Resources — Ministry Leaders

Are the kids in your ministry — and their families — talking about what you are currently teaching in your classrooms or through your children’s church? Getting them talking can be a powerful addition to your children’s ministry! Family meals these days are often “hijacked” by cell phones, crazy schedules, or eating in front of the TV. Families struggle to carve out devotional time together before bedtime or first thing each morning. But it’s important! Moses sums up God’s instructions to the Israelites by urging them to: “Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them...

In teaching children, it is crucial that from the earliest age that children are taught to understand exactly what the real church is and what the church is not. It is common that most people of all ages think of the church as a building. Ask a teenager “What is the church,” and almost 100% of answers will be “the church is a place where Christians meet and worship.” Yes, that is true, the church IS a PLACE where believers meet and worship, but the church is much more than that. There are thousands and thousands of church buildings, synagogues,...

Families want to know how you intend to protect and ensure safety while their children are in your care. Child safety encompasses more than strict adherence to policy and procedures. It also involves creating an environment that prioritizes communication and transparency, where kids feel safe and included. Here are eleven tips for creating a safe and inclusive environment. 1. Create a Supportive Atmosphere Start your time by gathering together. This will help you assess the children, set the tone for yourself and your students, create trust, promote collaboration, and help kids feel important. It’s a great time to welcome new...

In May 2022, The Barna Group, in partnership with Awana, released a report that churches and church leaders should give significant attention to. “Children’s Ministry in a New Reality”* seeks to look at the church of today in order to form the future church. Awana CEO Matt Markins asks a question that we should all be concerned with. It is not a question of what the future church is, but how we can be a part of actively forming it today: “If today’s kids are to be the church members and church leaders of 2050, how should we change our...

  The Bible, first placed in printed form some five hundred years ago, paved the way for bringing the Word of God directly to every individual who has acquired the ability to read and has Scripture available in their language. Yet, millions in the world remain illiterate. The same is true as we work with children who can’t yet read. We must communicate the Word of God to them verbally. It must be shared in a format where everyone can understand and be drawn to God. The Words of God truly are the essence of all of life! What God...