Phil Vischer and his “VeggieTales” changed the landscape of Christian media for kids. Now, he’s working on the next big thing with “JellyTelly.” Phil was gracious enough to grant me this interview. You can learn more about Phil on his blog, biography on Wikipedia, and IMBD listing. My questions are in bold and his answers are in plain text. Feel … More Children’s Ministry Resources
How Can I Find Volunteers For Vacation Bible School? One constant struggle in children’s ministry is finding the right workers. Here are some tips for getting the right volunteers for your VBS program. 1. Start early Most people are more willing to commit, and even work around their vacation schedule, if you ask early. I try to start recruiting in … More Children’s Ministry Resources
It’s that time of year and everyone is working on planning VBS. In this article, I’ll give you a simple 9 step process for organizing vacation Bible school. Then I’ll share some of my best practical tips about vacation Bible school. As always, you can leave a comment and help me make this resource better. Update: This article was first … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Some churches budget thousands of dollars for their annual Vacation Bible School program. But many smaller churches struggle to find the resources to support VBS. Here are some ideas for doing your Vacation Bible School without a lot of money. You should also check out our free curriculum for VBS. Partner With Another Church’s VBS Sometimes the best use of … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Use our free nursery schedule template when you create your next nursery volunteer schedule at church. This is an administrative task that few children’s ministers enjoy – but following our template and how-to guide will save you some hassle! 6 Steps To Update Your Nursery Schedule Template 1. Revise The Old Dates on Your Template I’ve moved to a 6-week … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Children’s Church Lesson: Jesus Cleans The Temple Text: John 2:13-22 Learning Objectives: After this lesson, children will demonstrate knowledge of the Christology of this passage … by stating in their own words three things this story teaches about Jesus. 1. Jesus did not want people “selling God.” 2. Jesus had authority as God’s son to cleanse the temple. 3. Jesus … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Use this simple lesson to teach Matthew 3:1-12 to your children’s church. We’ve included a creative object lesson to help communicate the role of John in pointing people to Christ. Children’s Church Lesson: John the Baptist Prepares the Way for Jesus Text: Matthew 3:1-12 Learning Objectives: After this lesson, children will demonstrate understanding of the ministry of John the Baptist … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Explanation: This passage has a strong Gospel implication for children. Jesus was fully human and fully God. In his character we see the model and standard for righteousness in children. However, all children have sinned and not followed after Christ in these ways. Through the Gospel his perfect righteousness can become their own. Children’s Church Lesson: Jesus at Age 12Text: … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This lesson plan is based on the visit of the wise men to see baby Jesus. First they come to see King Herod, but his dangerous plan fails and the infant Christ escapes to Egypt. Children will learn how God protected the Holy family despite the wicked king. This lesson shows that God is in control, despite the pretenders like … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Mary was not the only one visited by angels in advance of Jesus’ birth. In this story, God sends an angel to prepare Joseph for his very special role in the Christmas story. Ultimately, Joseph accepts Jesus as his son. This lesson was first used in a broadly graded children’s church program. It could easily be adapted as a Christmas … More Children’s Ministry Resources
The free lesson plan is about the God’s promises to Mary concerning the birth of Jesus. This story says some very important things about who Jesus will be. It also has a strong focus on the power of God. A key quote from this passage is “Nothing will be impossible for God.” This lesson was first prepared with a broadly … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This Sunday School Lesson for children can be used in Sunday school or Children’s church. You can download this kids Bible lesson as a Word document from the following link — Sunday School Lessons: Jesus Heals A Man Born Blind (John 9) You can also download my other Children’s Church lessons or browse my listing of free Sunday school lessons … More Children’s Ministry Resources
I just walked out to plug in our old diesel church bus for its weekly mission trip around our town. Big Blue is beautiful but starting to show her age. This church has been running a bus ministry longer than I’ve been alive. We all know that longevity is not the test of a ministry’s value, so it’s good to … More Children’s Ministry Resources
God wants us to love others (especially when they are different). That’s the point of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Use the link above to download this complete lesson plan, coloring pages, and Bible teaching skits. For more help – you can watch the video example of our children’s sermon on the Good Samaritan. This Love Your Neighbor Sunday School … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Kids love Easter egg hunting, but does that mean we should have one at church? This is an issue our pastoral staff has been working through over the past several years. My first year at the church, I carried forward their existing program called Easter EGGstravaganza. Check our special page featuring Easter Ideas for Children’s Ministry. It was a Saturday … More Children’s Ministry Resources
VBS Craft Ideas Hand Painting Tree mural VBS craft – this kids craft idea would be great for many Vacation Bible School themes, just change the tree to match your Western or Jungle decorations. VBS T-Shirt painting – here is a video example with preschoolers Oozy Slime Craft – originally from PowerLab VBS but this could be fun for several themes. Just … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Too often serving in the church nursery can seem like a thankless job. One of the key tasks for children’s ministry leaders is to help volunteers understand their importance. With that in mind, I offer these following 7 reasons why serving in the church nursery is important. Click here for a print-friendly version of this article to share offline. Reason … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Photo by Freeparking Vacation Bible School curriculum options are getting better every year. With the host of excellent VBS themes comes a problem – which one is right for your church? Here are the top elements I look at when choosing a Vacation Bible School curriculum.
This Bible lesson plan for children can be used in Sunday school or kids church. You can download this children’s church lesson as a Word document from the following link — Children’s Bible Lesson Plan: Jesus Is The Bread of Life John 6:22-40. You can also download my other Children’s Church Lesson Plans Bible Teaching Lesson: Jesus Is The Bread … More Children’s Ministry Resources
This Sunday I continued my series of New Testament stories in children’s church. This Bible lesson plan for children can be used in Sunday school or children’s church. We’ve included two lesson plan options, coloring page, craft ideas, teaching skit, worksheets, and some visual helps. It’s everything you need to teach in one easy download. Don’t try to use it … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Safety and security is one of the biggest topics in children’s ministry today. This is true for both small and large churches. Keeping kids safe should be a priority in every church. In this article, I will discuss the leading concerns about Sunday school security and offer some ways to improve safety at your church. Security and Safety Concerns For … More Children’s Ministry Resources
You must have clearly written church nursery manual regardless of your church’s size. In this article, I want to offer some tips and point you to other resources that can help you develop your own church nursery guidelines.
When God called me to serve in children’s ministry I never imagined some of the situations I would face. Over the years I’ve learned that kids bring a lot of baggage with them to church. The biggest danger for sexual abuse on church property is often one child molesting another. The danger for cruelty and emotional abuse is often a … More Children’s Ministry Resources
Here is a list of volunteer expectations that I have been using for our church nursery. We don’t have a formal church nursery worker manual, but these guidelines have several ideas for safety that move in the right direction. I do not use the term ‘job description’ in the document. We want our people to think of their work in … More Children’s Ministry Resources