Report on children’s and family ministry in Canada 2023 Are you looking for a post-pandemic snapshot of the state of children’s and family ministry in Canada? Do you want to see this generation of Canadian children connected with Jesus and His Word? With the help of two hundred and ten churches from thirty-seven denominations in […]
What is the goal of family ministry? Family ministry should be committed to one supreme goal – to connect all generations with Jesus and His Word. To elaborate: Connect all generations … Family ministry is intergenerational. There are no age restrictions to participating in and practicing the way of Jesus. It’s linking two or more […]
Family ministry in the Bible. What does the Bible say about family ministry? “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” Exodus 20:12. The above verse from the Ten Commandments may be one of the best-known verses concerning families. Yet noticeably, it doesn’t mention the word “family.” […]
Questions without answers. Cultivating family faith … I remember when I heard about the Hemorrhaging Faith report and discovered that only one in three Canadian young adults who attended church weekly as a child still do so today. Half of the young adults who no longer attend church have also stopped identifying themselves with the […]
Ground-breaking new multi-national research by an international team of academic researchers and ministry practitioners from Brazil, Canada, the UK, and the USA asks, “Do church structures enable children’s and family ministry to grow?” This is a critical question if you’re a teacher, parent, volunteer or pastor involved with children’s or family ministry. Why? Because if […]
Families, not churches, must take the lead in the faith formation of children. Our theology is disjointed and needs to be reoriented. The primary responsibility for children’s spiritual health and growth rests with parents – not teachers, pastors, counsellors, kids min volunteers, or spiritual directors. Theological confusion concerning who is responsible for children’s faith development […]
The Canadian Children’s Ministry Report 2021 identified that like it or not, the pandemic exposed a tragic reality; “even good Christian homes struggled to build spiritual formation into the daily rhythms of life.” The apathy or unwillingness of parents to disciple their children shouldn’t be ignored. Parents need to be the driving force in the […]
What’s the purpose of the family? Sociologists generally view the purpose of the family as procreation and socialization. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Robin S. Smith, says the socializing purpose of the family in today’s society “is to provide a safe and nurturing space in which its members can know that feeling of ‘home’… the […]
The health of children’s ministry is generally poor or failing, and growth is stagnant or declining. So how is the health of children’s ministry restored and growth regenerated? Briefly stated (each point should be an article in itself), here’s how to renew children’s ministry: Reimagine Bible engagement. Connecting children intimately with God’s Word is essential […]
What would you do if you only had one day in the year to do children’s ministry? What would you prioritize? Who would help? How would you do it? If you only had one day in the year to disciple a child, would you continue doing what you’re doing? Would you take your annual curriculum […]
