I Don’t Expect You to Understand Why I Parent the Way I Do
As adoptive and special-needs parents, our style of parenting can be quite different from traditional parents.
New Baby—New Opportunity to Reach a Family
One of the best times to reach parents is when they have a new baby. It's a wake-up call. It causes many parents to begin feeling the weight of giving their child some type of religious training and life foundation.
Prayer Stations for Kids to Keep Them Rooted in Scripture
Keeping with our tradition this year, we are bringing back prayer stations. Our theme this year is rooted and we are focusing on God’s Word. We only have five stations this year because we are encouraging them to spend at least 10 minutes at each station.
How to Mix Up Sundays With a (Not So) Late Night Show Format
Does it ever seem like over time it becomes harder and harder to engage the kids at your church? That’s a struggle we’ve had at our church. So we began to think about what we could do to mix things up to re-engage kids.
Halloween and God: An Opportunity for Outreach
How can we as a church make this an amazing outreach opportunity? What can we do to motivate our children to bring their friends to learn about God?
How to Use a Tourist Night Theme in Your Children’s Ministry
You all know how much I love a good theme night in Children’s Ministry! Last night at our KidVenture program, it was Tourist Night!
Modernize Puzzles & Storytelling to Engage Kids
Ever find yourself running short on time to prepare for Bible class but want something that interests the kids? Yep! It happens to the best of us.
16 (Nearly Free) Ways to Increase Community Awareness of Your Church
If the people in your community don’t know that your church exists, they won’t ever join your church. A frequently overlooked step in connecting with a community is simply building baseline awareness of a church in that broader community.
The Great Wall of Prayer
Want a great activity for your kids to connect the story of Nehemiah with prayer?
You Can’t Just Put Kids in Church
Children are not adults, but for some reason, when it comes to church, we expect them to be. We expect that what they “get out” of the service should be the same as what we as adults get out of the service.
10 Easy Ways to Partner With Families in Your Ministry
While a daunting task and key responsibility for ministry leaders, cheerleading for families doesn’t always have to be over-thought. Yes, there should be strategies in place to help move families from here to there, but there are easy ways to make this happen.
Family Ministry Fun for the Holidays
In our crazy busy world families are looking for ways to build memories with their children more than ever. This year as you plan to engage families, here are a few design ideas for the things you may offer.
In or Out for Halloween?
Dale Hudson talks about the mixed reactions children's ministries have about Halloween and how we can come together in Jesus' name.
7 Reasons Kids Still Need to Memorize Scripture
Memorizing Bible verses has long been a part of children’s ministry. Is it still a relevant thing to emphasize in this technological day and age? I would argue that this discipline is more important now than ever.
Self-Esteem Is Ruining Your Kids
The seeds of self-esteem were laid by my parents’ generation and have taken full root in my generation. It’s this idea that kids need to have a positive outlook in life, they need to love themselves.
New Strategy for Seeing Fall Festival Guests Return
It's that time of year. Churches everywhere are gearing up for their Fall Festival. One of the biggest questions churches ask as they prepare is, "How do we see the guests who attend come back on a Sunday for services?"
15 Scriptures for Your Kids When Dealing With Racism
The reality is kids today are still battling this issue. If your kids have come home in tears after being bullied for their race, here are 15 truths to talk about as a family.
What We’re Doing for Halloween
For years and years we have done a huge Fall Festival in our own parking lot. We always did it on Halloween night as an alternative/supplement to trick-or-treating.
How to Use Your Fall Festival to Reach Families
Many churches use October 31 as an outreach event. If you're one of them, you're probably asking yourself..."How can we get unchurched families to attend?" "How can we reach families with this event?"
Raising Sons in a ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ World
There is a push on both sides to reduce manhood to either a machismo in the name of Christ or a machismo in the name of self. Boys need to know what it means to be a good man.
Latest News
The Indelible Legacy of Eugene Peterson, In Quotes
Reading through Eugene Peterson quotes will give your faith a shot in the arm. The author of the Message Bible and a handful of other books certainly knew how to communicate deep spiritual truths thoughtfully.
New Podcasts
Carey Nieuwhof: How to Overcome the Cynicism That Saps Leaders of...
“Cynicism is subtle, but it’s identifiable because it means, ultimately, the loss of hope," Carey Nieuwhof says.
