What will your children inherit when you die? Most parents have a legal document itemizing the distribution of their assets and the care of any minor children after their death. But a legal will, as crucial as it is, isn’t as important as passing our Christian values and beliefs from one generation to the next. […]
What is your church doing to help parents? Are you doing enough? Do you occasionally offer a marriage enrichment course? Could you do more? Pastors know how to prepare sermons but usually have little or no training in family ministry. Rhetoric alone doesn’t build healthy families. Parents need pastors to spend time with them. Families […]
Is your church intergenerational – where young and old worship, pray, serve, eat, sing, play, and live for Jesus together? Or are the different age groups mainly confined to age-segregated programs and activities? Professors Holly Allen and Christine Ross believe intergenerational communities are crucial and catalytical for the health and growth of children and adults: […]
There’s no magic bullet for successful children’s ministry, but there are ways to significantly improve what you’re doing. Here are ten ways to strengthen children’s ministry: 1. Cast a compelling vision. To envision is to imagine, plan beforehand, or ponder the possibilities. What has God placed in your heart and mind? People need to know […]
What’s involved in leading a child to Jesus? Aiming for Jesus. Children should aim for Jesus. He’s the bulls-eye. He should be the One at the centre of a child’s world. But that’s easier said than done. Children have many targets throughout their lives. The first target when they’re born is their mother’s breast. Babies […]
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 […]
What should we teach in children’s ministry? All home, church and school teaching should ultimately be to this end – to teach children about Jesus. To learn Christ. A common expression in the early church was “to learn Christ.” We should co-opt this phrase for children’s ministry. Jesus, above all else, is the One we […]
What’s the best way to connect children with Jesus? Children’s ministry leader DeAnn Stull says, “You can’t get children to Jesus if you don’t get them in the church door to share the Gospel!” Is she right? Is church attendance the best way to connect children with Jesus? How congregations spend their time, energy, and […]
Are you a parent who wants your child to love and live for Jesus? Do you wonder, “How can I help my child grow spiritually?” Are you sometimes unsure about how to make it happen? The good news is it isn’t brain surgery – every parent can do it! Here are five parenting practices that […]
One of the key reasons children’s ministry is held back is that the good things we do aren’t always the best things we should do. So what’s truly important in children’s ministry? Here are my top three priorities: 1. Empower children to love Christ. British evangelist T. Austin-Sparks said, “When Christ really captivates us, everything […]
