Training

It is never too early to help children learn how to pray and provide ways for them to make their prayer life strong and meaningful. Here are some ways to engage children in prayer. Prayer Models: When Jesus’s disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He gave them what we know today as “The Lord’s Prayer.” That prayer is a great model for teaching children how to pray. Don’t hesitate to change the wording to be more meaningful to children according to their age. Our Father who is in Heaven: God in heaven, You are the Creator of...

Over my years in children’s ministry, I have spent countless hours planning for game time. Some weeks this came with great excitement and joy around a new, attention-grabbing activity. Some weeks the last minute planning led to a game-time flop and disappointed kids. As I’ve met leaders around world, I’ve found that leading games can be a great strength and source of enjoyment for some, and a dreaded task for others. Regardless of our personal strengths and preferences, I want to point children’s ministry leaders to the PURPOSE of game time in ministry, and help them avoid what I see...

As you read the account of “The Fall” in Genesis 3, watch for the exchanges that are taking place in the conversation between the Serpent, Eve, Adam, and God. You will notice that there are a lot of questions being asked, a lot of answers being given, and several being held accountable for their actions. As we read this account of the Fall, do we see a lot of “active listening” going on? The Serpent was listening for Eve’s response to his line of questioning, Eve was listening to Serpent. Adam was listening to Eve. Adam and Eve were listening...

Small groups. They are the building blocks of all ministry. They create an emerging community. For children’s ministry leaders, changing to a small group model involves two primary paradigm shifts. The first is spectator/volunteer to pastor. The second is a shift from teacher to storyteller. Your small group leaders need to know that their primary function as a small group leader becomes pastoral. From Spectator/ Volunteer to Pastor Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember your Creator while you are young” (NCV). You’re working with a demographic that has the greatest opportunity for receiving Christ. You have a chance to bring them into...

We all want life-long faith for children. But ministry is not one-size-fits-all. Each community, congregation, and family is unique. What’s more, every child is unique. That means each map that guides the spiritual formation of a child will also be perfectly unique, even within each family. As a children’s ministry leader, I appreciate organizations that have set specific age-based outcomes for the spiritual development of children. It helps me to set a median goal for a group of kids. As a parent, looking at each child in my home, these goals have been less helpful. My firstborn not only met...