I just heard about a West Virginia church is facing lawsuits over a poorly run VBS games. According to this report, a 9-year-old boy was seriously injured in their Vacation Bible School program. It sounds like individual church volunteers were named in the lawsuit too! I’m not familiar with the situation, but it’s a good […]
Search Results for: summer ministry
Messy Game Ideas: A Cheap Way To Splash Into School
At the beginning of the summer, my elementary teachers had the idea of having water games one Sunday morning for our elementary aged children. We decided to plan it after VBS with the intention of inviting our VBS attendees. “Splash Into School From VBS” took place during the Worship Service hour. Our kids loved it and […]
Back to School Coloring Pages
Download these free coloring page activities for kids as they get close to starting a new school year. Scroll to see the non-religious (for public school) and religious options (for churches). 4 Non-Religious Options (for Public Schools) 4 pages in one PDF –Download Free Back To School Printable We created these four options for teachers […]
10 Steps to Prepare for Cross-Cultural Kids Ministry
Among other things, summer time is prime time for service projects and missions trips. Often, those trips will include working with children through Vacation Bible Schools, summer camps, outreach programs, orphanages, etc. Whether you’ve got trips planned for the inner city, a different place in the US, or an international mission trip planned, an essential […]
Grace Based Parenting: A Summer Must Read
I really hope that I’m not alone when I say that parenting is the hardest thing that I have ever done. I say that in honesty and humility. I am ashamed to say that I have misrepresented a loving God to my children with impatience, fatigue, fear, control, or manipulation at times. This is not […]
5 Tips for Volunteer Recruitment in Children’s Ministry
I think one of the biggest challenges anyone faces in ministry is recruiting (and keeping) volunteers. Particularly as a children’s director, it sometimes feels like pulling teeth to get church members to even consider stepping foot into the children’s department! I think there are several things we can do as preschool and elementary directors to […]
Sample Head Lice Policy for Church, Daycare, or School
A few years ago I wrote a letter to the parents of my church to inform them of our head lice policy. While head lice is not a glamorous topic, it can present very real problems. And I don’t simply mean the head scratching kind! If one or more children show up to church with head […]
Podcast #9: VBS Tips from Shannon at Group VBS
It’s only November, why are you talking about VBS? The short answer is you can’t start planning too early. For the longer answer, you should listen to this podcast. In this episode I talk with Shannon Velasquez who plans VBS training all across the country. She was the one who invited me to attend their PandaMania […]
Learn this One Skill and You’ll Become a Better Ministry Leader
A couple of months ago I scheduled a time to meet with my Sunday morning elementary volunteers. Having become the director of preschool through elementary at this church last summer, I had been taking my time to observe what was taking place and look for ways to improve the ministries. After taking a bit of […]
Benefits of Hindsight in Children’s Ministry Leadership
Late in 2010 I resigned as Children’s Pastor from the church where I served for fifteen years. It concluded thirty years of being involved in some form of children’s work, mostly in the local church. In my previous church, one of only two where I have been on staff, I was an elder and Children’s […]
Vacation Bible School: Getting Your Team Spiritually Ready
I recently attended a preview conference for Lifeway’s Big Apple Adventure in Nashville, TN. While there I joined in the excitement of VBS anticipation and preparation. It can be the case for me and I’m sure for many of you that in the hustle and bustle of VBS we focus too much on the physical […]
Summertime Ideas for Children’s Ministry
Summertime ministry to children is touch and go. Outside of big events like VBS, regular weekly attendance can wane during the summer months in the children’s ministry. Kids go on family vacations, head to summer camps and focus on play rather than worship. Meanwhile, nervous children’s ministry leaders anxiously await the return of their children […]
Why I Don’t Want to Be Too Good at Kidmin
I saw a tweet the other day extolling the virtues of summer volunteers because they bring excitement and enough nervousness to rely on Jesus (thanks @mattguevara). That tweet set me thinking about my own approach to children’s ministry. I constantly talk about the need to be prepared, the need to invest the time, the need […]
5 Family Devotions to Welcome Spring
Welcome Spring with this collection of family devotions ideas. You’ll be searching for treasures, playing in the mud, creating artwork, spring cleaning, and planting new life. Grab your rain boots and allow the Word of God to speak anew. Enjoy! 1. New Life Treasure Hunt Grab a camera and entrust it to your child if […]
101 Sunday School Games (Fun & Easy) Bible Activities
Add some fun to your children’s ministry with these 101 Game ideas for Sunday School. Add some fun — try these Sunday School games in you class this weekend. We’ve put together 101 Bible games for kids ideas that are easy to plan and will give children a positive experience while learning God’s Word. Use […]
Ministry Frustrations: Is it worth leaving the church?
Is it worth leaving the church? We’ve been in the new church building for three years now. When we first moved in, I was excited to start decorating the Children’s Ministry rooms and make them an exciting and welcoming place for kids. However, we had to wait….wait to see how the rooms will all end […]
Jesus.org – A New Tool for Answering Kids
As someone who has four kids and works in children’s ministry, there is one thing I have found to be true of (most) all kids – they ask questions! Many times they ask lots and lots and lots of questions. Sometimes they ask questions that we don’t know the answer to. In a children’s ministry […]
How Do You Build Momentum in Your Children’s Ministry?
Have you ever had “that moment?” The moment in kids’ ministry when you’re in front of a group of young children trying to explain the gospel to them, and God gives you words that you know must have come from him because you’re not smart enough to explain it that way? I had that moment […]
Here’s a Christmas Gift Your Volunteers Will Actually Like
At this time of year, we begin trying to find the perfect way to say “thank you” to all of the women who faithfully serve in children’s ministry all year long. I wanted something that was not a “teaching” book or a “training” book. I even wanted to steer clear of the typical teacher’s gift […]
How To Stay Positive – When Summer Attendance Is Down
If your church is like mine, the dog days of Summer can be the dog days of attendance too – especially for young families who use the Summer break to go on vacation. 6 Ways To Avoid Discouragement This is an aspect of ministry that I still struggle with. It almost always affects my mood when our […]
