Cooking Up Family Devotions with Your Kids

Psalm 34:8 invites us to, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”  Jesus calls Himself the bread of life and He encourages His followers to be the salt of the earth.   There are innumerable references to fruit, fish, and oil in the Bible.   Sometimes food staples such as these are mentioned as part of the typical diet consumed.  Other … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Paul and Barnabas (Children's Sunday School Lesson)

This lesson is a continuation of Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey.  In this lesson they experience rejection to the message of the Gospel and also see many respond with faith as they hear the message.  The lesson can be used in Children’s church and also simplified for younger students. Be creative and adapt this lesson to fit your own … More Children’s Ministry Resources

What's the Proper Role of Children’s Ministry?

I will preface this post by saying that this is not a post with a whole lot of answers (to be properly read….none).  Instead, this post focuses on a series of questions that have been bouncing around my head recently when it comes to teaching kids about God. I recently came across the following quote from Richard Baxter, and I … More Children’s Ministry Resources

I Can Pray: Preschool Lesson and Craft

Here is a preschool lesson about prayer for your toddler or preschool Sunday School class at church. It’s based on selected scriptures and teachers younger children this powerful truth – they can talk to God. This lesson plan was written for a preschool class at church, but it could be modified for other ministry settings. You could expand it for … More Children’s Ministry Resources

9 Strategies for Reaching Over-Churched Kids

In a previous post, I described the spiritual dangers for overly religious kids. I was writing about kids who get too much church and not enough relationship with Jesus. Most of the comments from that post were supportive and agreed with my assessment. Many readers saw a connection with being over-churched and giving up on church as teenagers. That makes this issue even … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Summer Coloring Pages (12 Sheet PDF Book)

Summer coloring pages for children's ministry

The combined file includes all the pictures below and our new Summer Thankfulness journal pages for 2019. Scroll down to get the free versions of these printables. Don’t miss the 40-page Calendar, Seasons, and Routine bundle from the Sunday School Store. It’s an upgraded format of this free resource and supports the artist who created this project. We’ve combined all … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Lesson: Peter's Miraculous Escape From Prison

This lesson is about God delivering Peter from prison.  The believers were constantly praying for this seemingly impossible situation. Students will learn from this story that nothing is too hard for God. They can trust Him even when life situations seem bad. The original learning context for this material was older elementary Sunday School. It can also be adapted for … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Preschool Bible Lesson: God Is Our Shepherd

This is the second lesson plan in our series for preschoolers about knowing God. Each lesson is based on a passage from Isaiah 40 and will help younger children grow in their knowledge and love for God. Be sure to read the series introduction for teaching tips and explanation of the lesson format. This lesson is targeted for older preschool … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Surviving Ministry in a Shrinking Church

It’s been a few months since our last Think Tank discussion. These are occasional forum-type posts where I ask several Children’s Ministry leaders to respond to a difficult question. The responses are always helpful and bring insight from several different directions. For this session of the Think Tank, I posed a question that affects my own ministry. My congregation has … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Acts 11 Lesson: Early Church Growth & Change

This children’s Bible lesson continues the study of the Book of Acts. The lesson is about Peter explaining God’s hand in the conversion of Gentiles.  The lesson focuses on how change brought growth for the Church. Kids need to know that God can be trusted in times of change. The original setting for this lesson plan was older elementary Sunday School. … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Cornelius Receives the Holy Spirit: Sunday School Lesson

This lesson continues the story of Cornelius and Peter and how God included Gentiles in His plan of salvation.  This was a major event in the early church and shows God’s love was universal. This lesson was prepared for Sunday School but can be adapted for Children’s church and simplified for younger students. Bible Story: Cornelius Receives the Holy Spirit Scripture: Acts … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Review: Cullen's ABC's Free Online Preschool Program

What is Cullen’s ABC’s Online Preschool Program? Cullen’s Online Preschool Program is a series of twelve complete preschool days that you can use with your own child(ren) or a group of children to offer them a complete preschool in the comfort of your own home. Who is Cullen? According to her website Cullen’s ABC’s, Cullen: …has been working with young … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Preschool Bible Lesson: God's Word is Eternal

This is the first lesson plan in our series for preschoolers about knowing God. Each lesson is based on a passage from Isaiah 40 and will help younger children grow in their knowledge and love for God. Be sure to read the series introduction for teaching tips and explanation of the lesson format. This lesson is targeted for older preschool … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Peter and Cornelius Sunday School Lesson

This lesson is taken from the story of God revealing to Cornelius a Gentile and to Peter a Jew, His plan to remove barriers that separated Jews and Gentiles.  Students will learn how God began to guide Peter to understand His plan to allow Gentiles to receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  Even though Peter doesn’t fully understand he … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Southern Baptist Statement on Family Worship

Here is an interesting and welcomed news item from the Southern Baptist Convention last week. Each year they debate and pass a slate of resolutions. This is basically a chance for the SBC to take a position about various issues. Usually these are cultural or political positions that more or less preach to the choir. My church financially supports the … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Biblical Support for Intergenerational Ministry

When the specific definitions of intergenerationality are taken into consideration, the rationale behind IG methods includes theological and practical imperatives. In this article, I will begin by providing the theological support, which stems from biblical illustrations and mandates that indicate intergenerationality was normative for the Christian faith community. While many agree that the New Testament church models age-inclusion, they fail … More Children’s Ministry Resources

10 Way to Get Kids Excited About the Bible

If you asked the people who know me best to describe me, I am not certain that “Passionate” would be at the top of the list.  Heck, I’m not even sure it would make the list, but there are some things that I am passionate about.  I am passionate about God.  It took 30 years before he called me into … More Children’s Ministry Resources

Biblical Parenting: 10 Tips for Fathers

Several weeks ago at my church, my eyes were opened to a biblical passage.  It is one that I have read many times, but this particular sermon would cause me to view it in a whole new way.  What I had previously read as a general reprimand to a wayward church now appeared as a model for parenting.  With Father’s … More Children’s Ministry Resources