So grab your calendar and a pencil (because we never plan in pen), and follow these steps to planning your ministry year.

Planning Your Ministry Year

Start with the big picture. 

Spend time reflecting on your ministry’s vision and keep it front and center as you set goals for the year. Our goals give us the direction and boundaries for our calendar. Write down all the big, important, we-do-them-every-year, this-isn’t-going-to-change-unless-the-rapture-happens dates first (Easter, Christmas, church-wide events) so you can plan around those.

These are the tent poles or milestones of each year that act as foundational markers throughout the year. These events act as anchors for the rest of your calendar.

Also make note of the seasons of busy-ness for your families so you can be mindful of events during those seasons. As much as we’d love it if the families in our church only had our events on their calendar, the reality is they have commitments (a lot of them) outside of our ministries. The families in my ministry asked for no extra events past the first weekend of December until after Christmas and from the beginning of May until after school gets out.

Those are two months that are jam-packed with school activities and extracurriculars, so keep your families’ other schedules in mind. This will help prevent you spending time and energy on an event that no one shows up to.

And don’t forget to add in your personal dates too! Family vacations, seasons of transition (like the birth of a baby, a sister getting married or a child graduating high school, etc.) should all be part of your big-picture ministry year planning.

After you set your goals and consider the lives of your families and volunteers, create calendar events that help you accomplish those goals (you can use Deeper KidMin’s Ministry Goal Setting Guide to help).

Narrow down the details. 

Now that you have the big picture planned, work backward to fill in the details. How can you set yourself up for success with each major event on your calendar? Add ministry planning checkpoints or due dates in your calendar for each major event. For example, if VBS happens the first week of June, maybe you purchase final supplies/organize final donations the last week of May, open registration 8 weeks before in April, start promoting your VBS in March, communicate with your team in February, and finalize VBS curriculum by the end of January.

Working backward from your event date allows you to spread out the tasks and make sure that nothing gets put off until the last minute or forgotten. Ministry planning checkpoints also help you create opportunities to invite volunteers to use their gifting to amplify the event.

The details allow you to get a little creative too! Consider areas or events where you can innovate and try something new. Maybe instead of a traditional Christmas program, you create a family-friendly interactive event or nativity experience. Instead of a summer-long Bible study, you host a Bible adventure camp with hands-on activities. Think outside the box with your themes, outreach efforts, and even the way you communicate with families.

Another element of narrowing down the details includes having the teams in place to help you pull off your events and week-to-week ministry rhythms. Children’s ministry doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The more the church as a whole supports your ministry, the more effective it will be. Look for ways to involve the congregation by casting vision in the main service as often as possible, partnering with other ministries for big events, and regularly sharing the wins from your ministry.

Evaluate your plan and effectiveness. 

When you’re done, look at your calendar year visually. Is there one month that has lots of events? Did you plan 3 ministry events for your preschool families in April, but nothing else until October? Make sure your calendar is balanced throughout the year in the number of events for each intended audience and the volunteers needed to support the events.

Each event on the calendar must help meet a specific goal and have a specific purpose. Can you identify how each event on your calendar helps you meet your specific goals for the year and your vision for the ministry?

Evaluate each specific event too. Ask questions of your families and volunteers to gather feedback about the event. And take notes on how you planned, promoted, and prepared for an event so it’s even easier next year. Write down any notes or changes you want to make for next time You could even schedule an email to send yourself the notes when it’s time to start planning the event for next year! 

Flexibility in the Planning

Regardless of how much we plan, ministry is dynamic, and unexpected things will arise. A well-planned calendar gives you the flexibility to pivot when needed without feeling overwhelmed. That’s why we always plan in pencil—so we can adjust as God leads!

Planning your children’s ministry calendar doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By focusing on the big picture first, narrowing down the details, and taking time to evaluate your calendar, you can create a ministry year that is intentional, impactful, and sustainable for you, your families, and your team. As you plan, trust that God will guide your steps. And know that each event, lesson, and relationship built is planting seeds of faith that will last a lifetime.

Want resources that will walk you through these critical steps for planning your ministry year? Check out the KidMin Planning Bundle from Deeper KidMin, complete with a goal-setting guide, feedback questions, calendar planning checklist, and more!

Then she volunteered for VBS the next year and said, “I get it now. It’s not about the T-shirt. It’s about how he feels in the shirt because it reminds him of this amazing week—the fun, the community he built, and God.”

That one conversation solidified the importance of special events in children’s ministry as part of my ministry philosophy. Her feedback reminded me of the importance of creating shared memories for kids and families and how those experiences create an inviting environment where discipleship can flourish.

Special Events Are Important

Whether it’s a traditional VBS, a sports camp, a family night, a preteen game night, or some crazy mixture of all of the above, special events are vital to the heartbeat of a thriving children’s ministry.

Research has shown that church attendance is declining, with fewer and fewer families attending weekly. Lower attendance means ministry leaders have to be creative and think outside the box (and outside of Sunday mornings) to connect with families.

That’s where special events come in.

How Can Special Events Serve My Ministry?

Special events come in all shapes and sizes: VBS, egg hunts, holiday events, family events, age-specific events, overnight camps, sports camps, day camps, etc. Basically, anything that happens outside of regular Sunday morning or mid-week programming is a special event.

These gatherings go beyond regular programming, creating memorable experiences that strengthen relationships and build a sense of belonging.

Special events make space for kids and families inside your church and your community to connect with one another. They reach kids, families, and your local community through fun, engaging opportunities that create relationships and connection points. They foster community, provide outreach opportunities, and create shared memories.

This might step on some toes, but real relationships aren’t typically formed on Sunday mornings. They form on the playground, at the ball field, during a movie night, and over a consistent period of time that allows lives to intersect.

Special events provide those opportunities for kids and families to get to know each other on a deeper level and in a fun way.

Zipped To-Gather: A Summer Programming Guide

Zipped To-Gather is an outreach program that invites and encourages parents to get involved in ministry to your community. You will simply provide the easy-to-find supplies (listed in this guide), and the parents will take it from there. Check it out!

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Zipped To-Gather: A Summer Programming Guide

Zipped To-Gather is an outreach program that invites and encourages parents to get involved in ministry to your community. You will simply provide the easy-to-find supplies (listed in this guide), and the parents will take it from there. Check it out!

Download your free guide

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Zipped To-Gather: A Summer Programming Guide

Zipped To-Gather is an outreach program that invites and encourages parents to get involved in ministry to your community. You will simply provide the easy-to-find supplies (listed in this guide), and the parents will take it from there. Check it out!

Download your free guide

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Practical Tips for Hosting Special Events

I will always go to bat for the importance of special events in children’s ministry, but I also advocate for intentional events that are wise with the limited time, resources, and people available to ministry leaders.

So, while you’re considering your next special event, keep these tips in mind to ensure they’re worth your energy.

Remember your why.

Always keep the main goal(s) of your event front and center when planning, so you can ensure that every decision going into the event will help you accomplish that goal.

Is the goal to develop biblical literacy in kids? To help kids form friendships? To model family discipleship?

While special events may encompass a combination of these, the main priority will always drive the schedule created, the budget set, and the decisions made for a particular event.

Keep it simple—with the overall calendar and the event itself.

Be mindful of the ministry calendar you offer to families, being careful not to put too many events on the schedule, which can lead to burnout for you and the families you serve. One large special event per quarter or semester is a good pace, and you might also consider creating smaller special events for niches within your ministry.

The parents in my ministry love Preschool Playdates and special events designed just for the littles, while our preteens enjoy a special preteen-only Game Night each semester.

These don’t have to be big and extravagant or include the entire ministry to be effective. I’ve served at churches where VBS is a Disney-level immersive experience for kids, and I’ve served at churches where the only decorations we had were some extra posters on the walls.

Both met the goals of the church in reaching the community and helping kids grow deeper in their faith.

Build a team.

You can’t (and shouldn’t) host a special event on your own.

Think about the people you can invite into the planning and hosting process and give them room to use their God-given talents and gifts. Consider who may enjoy prepping supplies, planning certain aspects, or greeting during the event.

Curate a team of people to serve with you at each special event, from preparation to clean up.

Plan ahead and promote.

Start planning well in advance to ensure everything runs smoothly. Make a checklist of tasks, set deadlines, and delegate responsibilities to team members. Then use various modes of communication to promote the event to potential attendees.

Announce it in service (both kids’ and the main service, if applicable), share about it on social media, send out emails, hand out flyers, and put up posters to ensure everyone knows when and where it’s happening. Families can’t attend if they don’t know about the event well enough in advance.

Give attendees a next step.

Before families leave your special event, make them aware of a next opportunity to connect with your church or ministry. Invite them to a Sunday morning service, provide details about the next special event, or help them connect with another church member.

Providing another touch point after a special event is a great way to create consistency in interactions that allows relationships to form. 

Evaluate.

After each event, always take time to evaluate and gather feedback from your team and the attendees. Ask questions, consider what might need to change, and celebrate the wins from the event. 

Conclusion

At the end of the day, we want to point kids toward Jesus. But we can’t do that unless they know that they are loved and valued and worth investing in. 

So, host the special event. Create the shared memories. Do the messy, fun thing that sparks interest and engagement.

Whether it’s a festive holiday celebration, a fun-filled family game night, or an outreach initiative, special events are vital for nurturing connections and fostering a vibrant, supportive environment that allows true discipleship to take root and thrive.

More Articles Like This

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• 6 Fun Ideas for Engaging Kids in Summer
• How to Bring a Mission Mindset to the Kidmin Classroom
• VBS Alternatives: Take Back Summer for Kids’ Ministry!
• VBS Planning That Doesn’t Make You Want to Scream
• Why You Need to Include Kids with Disabilities in VBS and How to Do It
• Creative Summer Programming in Children’s Ministry

What does it even practically look like in ministry, and how can ministry leaders approach marketing in a healthy way?

Marketing Is Ministry

First, it’s important to recognize that your church or ministry does some sort of marketing already, whether you realize it or not. The term marketing may carry a negative connotation as visions of commercials and advertisements cloud your head, but marketing itself is a natural (and vital) aspect of any church that desires growth and life transformation.

Do you have a church sign on your property, post about events on social media, or send out mailers to the community? Do you have t-shirts with your church name or logo on them or an email list that allows you to communicate with your congregants via email newsletters?

All of these are forms of marketing.

Driving Growth

According to Forbes, marketing is “the practice of creating and capturing customer demand to drive enterprise growth.” There are a lot of business-y words in there that may feel strange to use in a ministry setting. But broken down, this definition means that marketing is all about effectively communicating with your community to draw them into a relationship with you by offering a solution to a significant problem or need.

In the church, this is the need for a Savior and a community in which to grow in relationship with God and other believers. So, the role of marketing in the church is to effectively communicate the gospel in such a way that people are naturally drawn into your church community because they want to connect with God and others.

In a church setting, marketing is being “witnesses … to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8) and sharing the good news of Jesus with those inside and outside the church building.

A church that thinks intentionally about its marketing will be more effective at drawing people into the kingdom of God. Marketing your church or ministry can lead to overall growth, greater community engagement, and increased impact.

How to Get Heard and Supported by Your Church Leadership

So, you want to be heard. You have a ministry vision you want to implement. You are considered a leader in your church…but you don’t always feel that way when you’re around other senior leaders. (Heavy sigh.) Hear this clearly: You can get heard. (And ministry leader, Keith Ferrin, is going to help you.)

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How to Get Heard and Supported by Your Church Leadership​

So, you want to be heard. You have a ministry vision you want to implement. You are considered a leader in your church…but you don’t always feel that way when you’re around other senior leaders. (Heavy sigh.) Hear this clearly: You can get heard. (And ministry leader, Keith Ferrin, is going to help you.)

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How to Get Heard and Supported by Your Church Leadership​

So, you want to be heard. You have a ministry vision you want to implement. You are considered a leader in your church…but you don’t always feel that way when you’re around other senior leaders. (Heavy sigh.) Hear this clearly: You can get heard. (And ministry leader, Keith Ferrin, is going to help you.)

Download your free guide

Free Guide

Where Do I start?

Recognize what marketing tools and strategies you already have in place. Remember that email list? What about the church sign out front? What other ways are you already communicating with your congregation and with your community?

After you make your list, categorize who those marketing efforts are reaching. Consider dividing each marketing effort into one of two categories: congregation and community.

The marketing efforts that reach your church members and people who are already familiar with your church (and who have visited at least once or twice) fall into the congregation category. Those in your community who may know about your church but have never stepped inside—the people who drive by your church on their way to work or people who don’t even know you exist at all—fall into the community category.

Next, choose a marketing approach that will best meet the needs of the target audience you are trying to reach. Sharing something with your congregation will require a different approach than sharing something with your community. Both have their place and value.

Some marketing efforts may reach both categories, but taking note of how many of your efforts go toward each one can help you evaluate efforts moving forward.

Consider all the avenues available for reaching those audiences.

Some Examples of Marketing Your Ministry

Some forms of church marketing may include (but are not limited to):

Sponsorships or Collaborations with Local Businesses

Whether you ask a local business to sponsor or donate something to one of your events or your church sponsors a community event, find ways to get out into the community.

My previous church has hosted a booth and the family zone/kids’ area at our town’s local Fall Fest every year which draws in close to 50,000 people in 2 days.

Social Media Engagement

Use social media platforms to share about your church, not only posting about events and invitations, but also by offering encouraging and educational content too. You may also consider utilizing Facebook ads.

My church used paid Facebook ads to promote a drive-through nativity event one Christmas season. We had over 1,500 people from all over our community check “Going” on the Facebook event. On the night of the event, over 750 cars, each full of families, drove through our campus.

Educational Events

Hosting educational events like seminars and workshops about relevant topics can help you connect with new families and introduce them to your church.

When my church hosted a seminar on suicide prevention and care, the event yielded excellent results and new connections within the community.

Online Presence

Your website is a major marketing tool for your church. For many visitors, it will be the first impression they have, even before walking through your doors. Include a “plan your visit” or “first-time guests” page on your website that details all the common questions a new visitor may have and that invites them to connect with someone in person.

Also take a look at the reviews on Google and other online ratings for your church. How can you encourage church members to leave reviews about your church that encourage and invite potential guests to attend?

Personal Connections

Utilize email newsletters, personalized letters, or phone calls to connect with members individually. Look into sending postcards to your community inviting them to Christmas Eve or Easter at your church.

A Word of Caution in Marketing Your Ministry

Marketing may get a bad rap in the ministry world because it tends to draw us into a consumerism culture that always wants more and will do whatever it takes to get it. There’s a reason for that.

When given too much power or emphasis, marketing can have a negative influence on your leadership and ministry.

Stay hyper-focused on the message. Everything you share and post should align closely with your vision and goals of the church. Run marketing ideas and promotions through several people from a variety of ages and stages to ensure communication reaches everyone.

Be authentic in your messaging. Avoid exaggeration or misrepresentation of your ministry’s offerings or experiences.

Be careful of overemphasizing numerical growth. While growth is a positive indicator, it’s essential to avoid an unhealthy focus on numerical success. Quality of spiritual experiences and depth of connections should be valued and included in marketing strategy just as much as (if not more than) the number of people reached.

Guard against elevating a person or even the church itself over the gospel. Avoid using marketing to elevate individual leaders or the ministry itself above the message or mission of the gospel.

Final Encouragement

Marketing your ministry requires a delicate balance between visibility and humility, growth and authenticity.

By staying humble, regularly evaluating marketing strategies, and celebrating the impact of marketing efforts, leaders can effectively communicate in ways that draw people into their community and, ultimately, the kingdom of God.

When done with sincerity and integrity, marketing becomes a powerful tool for reaching and serving those in need.

More Articles from Brittany!

• Why Should I Embrace Digital Learning in My Ministry?
• Setting Up a Solid Administrative System to Support Your Ministry
• Is Digital Curriculum the Way Forward?
• Why Life Application Matters in Your Children’s Ministry Curriculum
• What Does It Mean to Be a Servant Leader?

Leading in children’s ministry demands a level of humility and desire to serve others—often without receiving thanks or recognition in return. It requires an approach to leadership that places concern for the community above your own desires and preferences.

It involves using the power that comes with leadership to support, encourage, and develop those you lead. This type of leadership manifests as a seemingly dichotomous philosophy: servant leadership.

What Is Servant Leadership?

In his essay The Servant as Leader, Robert K. Greenleaf describes a servant leader as someone who focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of the communities they lead (Greenleaf, 1970). Servant leadership requires humility, selflessness, and a genuine love for others, taking on a shepherd’s attitude toward his sheep.

We see the perfect example of servant leadership in Jesus. In Mark 10:45, Jesus tells us, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Here He explicitly states His role as a servant leader (NIV).

Jesus not only spoke about and supported the idea of servant leadership; He practiced it.

When Jesus washes the disciples’ feet in John 13, He shows the humility and love at the core of leadership. And then He charges His disciples to do for others as He has done for them. When we model servanthood, we inspire and empower others to follow suit.

What Does Servant Leadership Look Like?

Children’s ministry leaders have the opportunity to serve a variety of people, including their staff, volunteers, children, and families. Maintaining a strong heart of a servant while leading each of these groups is vital for effective leadership.

Making an Impact in Your Children’s Ministry

Why Your Curriculum Matters and How to Choose the Right One
This guide was created to help you dive into some of the topics facing your ministries today and lead into why your curriculum matters and how to choose the right one depending on your needs.

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How to Guard Yourself from Ministry Burnout

There are moments in every leader’s journey that defines whether they move forward or give up. Things happen, life gets hard, and opportunities come and go. Download this guide to be encouraged in your leadership walk with the Lord!

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How to Guard Yourself from Ministry Burnout

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Starting with Staff

With our staff, servant leadership looks like adopting a Philippians 2:3-4 attitude. This Scripture says: “valu[ing] others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (NIV). It means remembering we’re all on the same team. And we’re working together to provide opportunities and experiences for people to encounter Christ.

It means doing what you can to make life easier for others on your staff, being mindful when sharing space and even calendar dates. Communicating well with staff allows us to work together more effectively and shows respect and appreciation for other leaders’ ministries. Celebrating the successes of those around you helps show encouragement and support. It helps eliminate a spirit of bitterness or comparison.

Servant Leadership with Volunteers

With our volunteers, servant leadership looks like never asking a volunteer to do something you aren’t willing to do. Let your volunteer team see that you work hard to make their serving experience enjoyable and that you value their time. Show appreciation as often as you can, whether through gifts, written notes, or verbal affirmations.

Encourage feedback by inviting volunteers to share their thoughts and ideas with you. Their perspective can provide valuable insights that lead to improvements in your children’s ministry that benefit everyone involved. Step outside your ministry and consider ways to serve them in their world.

For example, if you have teachers on your volunteer team, offer to help them set up their classrooms for the school year. Our volunteers give up time and energy to serve in our world without expecting anything in return. And when we do the same for them, we model servant leadership at its finest.

With Children

With the children in our programs, servant leadership looks like getting down on their level—literally and metaphorically. Get down on the floor with kids. Greet them at eye level. And ensure your teaching methods meet their needs and aren’t just your own preferences.

Know the kids in your ministry by name and learn about what they enjoy doing. I know there’s always a lot happening on Sunday mornings but take the time to listen to the concerns and questions of the children in your ministry.

Be fully present during your interactions, showing genuine care and interest in their lives. Fun is a kid’s love language (and maybe ice cream too), so find ways to connect with them through relational activities and opportunities beyond Sunday mornings.

With Families

With the families in our ministries, servant leadership looks like being mindful and respectful of busy seasons. These include seasons like the end of the school year and Christmastime. Families in my ministry say May and December are crazy months and ask that we don’t have extra events during those times.

Servant leadership with families also means having policies and procedures in place to protect everyone in your ministry. It means knowing when to be flexible and give grace, and showing parents we are on their side.

Let’s get out of our offices and step into the lives of families. Go to a baseball game or dance recital, invite them over for dinner, or meet them at a playground for a playdate. When we step into their lives, we show the genuine interest and care required of servant leadership.

Finally, pray regularly for everyone you interact with in your leadership role. Lift up their needs, challenges, and joys before the Lord, demonstrating your commitment to their spiritual well-being.

Leading Like Jesus

Children’s ministry leaders facilitate and encourage the spiritual growth and development of the youngest members of the church. But, as anyone who has served in children’s ministry long will tell you, children’s ministry leaders are not just shepherds to children; they are called to lead so many other leaders.

When we adopt a servant leadership approach, we lead like Jesus. Like our Savior, we lead with humility, compassion, and an authentic love for those we serve. Being servant leaders allows us to make a lasting impact on the lives of the children, volunteers, and families in our ministries.

Greenleaf, R. (1970). The Servant as Leader. Essay. The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.

More From Brittany Nelson

• Why Should I Embrace Digital Learning in My Ministry?
• Setting Up a Solid Administrative System to Support Your Ministry
• Is Digital Curriculum the Way Forward?
• Why Life Application Matters in Your Children’s Ministry Curriculum

Developmentally, children often struggle with abstract concepts, but showing them how to apply biblical concepts in real-life situations helps them grasp the concepts more fully by giving them real-life examples of following Jesus.

If we want to help kids gain an understanding of the Bible that leads to life change, our teaching approach and children’s ministry curriculum must incorporate life application.  

What is life application?

Life application in children’s ministry refers to helping kids process the practical integration of biblical principles into their daily lives. It emphasizes the relevance of faith and helps kids understand and apply their faith to their life experiences.

Life application encourages children to respond to the Bible story by putting their faith into action, allowing God’s lessons from the Bible to influence their relationships, decision-making, and responses to challenges.

Jesus included life application in His teachings. Each of His parables teaches an important lesson using an everyday item or scenario. The parables explain theological truths and encourage listeners to apply those truths.

Ultimately, life application gives kids a call to action from the teaching, inviting them to practice their faith outside the four walls of the church.

Why does life application matter?

Children are much more receptive to teaching when it is applicable and obviously relevant. Kids want to know how what they are learning connects to the real world and how it applies to them in real life. Including life application in our teaching gives the learning process meaning for kids and equips them to develop a lifelong faith.

When children see how the Bible relates to their lives, they develop a personal connection with their faith. This connection promotes engagement, curiosity, and a desire to seek a deeper understanding of God’s Word.

Life application also equips children with tools to navigate life’s challenges and make wise decisions. It encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and discernment, empowering children to apply biblical principles in practical ways. These skills prepare them to face the complexities of the world with confidence, resilience, and a solid foundation in their faith.

Teaching without life application leads to a transfer of knowledge but lacks true impact. Without life application, biblical teachings become another set of history facts for kids to memorize rather than a living relationship with their Creator that influences everything they do.

Teaching that includes life application fosters a lifelong faith by showing kids that God’s Word is relevant and applicable to their lives.

Bible In Life

Connecting everyday situations to God’s word

With our 4-step lessons, teachers can focus on engaging kids, youth, and adults to discover God’s Word and bring it to life.

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How do I equip volunteers and families to incorporate life application?

While you can include life application points in the overall teaching time, the best space for kids to explore life application is in places where they can work out their faith—like in small groups and at home.

One way to include life application in your teaching is to invite other real-life people into the teaching. This may look like volunteers who share their faith stories, other leaders within the church, guest speakers, or a FaceTime call with a missionary.

When kids see and hear about people living out their faith, they explore ways they can live out their faith in the context of school, home, sports, and more.

During small group time, train volunteers to invite questions, foster brainstorming discussions, and offer opportunities to role play. We must provide space for kids to explore the questions they have about their faith so we can help them discover the answers. 

Asking questions allows kids to process and integrate their faith with their daily lives.

Having discussions where kids brainstorm ways to apply their faith in real-life situations also gives them an opportunity to process the lesson on a basic level and understand how it applies to them. Role-play games and scenarios provide kids a safe environment to experiment with putting their faith in action. 

Leaders can provide resources and encouragement for parents to help them apply each Sunday’s lesson at home. Weekly text messages or social media posts with discussion questions for mealtimes or short examples of how to use various daily routines (bath time, brushing teeth, etc.) for a faith conversation are helpful resources.

By providing ways to invite kids and families to interact with Bible stories from Sunday mornings throughout the week, ministry leaders essentially enable families to “Talk about [the Bible] when [they] sit at home and when [they] walk along the road, when [they] lie down and when [they] get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7 NIV^TM).

Helping parents see that life application can happen in the mundane, routine moments removes some of the fear and intimidation parents may feel when thinking about discipling their kids.

Word of Caution

Sometimes an emphasis on life application can slip into a focus on behavior modification rather than heart transformation. In these circumstances, our choices and lives become the main focus of the lesson. That emphasis isn’t a bad thing, but it shouldn’t be the foundation of our teaching.

God must remain central every time.

We shouldn’t forfeit an emphasis on God’s role in the story in exchange for life application.

For example, in the story about Jesus feeding the 5,000 in John 6:1-15, we can include a life application point about sharing what we have with others like the little boy who shared his lunch, but the main point of the story should focus on Jesus’ powerful miracle and how God provides even when a situation seems impossible.

Leaders can avoid this misdirection of attention by ensuring that the lesson invites kids to wonder, explore, and experiment with God’s role in the story just as much as discussing life application.

Ultimately, combining life application with opportunities to develop a personal relationship with God allows us to create learning experiences for kids that lead to lifelong faith.

Connecting the Bible to things kids experience and helping them see how to live out the lesson fosters ownership of their faith and resilience as they grow.

66 Short Bible Verses Perfect for Kids to Memorize

Memorized verses are the rails the Spirit’s instructions run on. How much track have we laid? Download this guide on Short Bible Verses. With 1 verse from every book, kids will learn to hide God’s Word in their hearts!

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66 Short Bible Verses Perfect for Kids to Memorize

Memorized verses are the rails the Spirit’s instructions run on. How much track have we laid? Download this guide on Short Bible Verses. With 1 verse from every book, kids will learn to hide God’s Word in their hearts!

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66 Short Bible Verses Perfect for Kids to Memorize

Memorized verses are the rails the Spirit’s instructions run on. How much track have we laid? Download this guide on Short Bible Verses. With 1 verse from every book, kids will learn to hide God’s Word in their hearts!

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When I was a children’s ministry leader, that was a sentence I had to include in our curriculum as a reminder for our volunteers. We were a mobile church that met at a local high school. The children’s ministry happened in the band, orchestra, and chorus rooms.

Every piece of curriculum we used had to be modified in some way to fit our context.

Now, I’m a children’s ministry volunteer at a church that has its own building. But our children’s pastor still has to modify the lessons based on materials, service times, and the needs of the kids and families we serve.

No matter which curriculum you use, you’re probably modifying it in some way to meet the needs of your families too. As technology continues to advance and provide new ways for us to communicate and share information, there are more and more options for creating lessons that allow us to share the gospel in every ministry context.

One tool that continues to grow in prevalence is digital curriculum. Digital curriculum at its most basic level is not that new. However, the ministry world continues to expand its offerings of digital curriculum that makes our roles in ministry more effective and efficient.

What is digital curriculum?

Because of the ever-changing nature of technology, the term “digital curriculum” doesn’t offer us a clearcut definition that encompasses the details of all the curriculum offers. Instead, digital curriculum tends to fall into a progression of formats.

The earliest forms of digital curriculum provided leaders a way to purchase and access files through a provider’s website with the option to download the files to the leader’s computer. This level of digital curriculum often allows leaders to share the files digitally with their team through the provider’s website, sometimes even creating accounts for their volunteers to access the curriculum online too.

Other curriculum providers expanded the definition to include video-led teachings and presentation elements within the teaching files. This allows leaders to use the files on-screen while teaching.

Recently, curriculum providers have started exploring a new form of digital curriculum. Leaders can access the lessons and media within the provider’s website, application, or portal. Rather than merely downloading the document and media files, the lessons can be manipulated, edited, and formatted within the leader’s account on the provider’s site.

This option provides a seamless way for leaders to modify the lessons for their context. It also maintains the overall professional formatting (and doesn’t take up a lot of space on a hard drive).

How can I prepare for my context?

This last option of digital curriculum offers leaders the ultimate control in preparing lessons for their specific context. A leader can make adjustments to the individual activities included, easily rearrange the order of activities, adjust the overall time length, and even type their own wording right into the professionally formatted document.

It’s almost like leaders are given all the main pieces of a puzzle they can fit together in any number of ways to form a unique picture. The leader has the capability to maneuver and adjust the puzzle pieces to create a lesson plan most compatible with their preferences.

After leaders have edited the content to be exactly what their kids and volunteers need, the options for sharing include downloading the files to their computer, emailing them to their team, adding team members to the portal itself, and even sharing directly to a screen with a presentation view that allows leaders to see their notes while projecting the media on-screen for kids.

Choosing a curriculum that offers this new level of digital accessibility allows leaders to adjust lessons as much as they need to without losing the professional look of the formatting. And this approach doesn’t require lots of time to make the changes.

As with any new technology, there is a learning curve for interacting with a new interface. But leaders who take the time to learn will save time in the long run. You’ll be able to use that time to build relationships and do ministry—all the things that you do best.

Wonder Ink

What if Sunday morning was just the starting point? Wonder Ink is a customizable digital curriculum and toolkit for creatively engaging kids and families in God’s Word. Wonder Ink sparks curiosity and guides children on a journey of faith through the wonder of God.

Explore Wonder Ink

Wonder Ink

What if Sunday morning was just the starting point? Wonder Ink is a customizable digital curriculum and toolkit for creatively engaging kids and families in God’s Word. Wonder Ink sparks curiosity and guides children on a journey of faith through the wonder of God.

Explore Wonder Ink

Wonder Ink

What if Sunday morning was just the starting point? Wonder Ink is a customizable digital curriculum and toolkit for creatively engaging kids and families in God’s Word. Wonder Ink sparks curiosity and guides children on a journey of faith through the wonder of God.

Explore Wonder Ink

Why should I go digital?

No matter what type of digital curriculum you use, leaders can reap the benefits of digital curriculum. Digital curriculum in all forms allows for easier sharing with your volunteer team. You can share the lesson files with them digitally through email, scheduling systems, and even private social media groups.

This digital access gives volunteers the chance to preview the lessons ahead of time and sometimes even teach the lessons from a digital format.

Digital curriculum can often help leaders save physical space and resources. You print only what you need—no piles of extra booklets from stacking up in your office or storage closet.

The platforms now available for leaders have come a long way in terms of user friendliness and ease of use. Most now include video tutorials and guides on how to use the platform most effectively. And their seamless processes make it pretty easy to explore and implement the materials. Gone are the days of crossing out content on printed materials or retyping complete lessons to modify them.

Digital curriculum is becoming easier and easier for leaders to use.

Ultimately, digital curriculum allows leaders to create lessons and provide worship experiences that best fit their ministry context. I’ve never met a leader who used a curriculum or lesson plan exactly the way it was provided. We all modify the activities or wording to reach the kids in our ministry. And that’s a good thing!

God has placed the families we lead in our care for a reason, and we know them best.

Digital curriculum provides leaders the opportunity to modify the content to best serve the kids and families we serve. 

Is it right for my ministry?

As you explore options and the feasibility of using digital curriculum in your own ministry, consider these key aspects:

Budget

Can you afford the digital curriculum options? How do they compare to your current budget for curriculum, including printing and material costs?

Time

How time consuming is your lesson prep each week? In what ways could using a digital curriculum decrease your time spent on modifying lessons?

Team

Are your volunteers ready and willing to explore digital options? Do you have a few key leaders who would be willing to “test drive” digital curriculum options with you so they can share feedback and suggestions?

Digital Curriculum: The Way Forward

As the world at large streamlines processes and systems for sharing information, our processes and systems for communication in ministry will continue to adapt too. I foresee more and more curriculum providers offering digital curriculums exclusively over printed materials.

As ministry leaders, we can embrace the tools of digital curriculum to help us better equip and empower our teams. Let’s teach kids about Jesus in the way that works best with the flock God has called us to shepherd.

The VBS itself went great, but after the event, I had several conversations with my senior pastor. We had to readjust the children’s ministry budget for the rest of the year. This meant there were key events, activities, and special surprises I could no longer afford to do. I had ignored the simple administrative tasks that come with budgeting for an event, and the ripple effects were far-reaching.

What Is Administration?

When I say “administration,” what comes to mind? Maybe you think of someone with the spiritual gift of administration and how fast they can organize a spreadsheet. Maybe you get excited and pull out your color-coded label maker. Or perhaps you would rather pick up glitter off the floor by hand than tackle administrative tasks.

Regardless of how you feel about it, administration is a key part of children’s ministry. Without a solid administrative system, our ministries will crumble. But what exactly is administration? Yes, it is budgeting and check-in procedures, but it is also more than that.

Think of administration like a trellis for a vine. The trellis provides a solid structure that allows the vine to thrive and flourish. Administration establishes a framework that supports your ministry and makes room for growth. It is the behind-the-scenes organization that helps everything run smoothly. It sets the standard for how the ministry operates and ensures quality and safety in all aspects of ministry.

Solid administration creates a culture of our ministries that either invites others to join in or frustrates them out the door. Our ministries cannot grow until we maximize the administrative aspect of leadership, whether through our own skills or through equipping a team. Ultimately, a solid system allows us to be good stewards of the time, energy, and financial resources God has given our ministries.

How Do I Set Up an Administrative System for My Ministry?

Good administration starts with the vision and mission for your ministry. Your administrative system includes the practical, detailed, written processes for carrying out your vision. Once you establish your vision and mission, work through 4 steps to set up your administrative system.

1. Create an Administrative System

Establish and document policies and procedures for every aspect of your ministry. Think through every situation, event, or encounter a child or family may have with your ministry, and establish the policies and procedures needed to make them happen. This may include policies and procedures for diapering, bathroom trips, check-in, travel, overnight stays, space reservations, reporting abuse, and more.

Consider creating internal systems, like a system for following up with families, setting (and sticking to) a ministry budget, and onboarding new volunteers. This requires a hyper-detailed look at your ministry and step-by-step written instructions for things that may seem trivial or like they should just be common sense. But having explicit standards for the way a ministry operates helps kids, parents, volunteers, and staff feel and stay safe.

2. Communicate

Once your policies, procedures, and systems are in place, communicate them to everyone who interacts with your ministry. Create a volunteer handbook, share relevant policies and procedures with parents, or even outline some of the standards and procedures on your church’s website for new visitors to see.

Share your administrative systems during an annual volunteer training and again in bite-sized pieces throughout the year. When we communicate about our administrative system to everyone who is impacted by them, we help ensure everyone has the same understanding of expectations.

3. Implement Your Administrative System

An administrative system only supports your ministry if leaders implement the administration system. Implement and enforce your procedures, even when some feel like second nature or overkill. That means following check-out procedures even in a smaller church where everyone knows everyone. It also means taking the time to vet and train new volunteers before giving them leadership roles. Schedule regular notifications on your calendar as a reminder to sort and turn in receipts and review the budget. The safety of the kids we serve and the potential for ministry growth deserves our diligence in implementing our policies and procedures.    

4. Reevaluate

Take time to re-evaluate your policies and procedures every couple of years, or as necessary when local or global changes occur. Keep your administrative system up to date by reviewing it consistently.

At each step along the way, invite others to join you. Invite a team of people to help you create the policies, procedures, and systems, and check your local or state requirements for liabilities and operational standards. Ask volunteers to help you communicate and implement the administrative system. Invite another staff member or ministry friend for accountability to maintain the internal systems that will help the ministry run smoothly.

As you re-evaluate, invite parents, volunteers, and other staff to offer their perspectives. Just like in other areas of ministry, you do not have to set up your administrative system alone.

Sometimes leaders think administrative systems are more important for larger churches with lots of people, but administration is just as vital for smaller churches. No matter the size of your church, consider creating, communicating, implementing, and re-evaluating administrative systems for all aspects of your ministry.

There’s Good News!

Administration is not the flashiest or most exciting aspect of ministry, but thriving ministries need the structure that a solid administrative system provides. Whether you love administration, or it gives you heart palpitations, there’s good news: administration can be learned. It is a muscle we can build up and improve. And when we strengthen our administrative systems, we strengthen our ministries too.

Her reaction and immediate use of the phone to do these things seemed wildly funny, but the more I thought about it, the more I questioned my reaction. How would she know any different? She was born into a world where phones are used more often for texting and taking pictures than for making actual phone calls. She was born in a world of digital learning.

For my daughter and for every kid in your ministry, this technologically-connected, digital world is all they know. The children—and their parents—in our children’s ministries are digital natives. This means they do not know life without the existence of the internet.

They’ve spent their entire lives surrounded by computers, video games, cell phones, streaming services, and all the other tools and apps found in the digital world. We can fault a generation of kids and parents for living in the only reality they’ve ever known, or we can step into their realities—both real and digital—to reach them with the gospel and teach them about Jesus.

What Is Digital Learning?

Learning is defined as the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught (Oxford English Dictionary). Digital learning, then, is any type of learning that utilizes technology to enhance, create, or encourage the acquisition of new knowledge or skills.

Technology allows for a more robust teaching and learning experience by helping kids take more ownership of their faith and spiritual formation. Technology often allows kids to interact more with the story and engage more of their senses in the learning process.

If we can tap into kids’ natural inclination toward the digital world in our teaching as children’s ministry leaders, we’ll be better able to connect them with the gospel in profound and life-changing ways.

Digital learning is more than just popping in a Bible lesson video and calling it a Sunday. It’s using the technological and digital world we live in to engage kids in the greatest story they’ll ever learn.

How Do I Implement Digital Learning in My Ministry?

Start with your curriculum. See what digital resources (videos, slides, etc.) your curriculum provides, and then take a closer look at some of the large group and small group activities. Where can you include or add a digital element to the large group time or even small group time?

Use your screen. During your teaching times, use graphics on the screen or even sound effects in the background to help you teach the Bible story and lesson. Digital natives prefer graphics over text. Even if your graphics are just simple pictures of the Bible story, having a visual on the screen to look at will help digital natives focus.

Video

Play a video. While I don’t recommend letting a Bible story video teach the lesson for you, it’s a great supplement! Maybe you teach the lesson in person, then use the Bible story video during snack time or small group time. That way, kids hear the story twice, and in two different ways.

You can also utilize lyric videos for worship time, countdown videos to get the session started, or video-led games during dismissal.

Games

Speaking of games … All kids love games, but this generation of digital natives in particular find games to be a preferred way to learn. They enjoy the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge when it’s presented as a challenge to overcome rather than a list of facts to memorize.

So, whether the lesson itself becomes a game or you gamify the review time, finding ways to incorporate play into the learning process, with or without digital means, will connect with the digital natives you teach.

At Home

Don’t forget about the home. Use our digital world to connect with the grown-ups in your ministry to help make them aware of the digital resources available for their families. This may look like a family discussion question shared via social media that encourages a faith conversation at home.

Or this may look like an email that shares your favorite Bible apps for kids. Inform and educate parents about what’s available to them. Their kids probably spend more time on a screen at home than most parents want to admit, so why not help them make screen time God time too?

Be Encouraged—You Are Probably Using Digital Learning More Than You Think

If the thought of using technology and the digital world to connect with your families and teach kids causes stress, take a deep breath. You’re probably already using some digital resources in your ministry and don’t even realize it.

Do you interact with your ministry on social media? Have a digital check-in station? Use videos at any point in your children’s ministry programming? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then give yourself a high five. You’re already using digital technology to reach the next generation!

But how can we be more intentional about harnessing our digital world to reach and teach kids rather than randomly tapping into the digital world only when it is convenient?

Ask

Find someone on your team or in your church to teach you about how to use technology. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or training in this area.

Look outside the church for inspiration. Talk to some teachers/educators about how they’re utilizing technology in their classrooms and ask if they have any ideas or suggestions that might carry over to your ministry. Do any of your volunteers use technology in their workspaces in a way that might apply in your ministry too?

Delegate

If you truly don’t like technology or don’t want to spend time learning it, delegate. Then you can pass the ownership and leadership to someone else in this area. This may include multiple people or even the kids you serve!

Utilize Tools Online  

Whether you need a quick answer to a simple video lighting question or want to take a deep dive into learning about social media, there are countless opportunities to learn online. Digital training, YouTube videos, children’s ministry Facebook groups, or even a quick Google search about your question or topic will probably bring up a step-by-step video on how to tackle it.

Always Look for Ways to Improve Digital Learning

It may not be feasible for your budget, schedule, or abilities to implement all these ideas, and that’s okay. Start small and choose one way you can commit to incorporating the digital world into your children’s ministry, and then commit to continuous improvement.

Use the digital tools God has provided for us in this season of ministry to reach the next generation and connect them with not only each other but with Him. Like it or not, the digital world is here to stay. We must embrace the tool of technology or risk becoming seemingly irrelevant to this generation of digital natives.

Wonder Ink

What if Sunday morning was just the starting point? Wonder Ink is a customizable digital curriculum and toolkit for creatively engaging kids and families in God’s Word. Wonder Ink sparks curiosity and guides children on a journey of faith through the wonder of God.

Explore Wonder Ink