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Social abuse or bullying, takes its toll on kids. Some children barely remember a bully encounter, for others, bullying shapes their lives for decades, even a lifetime. Constant bullying can greatly diminish a child’s self-worth and often has much deadlier results than a few hurt feelings. Kids’ church must be a safe place where kids can learn about God’s love … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Romans 2:11 says, “For God does not show favoritism.” (NIV) Despite of His holy example, it is so easy to migrate to some children but ask yourself this question, “Am I playing favorites?” Let’s face it, some kids have sparkle. They show up; they participate with all their hearts. Perhaps they have parents that go the extra mile to support … More Children’s Ministry Resources
My children’s ministry has a two-fold mission: teaching kids about God’s love and training kids for ministry. I find kids love to serve God, and others, but that type of training is missing in many churches. I am sure there are some great mentoring programs out there but I wanted one that suited my needs. I created a certificate program … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Piled up in my office/living room are bags of plastic eggs, a ton of candy and more boxes of Christian Easter goodies from my favorite novelty supply store. If I polled the audience here, I can almost guarantee that your living room or office looks the same way. No matter how I feel about the whole egg thing, for my … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Easter is on its way — are you ready for an influx of children? Share the joy and hope of Easter by providing kids with unique ways to worship the Lord. Prepare ahead of time and make Easter worship an event kids will remember all year long. These Easter worship ideas for kids’ church are good for both junior and … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Try something new this Easter – these creative object lessons are sure to leave an impression about the good news for weeks to come. #1 M&M Object Lesson “The Sweet Truth of Easter” #2 Washed Clean – Easter Object Lesson #3 Erase Sin (Messy) Object Lesson for Easter Bonus Children’s Sermons for Easter Don’t miss our Easter children’s message (with … More Children’s Ministry Resources
All parents hate germs. They absolutely don’t want their little ones to get sick. At the same time, many parents want their children to come to class, even when they are the ones carrying germs! How do you help keep your children (and grown ups) healthy and communicate to parents what the limitations are? A well-communicated well child policy is … More Children’s Ministry Resources
When you hear the word “dynamic” used in a description of your children’s ministry, it’s a good feeling. No matter where you are today, you can infuse the dynamic into your kids ministry just be doing a few things differently. Shake up your kids’ church by implementing these tips for an energetic, living ministry. Some of these “secrets” may take … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Church growth is a fickle thing. Too much focus on one area and not another on another and you could see your numbers fading. Besides shrinking church growth, you could also face personal discouragement and disappointment. No matter who you are, these things can happen. The best way to keep growing and moving forward in ministry is to avoid doing … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This is the fourth lesson from the Book of Ephesians. Students will discover that believers are called to a worthy walk. They will learn what a worthy walk of a believer looks like. The lesson is prepared with older students in mind. Learning Goal: Students will learn from Ephesians 4 what makes a believer’s walk worthy before the Lord. Bible … More Children’s Ministry Resources
In just a short time we’ll be welcoming our new baby. Here are a few steps I’m taking to get our ministry ready for my time away from the office. If you’ve had a similar experience, we would love to hear how you got ready. Leave a comment below to share your story with other readers. 1. Identify everything that … More Children’s Ministry Resources