5. Children’s Ministry on Purpose by Steve Adams
In this terrific book by Steve Adams, children’s pastor at Saddleback Church, you will learn how to ask and answer five simple but powerful questions:
- Why are we on this journey?
- Where are you and where are you going?
- Who are we trying to reach?
- How will we move our children toward spiritual health?
- What are the essential elements necessary for the journey?
Questions we all need to answer as children’s ministry leaders.
What you will learn: a proven process to follow to lead children’s ministry on purpose.
6. 7 Family Ministry Essentials by Michelle Anthony and Megan Marshman
You’ve heard me say it over and over again: “Children’s ministry is family ministry and family ministry is children’s ministry.” Michelle and Megan offer a simple framework which will allow you to offer “family ministry” whether your ministry is called family ministry, or not.
What you will learn: practical steps, inspirational stories and biblical foundation you need as you lead those in your ministry.
7. A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet & Brett Kunkle
If you are leading in the church today, you need to understand culture. Culture is, perhaps, changing faster than it ever has in history. Certainly, our kids are facing cultural challenges and questions that most of us, as leaders, never have. If that’s the case, how do we lead them well? How do we guide them? This book answers those kind of questions.
What you will learn: how to equip kids to rise above the culture.
8. Designed to Lead by Eric Geiger & Kevin Peck
Developing leaders in the church and, specifically, in your ministry, is the best and only way to really maximize its potential. But the church as a whole, and most children’s ministries, do not do a good job of developing leaders. Designed to Lead offers a framework based on the conviction to develop leaders, developing a culture of leadership development, and providing constructs for practical development of leaders.
What you will learn: a framework for the most important element of your ministry leadership—developing leaders.
9. The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzaro
Going beyond simply offering a quick fix or new technique, The Emotionally Healthy Leader gets to the core, beneath-the-surface issues of uniquely Christian leadership. This book is more than a book you will read; it is a resource you will come back to over and over again.
What you will learn: how to develop a deep, inner life with Christ, examining its profound implications on virtually everything to do with your ministry leadership.
10. Sustainable Children’s Ministry by Mark DeVries & Annette Safstrom
A brand new book (literally just published this week!) which focuses on helping the children’s ministry leader go from last-minute scrambling (we’ve all been there!) to long-term solutions (not all of us have found that sweet spot). This book offers practical, foundational advice for creating ministry designed to last for the long-term.
What you will learn: how to recruit volunteers, partner with parents, navigate politics and care for your own soul instead of frantically scrambling to do it all yourself.
What book would you add as a “must-read” for children’s ministry leaders?
This article originally appeared here.
