Training — Ministry Leaders

Do you have hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia? If that word caused you any stress or discomfort, then you might, since that word means “a fear of big words.” Perhaps kids don’t have hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, but when we use big words in our teaching, there is a momentary disconnect…because in that moment, their concentration is broken as they are forced to try and figure out what we mean from the context of what we are saying. We can find ourselves using unnecessarily big words when teaching our kids — and not only words like propitiation, transgression, sanctification, justification, or atonement. Even if we don’t actually...

The Bible tells us that God is three persons, but all three persons are one God. This is not easy to understand because as created people we only know people as one person, in one body, and not like anyone else. But God is not restricted to the world and time as we know it. God ALWAYS existed and He has no beginning and He has no end. God created for us days and hours and weeks, months and years for us to live in. But He is not limited by time. He is eternal. God created each one of...

One of the most vital seeds we can plant is a love for God’s Word. As kid’s pastors and leaders, one of our greatest privileges is to sow seeds of faith in young hearts. But let’s be clear: biblical literacy is not just about knowing Bible stories. Biblical literacy is about building a strong foundation of faith that will carry children through life’s challenges. The Significance of Biblical Literacy for Children to Have Resilient Faith A Lifelong Anchor: Imagine a ship without an anchor; it drifts aimlessly. Similarly, children without a solid foundation in God’s Word can easily be swayed...

Our kids are growing up in a world today that is so much different than the world we grew up in. It is a world that seems to be growing more and more evil. As well, there seems to be more persecution against Christians. Several of us who are veterans of children’s ministries have been praying and discussing ways we feel we can strengthen the walk of our kids who are living in this world. We are praying that God will give us keys for deepening the spiritual roots in our kids. My book Strong Enough to Last (which in...

There was a time when I thought I had a strange superpower. It was no surprise to me at church that kids would wave to me from across the room or run to greet me. I am their pastor, after all. I’m greeted with smiles, waves, high-fives, and even hugs any time I am around the kids I minister to. They love me because they know that I love them, too. But I started to notice that often I got similar reactions from kids when I was at a store, a county fair, or even out of state sitting in...