What are the essentials for children’s faith formation? How do we cultivate a child’s passion for Jesus and an authentic faith-filled journey with Him? While there are many factors involved in children becoming more like Christ, here are five prerequisites: A life-changing encounter with Jesus. The most important requirement for a child’s faith formation is […]
What hinders a strategic approach to children’s ministry? This important question was initially raised at The Future of the Church? Rethinking the Framework of Ministry Summit (January 2022) and is the subject of ongoing discussions in different forums and groups. So what are we learning? We’ve identified four major hurdles we need to overcome: Institutional […]
Is your ministry to children world-class? Regardless of whether you’re a parent, pastor, teacher or sports coach, are you excelling at helping children enjoy Jesus and live for Him? If you answered no, then you probably need a children’s ministry strategy. When I was a parent, my plan of action to effectively and consistently help […]
For children’s ministry to thrive after COVID-19, it must progress into a new reality. We’re going to have to develop new paradigms and strategies for church life and faith formation in order to flourish in a post-pandemic world. Hoping to return to normal is a pipedream. If we think we can go back to what […]
Children’s ministry exists for children to be exclusively devoted to Jesus and fully committed citizens in His kingdom. When I typed the above purpose statement, I did so with hesitation. With hesitation, because many children’s ministry purpose statements emphasize evangelism, discipleship, and/or spiritual formation, yet don’t stress the importance of children truly loving Jesus to […]
Hands down, the family circle is the best conductor for faith formation! Viewing family life through the lenses of context, content and conviction, here’s why the home is the ultimate environment for nurturing belief and devotion: Context Christian family life revolves around eating, sleeping, conversing, working, resting, celebrating, recreation, spiritual observances (e.g. prayer, Bible reading), […]
Who does God call on to tell the children about Jesus? All of us! This may come as a surprise, but God expects all Christians to be involved in children’s ministry. If we’re part of the family of God, then all of us must connect children with Jesus and His Story. None of us are […]
When I started doing child evangelism meetings, I was mainly concerned with program design, event themes, how to dramatize stories, how to capture children’s attention, suitable songs, object lessons, making it fun, prizes and competitions, crafts and games, and getting children saved. A theology of children’s ministry wasn’t even a consideration. That was until I […]
Children’s ministry is usually equated with something that’s mainly done by a local church. But that’s a limited perspective. The context for children’s ministry is children anywhere and everywhere. It can occur at kitchen tables, schools, sports fields, concerts, clubs, community playgrounds, hospitals, parks, the beach, the street, birthday parties, or in virtually any place […]
My friend Paul Mercer from Mission Eurasia says, “We are what we love, not what we know.” That’s a statement worthy of consideration. Particularly when, according to Mercer, “the educational model of the church is failing without a corresponding model that impacts our hearts.” What is the “educational model of the church,” and is Mercer […]
