Through intentionality, prayer, and the leading of the Holy Spirit, children’s ministry leaders and families, together, can lean into everyday moments as children come to know, love, and follow Jesus.

In this podcast series, INCM and David C Cook aim to equip children’s ministry leaders, volunteers, parents, and leaders involved in children’s lives to pass on a faith that grows in the everyday moments of life—big and small. Through conversations with children’s and family ministry leaders, curriculum developers, parents, and followers of Jesus, this six-episode series will speak to you as you follow Jesus and point children to Him.

Episode 1: Understanding Spiritual Formation

What is spiritual formation and why is it important? Simply put, spiritual formation is discipleship. It’s what we all signed up to do and why we’re doing what we’re doing. We want to see the next generation live out a vibrant faith throughout their lifetime.

To be intentional with spiritual formation, it’s imperative that we be authentic, trustworthy, and willing to get out of the way. We must create space for kids and families to encounter the living God.

Let’s ask: How are we going to teach in such a way that it transcends being limited a childhood belief system? And how can we help foster spiritual formation in the homes of the children and families we serve?

Episode 2: The Church’s Role in a Child’s Faith Formation

Christianity is now counter cultural in America. The wind is no longer at our backs. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If we have been lulled by fair weather, our faith can become stronger as we weather the changes in our cultural environment.

Considering this cultural shift, it’s wise to ask ourselves the following questions.  

How are we partnering with other areas of the church for ministry to children? Are we running church in essentially the same way we did twenty years ago?

Episode 3: Children’s Ministry’s Role in a Child’s Faith Formation 

Within the context of a healthy, whole-church approach to faith formation, children’s ministry plays an undeniably crucial role. 

In 2005, David Kinnaman, now president of Barna Group, summed up why: “Young people are spiritual sponges whose most impressionable years are too important to pass up.” His statement remains as true as ever.

As we continue our Faith Formation discussion, let’s ask the following questions. 

Are we resourcing children’s ministry in essentially the same way we did twenty years ago? Are we passing on traditions and programs, only to have lost a clear focus on the very faith they are meant to foster?

Episode 4: The Family’s Role in a Child’s Faith Formation

Hands down, parents are the greatest influencers of their children’s faith formation. If you’re a Christian parent reading this, you feel the gravity of your responsibility. You know the joy and exasperation, the awe and challenge of the parenting journey, and you deeply desire to see your son or daughter become the person God made them to be.

As we continue our Faith Formation discussion, let’s ask these questions: How are we encouraging, equipping, and partnering with families? How are we utilizing other ministries within the church to do the same? Are we resourcing families in essentially the same way we did twenty years ago?

Episode 5: Keeping the Gospel Central in Life and Ministry

With the constant push and pull of ministry life, it’s easy to become distant from the Gospel. It’s not an intentional move, or one we ever hope to make when entering ministry, but slowly over time we can become focused on lesser things.

Keeping the Gospel central keeps our hope alive. It ignites our faith in Christ and reassures us of His goodness. It is why we are in ministry to begin with. His Story pursues our own. Join us! Be encouraged in life and ministry.

Episode 6: Helping Kids Know Who They Were Created to Be

Children are inundated with messages every single day about their identity. It’s our job to help them to know what is always true—what God says is true. 

Because what kids believe about themselves influences their thoughts and decisions. 

Help kids discover their identity in God’s Big Story—where Jesus is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is present. We need to leave room for their big questions and big ideas while leaving no doubt about who God is or who they are in Him. 

Our kids are image-bearing children of God, and we can declare this truth over them!

13 Very Famous Friends and How Jesus Loved Them

Help kids discover the faith-building, life-changing love of Jesus tucked into 13 stories of Jesus’s famous friends and how He loved them. They will begin to understand what it means to love one another as Jesus did.

Download your Bible lesson

Free Lesson

13 Very Famous Friends and How Jesus Loved Them

Help kids discover the faith-building, life-changing love of Jesus tucked into 13 stories of Jesus’s famous friends and how He loved them. They will begin to understand what it means to love one another as Jesus did.

Download your bible lesson

Free Lesson

13 Very Famous Friends and How Jesus Loved Them

Help kids discover the faith-building, life-changing love of Jesus tucked into 13 stories of Jesus’s famous friends and how He loved them. They will begin to understand what it means to love one another as Jesus did.

Download your bible lesson

Free Lesson

Here are some great ideas for this Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day Craft Extravaganza

Praise the Lord for the blessing of mothers! Grab these crafts for celebrating moms and mother-figures alike.

Read More

Activities to Spark Joy for Mother’s Day

These super creative cards and crafts will make Mother’s Day special for every child in your care!

Read More

Easy Mother’s Day Crafts That Will Delight Kids (And Their Moms)

Send little ones home from church with a handmade gift mom will love!

Read More

For Those Struggling this Mother’s Day

Hard Questions and Answers from God’s Word

When we face difficult times and the questions that follow, we can hold tight to God and His promises. Read More >

A Devotion for Kids: Why Hard Times Help Us Grow

This devotion will help kids understand that the trials they face today can help them in the future. Read More >

More Ideas for Loving Parents in Your Ministry

How Ministering to Parents Ministers to Kids

If you minister to, pray for, encourage and invest in the parents in your ministry, kids will benefit in everyday moments. This article by ministry leader, Kristi McEleheny, gives you 4 steps to walk alongside parents. Read More >

Faith Formation: Helping Parents Walk with Kids

Walk alongside parents as you encourage them in making togetherness a priority, talking with their kids about faith, and living it out. This article, transcribed from our webinar: Our Role in the Faith Formation of Children: Parents and Families, will help you support parents in ministry. Read More >

Thoughtful Leadership Tools to Equip Parents for Ministry at Home

Parents play an important role in the development of their children’s faith and as leaders, it’s important to equip them. Children’s ministry leader, Catherine Hwang, shares tools to strategize and maximize your ministry to parents. Read More >

How to Become a Spiritual Parent: Beyond Managing Behavior

Dr. Michelle Anthony shares how the role of parent is deeper than controlling children’s behavior. This article lists ways to lead your children as a spiritual parent. Read More>

How to Love Your Ministry with Littles and Their Parents

Our littlest ones grow fast, so grasp the opportunity to minister to these families while you have it. Hear from leader Nancy de Jong as she shares a philosophy of ministering to the youngest of children and their families. Read More >

Ready to help parents create an environment for spiritual growth?

Get ready to help families with their most important task, in our guide from Ministry Spark: 7 Ways to Encourage Today’s Parents as Spiritual Influencers at Home.

Download your free guide

Free Guide

Ready to help parents create an environment for spiritual growth?

Get ready to help families with their most important task, in our guide from Ministry Spark: 7 Ways to Encourage Today’s Parents as Spiritual Influencers at Home.

Download your free guide

Free Guide

Ready to help parents create an environment for spiritual growth?

Get ready to help families with their most important task, in our guide from Ministry Spark: 7 Ways to Encourage Today’s Parents as Spiritual Influencers at Home.

Download your free guide

Free Guide

Easter is the precise moment when a promise God made centuries earlier was fulfilled. When any and all doubts about Jesus were answered by an empty tomb. When death literally died.

So why—for many of us—does Easter feel sort of… ho hum?

Yes, we celebrate, but Easter doesn’t get nearly the hoopla and fanfare we give Christmas. Not at church … not at home … and not in our hearts.  Apart from a basket of chocolate and a few stray eggs that roll under the couch, it usually slips by with a shrug.

Maybe it’s that Easter involves death, and Christmas is all about life? That and it’s far easier to snuggle up to baby Jesus than hanging-on-the-cross Jesus.

But here’s the thing: The Apostle Paul tells us Jesus asked us to remember and celebrate His death (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Not once does Jesus suggest we throw Him an annual birthday bash.

So, let’s approach Easter differently this year. Instead of giving Easter a respectful nod, let’s pause, see it clearly, and embrace it fully. Let’s let it drill down through our busy-ness and traditions and truly connect with Easter.

Do that, and you won’t mind someone else nibbling the ears off your chocolate bunny.

Ideas for Approaching Easter

Visit a Cemetery

Some years ago, I took my young children to our local cemetery early on Easter morning. Tombstones there date back to the late 1800’s which, to my kids, was ancient history. I told them I’d give the first child who found Jesus’ headstone a dollar, so off they tore on a desperate hunt.

Half an hour later, they returned with the news they couldn’t find it … which gave me the perfect opportunity to tell them they’d never find it because Jesus wasn’t dead. He’s alive!

You may or may not have young kids in your care, but a thoughtful stroll through a cemetery will remind you too: He’s alive. Jesus is alive.

Launch a Gratitude Journal

More than one study has found that writing down what prompts gratitude in your life is good for your mental health … and it is.

But it’s also good for your spiritual health.

Find a fresh piece of paper and a pen and write “Easter” at the top of the page. Then consider: Is Easter something for which you’re truly grateful? If not, why not? If so, why? What does Jesus rising from the dead mean in your life?

Write and keep writing.  

Create a Sacred Space

Whether it’s for a day or an hour, find time to unplug. Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb.” Ignore emails and texts. Turn off your computer.

Sit in a comfortable chair, read Luke 23-24:7, and ask God why what you just read matters. Then—listen. You’ll be stunned by what the Holy Spirit will whisper to you when you’re listening.

Read Luke 23-24:7 Aloud

Too often we mentally skip through familiar passages. We’ve heard it before and know what’s coming, so we don’t really focus.

But when you read aloud you slow down, you can see and taste each word. Stuff sinks in.

Let Luke help you experience Easter in a new way.

Respond to Easter

Write a poem or piece of music. Paint or sketch. Dance. Sing. Sculpt something. Create a collage.

However you express yourself, turn your attention to Easter and respond to what Jesus did. Don’t worry if your clay sculpture looks like a second-grade art project. This is between God and you, and God works with cracked vessels and imperfect pots all day long.

Your response is worship; God will receive and honor it.

And you’ll experience Easter in a deeper way.

Seek Out a Passion Play

Since the 1600’s the townspeople in Oberammergau, Germany, have put on a play telling the story of Jesus and Easter. It’s only staged every decade, tickets sell out years in advance, and it’s in Germany—so that play probably won’t work out. But local churches sometimes stage less grandiose versions of the passion play. And seeing a bunch of kids in borrowed bathrobes share the story can bring you to tears.

Do whatever you can to let Easter touch your emotions as well as your thoughts—and cute kids in a play can do the trick.  

Do Lent—Even If You Don’t Do Lent

Lent is a tradition that isn’t universally practiced—but that doesn’t have to stop you.

The purpose of the 40-day Lenten season is to ready Christians to meet Easter through repentance, prayer, and a degree of self-discipline. It begins with Ash Wednesday.

I find all three either intimidating or challenging, so last Easter I decided to organize my own Lent … and it was powerful. I added specific, regular prayer to my schedule. And I stopped to consider who I’d wronged and reached out to a few people to ask their forgiveness and if my wrongs had hurt them. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, but the asking brought us closer.

And I fasted. Not for 40 days, thank you, but for two … and that was enough. My mind cleared, and I could look at Easter through eyes that appreciated Jesus’ suffering—and victory.

Watch the JESUS movie

You’ll find this account of Jesus’ life online and on TV during the Easter season. It includes what happens at Easter in the larger context of Jesus’ life on earth.

This is a powerful film, so no fast-forwarding.

Watch prayerfully. Before the film starts, ask God to help you see Him in what’s coming, to help you lean into responding to His love shown on the cross.

Craft a Cross Out of Found Objects

There’s no Easter without the cross, so make one to hang on your door. Sticks, twine, recycled plastic straws, and rubber bands—they all work.

Walk your neighborhood looking for supplies. Invite Jesus to walk with you and have a chat with Him as you go. Pray for the people who live in the houses you pass. Tell Him why you need Him. Ask for forgiveness.

Then, once you’ve gathered supplies, make the cross as you consider what it was like for Jesus on the one He dragged to the Place of the Skull.

Let that break your heart. It will let Easter in.

Find a Rock That Speaks to You

We know, we know: Rocks don’t talk. But in the same way there’s no Easter without a cross, there’s no Easter without a stone rolled away from a tomb.

Put your rock where you’ll see it all through the Easter season. When you see it, thank God for Easter the life you find in the shadow of that empty tomb.

Mikal Keefer is a children’s ministry volunteer in Loveland, Colorado, the author of the bestselling Notes From Jesus, and should you be filling his Easter basket he wants you to know he hates jelly beans.

For more ideas this Easter, check out the articles here.

The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages

Need coloring pages for your family or the families in your ministry? We’ve got you covered in our new resource download from Ministry Spark, The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages.

Download your coloring pages

Free Activity

The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages

Need coloring pages for your family or the families in your ministry? We’ve got you covered in our new resource download from Ministry Spark, The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages.

Download your coloring pages

Free Activity

The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages

Need coloring pages for your family or the families in your ministry? We’ve got you covered in our new resource download from Ministry Spark, The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages.

Download your coloring pages

Free Activity

For kids, this can be a whirlwind of a season as well. But it’s so important that they know Jesus came and took on our sin and shame so that we might live. It’s a great time for them to see the story of the good news and how following Jesus holds the hope of life with Him forever.

Below are some ideas for what to do on Easter Sunday. We hope they help you as you share the good news with children in your church and community.

Children’s Easter Activities for Easter Sunday

Lessons and Resources

Jesus Is Alive! Easter Sunday (Preschool and Elementary Lesson)
Be prepared for the most highly attended church weekend with this Easter lesson.

Easter Kits: Lessons and Events

Celebrate Easter with a Series and Event by Wonder Ink
Celebrate Easter with a Seder Passover Meal Event. Plus get an Easter lesson series for your children’s ministry.

Starting Easter at the Exodus: Freedom Is Always God’s Way
Join this wonder-filled journey from Exodus to Easter and recognize the power of remembrance.

Celebrating Easter in Reverse with Kids and Families
Discover just how Easter begins long before Palm Sunday. You’ll want to jump right in!

Activities, Crafts, and Games

49 Brilliant Easter Games, Crafts, and Activities for Sunday School
Whether you’ve got 5 kids or 500, we’ve got you covered.

Free Children’s Ministry Easter Activities
Christ is worthy of our celebration! A fantastic way to celebrate Easter together as a kids’ ministry is through crafts and activities.

The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages
Come along on the journey through Jesus’ life to the joy of Easter morning. These storytelling coloring pages are a wonderful way to discover Jesus as our Rescuer, Redeemer, and Friend.

8 Downloadable Easter Sunday Activities
Wondering what to do this Easter Sunday? Get this guide and give families multiple activities that are ready to go.

16 Easter Crafts and Games for Your Children’s Ministry
These crafts and games intentionally share the love of Christ. Share the joy found in our risen Savior!

Exploring the Wonder of God Through Creative Activities at Eastertime
If you’re searching for a list of Easter activities to engage the children in your program, this article is for you!

Free Printable Children’s Ministry Coloring Sheets
Check out these fun, free printable coloring sheets and remind children of who God is and who they are in Him!

8 Downloadable Easter Sunday Activities

Wondering what to do this Easter Sunday? Get this guide and have multiple activities ready to go! Choose from coloring pages, crafts, puzzles, games, and science experiments. Let’s celebrate the risen King!

Download your free guide

Free Guide

8 Downloadable Easter Sunday Activities

Wondering what to do this Easter Sunday? Get this guide and have multiple activities ready to go! Choose from coloring pages, crafts, puzzles, games, and science experiments. Let’s celebrate the risen King!

Download your free guide

Free Guide

8 Downloadable Easter Sunday Activities

Wondering what to do this Easter Sunday? Get this guide and have multiple activities ready to go! Choose from coloring pages, crafts, puzzles, games, and science experiments. Let’s celebrate the risen King!

Download your free guide

Free Guide

Preparing for Easter

Webinars

Beholding Our Creator as We Prepare for Easter
Watch this to deepen your experience with God and move from a transactional relationship to a transformational friendship as we behold Him this Easter.

Preparing the Way for Easter: Ideas for Posturing Your Heart and Ministry Toward Jesus
Experience ways to spend time with God and walk away with practical activities and approaches to engage the kids (and volunteers and families) in your ministries.

Leadership and Encouragement

How to Prepare Yourself and Your Ministry for Easter
How can you prepare your heart for Easter? Are there ways to get your ministry ready and alleviate some of the pressure? Yes!

Dream with Me and Create an Easter Event Celebrating New Life
Come and dream along for a new vision of Easter celebrations for your church community!

Ash Wednesday: How to Participate with Kids
Ash Wednesday is an important reminder of why Jesus died on the cross. Here are a few special activities for kids!

Why Ash Wednesday Is So Powerful: The Bad and The Good News
Ash Wednesday is a hands-on experience. We feel and see the ashes traced on our foreheads. It stands as a marker on our spiritual journey.

Lent: Should You Give Things Up, Add Things In, or Both?
Is there a right way to observe Lent? This is a personal decision. In order to make that decision, we need to first understand the purpose behind Lent.

How to Teach Kids About Judas’ Life
Even our most confusing, hurtful, sinful actions can be used by God.

Lessons and Activities for Kids

40 Stories about Jesus That Will Be Your New Easter Tradition
Help children understand who Jesus is, what He did, and why His death and resurrection matter to us today!

Awesome Palm Sunday Activities for Kids and Families
Help kids prepare for the Easter story with these Palm Sunday crafts!

Hail to the King! Palm Sunday (Preschool and Elementary Lesson)
Palm Sunday can be big fun for the kids in your ministry with this free lesson!

Meet an Amazing Animal in the Story of the Triumphal Entry (Preschool and Elementary Lesson)
Use this grab-and-go lesson to bring Jesus’s triumphal entry on Palm Sunday to life.

The Last Supper (Preschool and Elementary Lesson)
These activities and games help the story of The Last Supper come alive!

Jesus Dies (Good Friday Preschool and Elementary Lesson)
Share the good news that Jesus took our sins with Him to the cross.

Celebrating Jesus: Good Friday Activities for Kids and Families
Help kids honor Jesus’ sacrifice with these Good Friday crafts.

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!

LESSON AT A GLANCE: Holy Week

WONDER TRUTH: Jesus Loves Us and Gave His Life for Us

SCRIPTURE: John 12-13; 19

GOD’S BIG STORY: After God’s people waited many years for Him to rescue them from sin, Jesus shows God’s great love by dying on the cross. His death brings life.

WORD OF WONDER: I will spend time thinking about everything you have done. I will consider all your mighty acts. —Psalm 77:12 (NIrV)

CURIOSITY (15 MINS) | Large Group or Small Group

An object lesson, experiment, or activity that sparks curiosity, encourages exploration, and gets kids thinking about the wonder of God.

• Welcome Question: What does your family do for Easter??
• Curiosity Questions
• STEM Experiment: Amazing Pencil 
• Declaring God’s Wonder

BELIEF (25-35 MINS) | Large Group

A deep and interactive dive into Scripture that guides kids into knowing God more deeply, exploring His big story in the lesson of Ezekiel and the Dry Bones, and marveling at His wonder.

• Prayer of Invitation
• God’s Big Story: Hear It, Watch It, Experience It!
• Connecting the Wonder Truth
• In Awe of God’s Wonder
• Word of Wonder: Psalm 77:12

FAITH (15 MINS) | Small Group

An intentional conversation that helps kids see the wonder of God’s story and how it connects to their own, emboldening their faith and fostering a deeper understanding of their place in God’s kingdom.

• Word of Wonder Activity
• Discussion Questions for Younger and Older Kids
• Small Group Prayer Time

IDENTITY (10 MINS) | Large Group or Small Group

An interactive worship response activity that creates space for God to remind kids of these core truths: I am known, I am loved, I am led, and my life can tell of God’s wonder.

• Responding in Worship: Wonder Truth Art
• Blessing Your Kids

INVITATION FOR LEADERS

We invite you to pause, listen, and shift your gaze toward the Father … 

Last year I conducted an experiment.

I wish I hadn’t.

As kids tumbled into our children’s ministry one Sunday morning, I asked them why they liked Easter.

Their answers ranged from candy to new shoes to candy to visiting cousins to egg hunts to candy. Guess who didn’t come up? Jesus.

Like you, we talk a lot about Jesus. He’s front and center, week after week. It’s our mission for kids to know, love, and follow Him. We want how kids feel about themselves and their world to be shaped by a deep awareness that Jesus loves them so dearly He literally died for them.

That’s a message we share often—especially at Easter.

Yet, somehow, the reality of Jesus’ love and sacrifice doesn’t always sink beneath the surface, deep into kids’ hearts and minds. And what’s true for our kids is often true for us too.

So here’s a challenge: As you prepare for this lesson, read John 12, 13, and 19. But don’t just skim the words—pause often to let them speak to you. Ask the Holy Spirit to let those words change you. Ask the Spirit to cement in you this truth: Jesus loves you. He loves you right now, and He’ll love you for eternity.

Make this Easter the one you see clearly: as a love story.

DID YOU KNOW? FOUNDATION BUILDING BLOCKS: Holy Week

WHO?

Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of the province of Judea. He presided over Jesus’ trial, which involved discussion with the chief priests, who were members of the Jewish ruling council, or Sanhedrin. Pilate ultimately authorized Jesus’ crucifixion, albeit reluctantly. 

WHAT?

In the week leading up to His death, Jesus was anointed by Mary in Bethany and welcomed to Jerusalem as king. He predicted His death and washed His disciples’ feet. He was betrayed by Judas, tried by Pilate, and crucified at Golgotha.

WHERE?

The events of Holy Week took place in and around Jerusalem. Bethany was about two miles east of Jerusalem. Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified, was located outside the city gate of Jerusalem (Hebrews 13:12) somewhere near the city (John 19:20). The exact location is debated.

WHEN?

Jesus was crucified during the week of the Jewish Passover Feast while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea (approximately AD 26–36). The exact date is debated, but biblical scholars often estimate Jesus’ death to be between AD 30–33.

CONNECTING TO GOD’S BIG STORY

Holy Week led up to the climactic moment of God’s big story. The death of Jesus made way for the defeat of death, the forgiveness of sins, and life forever with God in a kingdom that will never end.

DIVE IN: Holy Week

Get the FREE lesson here! Plus, see the full series overview with a glimpse inside the event guide.

Did you like this lesson from Wonder Ink? Check out another one here!

Wonder Ink

Faith begins with wonder

With ready-to-go lessons, Wonder Ink is a customizable digital curriculum and toolkit for creatively engaging kids and families in God’s Word—connecting the classroom on Sunday to their homes during the week.

Learn more

Our church’s midweek program was looking for volunteers and, since I’m all for helping kids meet Jesus, I signed up. I was given a job in the shallow end of the pool: I became a Bible Verse Listener.

In our program kids could earn “bucks” to spend at our store: a tabletop of Christian books, Bibles, and Jesus-themed toys. One way to earn bucks was for kids to memorize and recite Bible verses … and that’s where I came in.

It worked like this: kids lined up in front of a Bible Verse Listener and were expected to recite Bible verses word for word, perfectly. One mistake, one pause of more than two seconds, and it was all over.

No bucks for those kids.

However, I didn’t see the point of demanding perfection, so I initiated a new rule in my corner of the listening lineup: kids could paraphrase verses so long as they could also explain what those verses meant. And if kids could apply a Bible verse to their lives, I’d toss in a bonus buck or two.

You’d think I’d introduced animal sacrifices to the program.

The program leader pulled me aside to inform me that since kids were hiding God’s Word in their hearts, they should hide the precise language of Scripture. I said our kids were hiding God’s Word in their short-term memories; five minutes after reciting verses kids couldn’t recall the Bible verses.

And we were both right … though I’m the only one who got fired.

Hiding God’s Word in Kids’ Heart

If you value your kids knowing Scripture, you can do worse than encouraging memorization. There’s value there—if kids know what passages mean. And if kids come to Scripture seeking transformation as well as retention.

Pharisees were champion memorizers, and Satan himself could beat most of us in a game of Bible Trivia. Simply parroting words does little to bring about spiritual growth.

But when you connect kids with passages they find meaningful, the Holy Spirit can use that to shape their hearts and minds—that’s pure gold.

Following is a handful of short (easy to memorize!) Bible verses I love seeing kids encounter. Why? Because these verses help kids discover who God is, who Jesus is, and who they are in Him. They help kids know how to grow closer to God and to entrust themselves to Him.    

How you integrate these passages into your teaching is up to you—but please consider making it happen.

One approach is to occasionally reserve a few minutes at the end of a lesson to share one of these passages. Read it aloud (even better: recite it from memory!) and briefly explain why it’s important to you. Shining a spotlight on passages in that context will make them important to your kids, too.

Oh, and there’s this: If you should happen to stumble over a word or two while reciting a Bible verse, come see me. I’ll have a buck for you anyway.

Bible Verses for Kids

• God is love. (1 John 4:8b)
  
• See what amazing love the Father has given us! Because of it, we are called children of God. And that’s what we really are! (1 John 3:1a)
  
• God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. (John 3:16)
  
• Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay. You are the potter. Your hands made all of us. (Isaiah 64:8)
  
• The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. (Psalm 23:1)
  
• But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure. (1 John 1:9)
  
• Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
  
• When you sin, the pay you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done. (Romans 6:23)
  
• Look to the Lord and to his strength. Always look to him. (1 Chronicles 16:11)
  
• Don’t worry about anything. No matter what happens, tell God about everything. Ask and pray, and give thanks to him. (Philippians 4:6)
  
• Always be joyful because you belong to the Lord. I will say it again. Be joyful! (Philippians 4:4)
  
• So obey God. Stand up to the devil. He will run away from you. (James 4:7)
  
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
  
• Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way. It is like a light that guides me. (Psalm 119:105)
  
• In peace I will lie down and sleep. Lord, you alone keep me safe. (Psalm 4:8)
  
• The Lord is my light, and he saves me. Why should I fear anyone? The Lord is my place of safety. Why should I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

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!

Download your free guide

Free Guide

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!

Download your free guide

Free Guide

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!

Download your free guide

Free Guide

Want more articles like this one?

• 13 Creative Bible Verse Memory Games and Activities for Kids
• 66 short Bible verses perfect for kids to memorize (1 from every book!)
• 30 Powerful and Unusual Bible Verses about Children
• 13+ Children’s Ministry Bible Games that Spark Joy
• How to Help Kids Connect with the Bible Outside of Church
• Simple Ways for Kids to Learn the Books of the Bible
• 52 FREE Bible Coloring Pages for Kids from Popular Stories
• Unexpected Ways to Help Kids See the Bible Is Real
• Why Kids Need to Know the Old Testament
• Scripture Connection: Does It Really Matter?

Mikal Keefer has taught Sunday school for nearly 50 years and still loves it.  

With a combined 200 years of serving the Church, David C Cook (founded 1875) and Group Publishing (founded 1974), provide tested and trusted resources for churches just like yours. With children’s curriculum created for Sunday school, children’s church, and midweek programs, you can find exactly what you need to serve the children in your ministry.

As you explore the options below, be sure to think about the following:

• What is your context?
• Is there a particular format you prefer?
• What do you want your children to leave your ministry knowing?
• Are you highlighting the things that are most important to your ministry?
• What is your mission and how does the curriculum align?
• Is the curriculum practical for you to use?
• Can it serve your ministry in multiple areas?
• Plus, check out this comprehensive article and download to help you choose the right curriculum for your ministry.

Children’s Church Curriculums for Small Churches

Wonder Ink

Inspire kids to discover their identity in God’s Big Story.

Created by ministry practitioners and discipleship thought leaders, Wonder Ink curriculum for kids is a trusted solution for your children’s church or Sunday school program. It helps the local church inspire children in faith, walk alongside parents at home, and equip volunteers for ministry.

With a focus on God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, children discover who God is and who they are in Him.

Plus, Wonder Ink’s theological guideposts ensure every lesson points children to God. These guideposts focus on God’s Big Story, the gospel of Jesus, real people of Scripture (not characters or superheroes), biblical language in the context of Scripture, and kids’ identity as image bearers.

In the world today, this curriculum reminds children of who they were created to be—known, loved, and led by their Creator in heaven.

• 2 Age Levels: Early Childhood (Pre-K & K with Toddler Track) and Elementary
• Format: Classroom or Large Group/Small Group
• Scope & Sequence: 3 Years
• Try for Free
• Learn More

Bible-in-Life

Connect everyday moments to biblical wisdom.

Connect everyday situations to God’s Word with Bible-in-Life. The lessons help the kids in your ministry see God’s truth all around them as you disciple this generation with lifelong faith.

Bible-in-Life (also available for youth and adults) helps kids form faith and express their faith in everyday life moments. With a variety of age-appropriate activities to support Bible learning, there are built-in options for multiple learning styles and class sizes.

With the flexible materials, you can build a ministry program that works for your volunteers, your budget, and your church.

• 8 Age Levels: Toddler – Adult
• Format: Classroom
• Scope & Sequence: Toddler – Early Elementary 2 Years, Elementary – High School 3 Years, Adult Comprehensive Bible Study 6 Years, Adult Understanding the Bible 8 Years
• Try for Free
• Learn More

Simply Loved

A Sunday school curriculum with focus, clarity, and permission to exhale.

With Simply Loved, you get a simpler approach to Sunday school where kids experience God’s greatest gift.

Sundays can be simple and meaningful as you take children on a journey through the Bible with Simply Loved. No matter a child’s age, Bible Memory Buddies help make learning stick.

Some of your best buddies from Group VBS are part of Sunday school!

It’s a proven brainy thing that kids are conditioned to remember fun facts and crazy connections to characters they know and love.

So, when kids meet Savanna the giraffe, they remember that just like Savanna’s long neck, all God’s people should understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep God’s love is. Every week your Bible Buddy makes an unforgettable Bible point. Plus, a new Bible Memory Buddy is featured every month in Simply Loved.

• 3 Age Levels: Pre-K & K – Upper Elementary
• Format: Classroom or Large Group/Small Group
• Scope & Sequence: 3 Years
• Try for Free
• Learn More

HeartShaper

Instilling God’s Word in every child’s heart.

Help kids discover God through His Word with HeartShaper. With Special Needs Friendly activities, inclusive ministry is central as you disciple every child in God’s kingdom work.

HeartShaper provides teacher-friendly lessons to reach the heart of every child. From toddler years through grade six, HeartShaper takes kids on a journey through the Bible five times to discover God’s story and how they fit into it. Plus, this children’s curriculum makes it easy to include every child in each step of the lesson—no matter their ability.

With HeartShaper’s well-crafted program, training tools, and free extras, your team is equipped to teach Bible skills and help kids grow in their walk with God.

• 6 Age Levels: Toddlers – Preteen
• Format: Classroom
• Scope & Sequence: Toddlers & 2s 1 Year, Preschool – PreTeen 2 Years
• Try for Free
• Learn More

Dig In

Dig deep into the Bible and equip kids with a solid faith foundation.

With Dig In Sunday school and children’s church, you get flexible options to fit any ministry with a simple online lesson builder.

Dig In was designed with your ministry in mind. Its creative, adaptable, time-saving approach can support both your Sunday school and children’s church times. The easy-to-use online lesson builder lets you build exactly what you need for each portion of your children’s ministry.

• 4 Age Levels: Preschool – Elementary
• Format: Classroom or Large Group/Small Group
• Scope & Sequence: 5 one-year programs to choose from
• Try for Free
• Learn More

Gospel Light

Point kids to Jesus in every Bible lesson.

Point kids to Jesus and build strong relationships with this children’s curriculum. Emphasize evangelism and discipleship as you teach children in their formative years.

Each Bible lesson connects to Jesus and has a big impact on the faith formation of kids and volunteers alike! From Baby Beginnings through Grade 6, Gospel Light guides children to explore the Bible five times.

Through an engaging approach to Bible storytelling and relationships, you can build a children’s ministry that inspires volunteers to share the gospel. Plus, guide kids to a deep understanding of Jesus and what a relationship with Him offers.

• 6 Age Levels: Nursery – Preteen
• Format: Classroom or Large Group/Small Group
• Scope & Sequence: Nursery – Pre-K/K & Preteen 2 Years, Elementary 4 Years
• Try for Free
• Learn More

Hands-On Bible Curriculum

Hands-on learning for a faith that sticks!

Teach as Jesus taught using creative objects illustrating eternal truths. Jesus was the master at using creative objects to connect eternal truths to everyday life—and now you can master it too!

With Hands-On Bible Curriculum, kids experience the same powerful connections between Scripture and everyday life by engaging all five of their senses. Bring the Bible alive with these awesome lessons and activities.

• 6 Age Levels: Toddler – Grade 6
• Format: Classroom
• Scope & Sequence: 2 Years
• Try for Free
• Learn More

Echoes

Celebrate African American faith and cultural heritage.

Share God’s resounding Word and celebrate black history and faith with Echoes. Relatable lessons and teacher-friendly options help you disciple children through adults. Plus, connect all ages thematically with the Sunday School Superintendent Manual!

Echoes provides teacher-friendly options, helping today’s generations come to know God’s Word. Motivate students to study more and more with inspiring, relevant, and soul-searching materials. Plus, get options for every age level to develop Bible knowledge and foster lifelong spiritual growth—all while making meaningful connections to the African American experience.

With flexible materials, you can build a children’s ministry that works for your volunteers, your budget, and your church.

• 8 Age Levels: Toddler – Adult
• Format: Classroom
• Scope & Sequence: Toddler – Early Elementary 2 Years, Elementary – High School 3 Years, Adult Comprehensive Bible Study 6 Years, Adult Understanding the Bible 8 Years
• Try for Free
• Learn More

FaithWeaver Now

Create a foundation of faith that lasts a lifetime.

FaithWeaver Now weaves together fundamental elements of children’s ministry to create lasting faith: explore the Bible every 3 years, engage kids through proven, Jesus-style methods, and empower families by synchronizing all age levels.

FaithWeaver Now is a quarterly, age-graded curriculum for infants through adults, where every age level studies the same Bible passage at the same time. The 3-year scope and sequence covers the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Each quarter goes through 13 sequential Bible events, so families get a snapshot of the Bible timeline.

• 10 Age Levels: Infant – Adult
• Format: Classroom
• Scope & Sequence: 3 Years
• Try for Free
• Learn More

Be Bold

Fearless Preteen Curriculum

With Be Bold, preteens explore the Bible and dive into the faith questions on their minds. Help preteens answer their own questions. Questions about God. About themselves. About where they fit in the world.

Give preteens exactly what they need—validation of their faith questions, and a place to connect as they explore those questions together. And be guided every step of the way as you become their conversation guide … and fellow explorer.

Tackle what preteens want to know and need to know and help them grow in their relationship with God.

• 1 Age Level: Preteen
• Format: Classroom
• Scope & Sequence: 6 Quarters (1.5 years)
• Try for Free
• Learn More

As you research and look for a children’s church curriculum for your ministry, remember that large or small, you are doing kingdom work, and every life is valued beyond measure.

“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15:7 NIV

Keep up the good work as you point kids to Jesus.

Curriculum Evaluation Checklist

Need help evaluating curriculum? Grab this downloadable list and follow the questions to a wise curriculum choice that equips you and your teachers for life-changing children’s ministry.

Download your Curriculum Checklist

Free Guide

Curriculum Evaluation Checklist

Need help evaluating curriculum? Grab this downloadable list and follow the questions to a wise curriculum choice that equips you and your teachers for life-changing children’s ministry.

Download your Curriculum Checklist

Free Guide

Curriculum Evaluation Checklist

Need help evaluating curriculum? Grab this downloadable list and follow the questions to a wise curriculum choice that equips you and your teachers for life-changing children’s ministry.

Download Your Curriculum Checklist

Free Guide

I could talk all day about children’s ministry curriculum. It’s such an important topic in children’s ministry. Now, is there a perfect curriculum? There is no perfect curriculum, and every curriculum is not made for your specific people and your specific kids and volunteers in your church setting. So, it is going to take some editing and customization to fit your church. But if you start with the right bones and the right structure, it’ll release a lot of the pressure and the burden from you, and free you up to do ministry better.

No curriculum can disciple your kids. You disciple your kids because a disciple is the one who creates more disciples and invites them into that relationship with Jesus. So, the most important thing to remember is that curriculum is a tool and a framework. It is a structure that carries us while we are doing the relational work of ministry, and the right curriculum can free us up to really invest in our people and do the work of ministry. So, it is important to find the right fit for your specific church.

Curriculum allows kids to encounter and experience God, to worship and respond to Him, and it helps kids discover biblical truth. When you purchase a curriculum and adjust it to fit your text, it frees you up to do the real work of ministry. And that is pouring into your people. It really gives such a joy and freedom that allows God to work in our ministry. My personal ministry began to thrive once I chose the right curriculum.

Choosing the Right Children’s Ministry Curriculum

Know Your Destination

That’s what we want for you. We want to know where we’re going, what we want our kids to know, and where we’d like them to be spiritually.

Having that destination and clear vision in your mind is one of the most important things you can do for your church before you choose your curriculum. What are the spiritual goals you have for the kids in your ministry? What are the milestones? Ask yourself how the curriculum aligns with your church’s mission and vision. Ask what outcome you are looking for?

And most importantly, as you begin, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you and help you discern as you’re choosing curriculum.

Utilize Your Team

As you go through this process, be sure to bring your team alongside you, gather research, and get feedback from people.

A year and a half ago, David C Cook did a survey for children’s ministry leaders asking all kinds of fun questions. Questions like: What do you want in a children’s ministry curriculum? How do you discover curriculum? How do you choose a curriculum? What is most important to you? What is not important to you in your curriculum? It’s a really interesting study, and we learned a lot of insights.

One of the things I thought was interesting was that the size of the church determines the various ways in which we choose and use our curriculum. What a church of 20 kids is going to need from a curriculum is different from a church that might have 500 kids.

Curriculum Evaluation Checklist

Need help evaluating curriculum? Grab this downloadable list and follow the questions to a wise curriculum choice that equips you and your teachers for life-changing children’s ministry.

Download your Curriculum Checklist

Free Guide

Curriculum Evaluation Checklist

Need help evaluating curriculum? Grab this downloadable list and follow the questions to a wise curriculum choice that equips you and your teachers for life-changing children’s ministry.

Download your Curriculum Checklist

Free Guide

Curriculum Evaluation Checklist

Need help evaluating curriculum? Grab this downloadable list and follow the questions to a wise curriculum choice that equips you and your teachers for life-changing children’s ministry.

Download Your Curriculum Checklist

Free Guide

Align with What’s Important

Look at the specific needs of the people in your church ask what’s important to your church.

• Who is in your church? Look at your demographics, your audience, the needs of the kids and families.
• Consider your volunteers. Where they are spiritually. Do they come from a highly “churched” background or are they new to the faith?
• Look at the mission and vision for your kids and families.

Earlier this year at CPC, we had an interactive experience where people got to go through and answer certain questions about their children’s ministry. These questions helped them discover what curriculum might be a good fit for their church. And one of the questions was, what is most important in your ministry?

As people were going through the maze, they answered most of the questions very quickly. Then when they got to this one, they would pause. It caused them to think deeply about their mission is and how it aligns with what they are teaching. So, think about that question and consider what is most important.

Think Critically

Evaluate all kinds of different curriculum lines, gather samples, and look at the scope and sequence for them. Is it random? Does it make sense? Is it balanced? Are kids getting to see a full picture of the Bible and how it’s all connected? And are they getting the gospel and Jesus?

If you possibly can, teach the sample lessons in your children’s ministry—that’s such a great way to get a good feel for a curriculum.

Don’t simply think that simply because it’s published that it is going to be biblically accurate and theologically sound. I have seen some things that just weren’t a good fit for my church’s theology or my understanding of the Bible. And so really look at the curriculum and think critically about what it’s saying and what it’s teaching, and how it’s teaching the Word of God.

God’s Word as Authority

And just remember the responsibility that we have when we teach kids the Word of God. It’s so important that we take that seriously and teach the Bible as it’s meant to be taught.

Not taking the Bible as God intended and twisting it to make it more entertaining or more fun for kids, or to make it fit what we want it to say, is not okay. We want the Bible to speak the text, to speak for itself within the context of what it was meant to say. And so, as you’re looking at the lessons, read the Bible stories in Scripture against the lesson, and look at how they’re taught and what they teach us about God. Consider the vision of the curriculum, the philosophy, and the values.

Go see it in action. If you can, visit a church that’s using the curriculum you’re evaluating (just ask their children’s pastor ahead of time). You can learn a lot quickly if you can see what their Sundays look like and talk with the volunteers and the children’s pastors and kids.

And then, most importantly before you choose a curriculum, ask yourself: does it draw kids closer to Jesus and allow them to experience Him and connect with Him? Is it discipleship-, gospel-, and Bible-centered?

Discover more on choosing and implementing children’s ministry curriculum by watching the full webinar here.

• Curriculum Feedback Survey 
  
  Want to know how families and volunteers feel about your ministry and the curriculum you use? Gather feedback from those in your ministry using this simple survey.  Download it now!
  
• Curriculum Evaluation Checklist
  
  Need help evaluating curriculum? Follow the questions to a wise curriculum choice that equips you and your teachers for life-changing children’s ministry.
  
  Grab this free checklist and evaluate curriculum like a champ!

Or undersea adventure.

Or space mission.

With more than 30 years’ experience creating Group’s vacation Bible school resources, I’ve explored a lot of VBS themes. And I’ve seen incredible changes in the way amazing leaders like you reach today’s kids. However, one thing that hasn’t changed is the profound impact VBS continues to have on kids’ lives.

In recent conversations with friends in ministry, I’ve heard the question, “Is VBS still relevant in today’s world?” It’s a great question to ask! Sharp leaders should always understand the why behind every ministry moment.

When it comes to summer outreach events like VBS, the answer is an unwavering yes. In fact, VBS is more important than ever. In a world where kids feel isolated, stressed, and disconnected from meaningful relationships, VBS offers a unique opportunity to foster friendships, deepen faith, and create lasting connections that reach beyond a week-long event.

Here’s why this weeklong outreach event is a lifeline for today’s children, families, and churches.

Why VBS Matters

1. Fostering Friendships

It’s no secret that today’s children are lonelier than ever before. Studies show that kids are struggling with feelings of isolation and disconnection, often intensified by the pressures of social media, academic expectations, and the pace of life. For many kids, forming genuine friendships feels impossible. Though they’re surrounded by peers, they feel friendless.

As compassionate kidmin leaders, it breaks our hearts.

That’s where VBS comes in.

While most church programs meet for an hour once a week, VBS offers a multi-day, immersive experience that allows opportunity for authentic friend-making. From small group discussions to team-building games, VBS gives kids the chance to connect with others on a deeper level.

This summer event offers a safe space to experience true community. You may find that VBS friendships often extend beyond the summer, providing kids with lasting connections and a sense of belonging. (Check out these creative ways to foster friendships throughout your ministry!)

2. Building Church Unity through VBS

VBS isn’t just an opportunity for kids to connect with one another—it’s also a powerful tool for church members to grow closer as a body. As a seasoned children’s minister, I’ve seen VBS bridge generational and relational gaps within congregations.

Church members who might not otherwise interact with one another find themselves working side by side as they lead skits, games, or Bible adventures. The shared experience of serving together deepens connections with each other as friends of God.

It’s incredible to watch seasoned adults working alongside teenagers, mentoring them as they take on leadership roles, and seeing how new members of the church family can easily plug in and feel valued. VBS helps church members find common ground, discover new gifts and talents in one another, and work toward a shared goal—investing in the next generation.

This unity is essential to church health and growth! A church where “everybody knows your name” is magnetic. VBS creates a space where that can happen, as church members from all walks of life come together to serve and grow in faith.

3. Deeper Discipleship

VBS is one of the few opportunities in a child’s life where they experience an immersive, multi-day program. Rather than one lesson on Sunday morning, a week of summer outreach is a full experience that allows kids to dive deeper into the Bible.

That means kids connect with God in ways that stick!

This event engages kids in hands-on activities, multisensory Bible adventures, active worship songs, and relationships that ground them in friendship with Jesus.

The beauty of the multi-day experience is that it provides kids with consistency and repetition. Every day, they hear and experience God’s love in a new way. Leaders get to build on the previous day’s lessons.

It’s like laying brick upon brick to build a solid foundation in kids’ lives. The intentional time and environment to grow spiritually and emotionally is unmatched.

4. Serving Families

While many churches balk at being “childcare,” the truth is that VBS serves a critical need: the challenge of finding reliable and affordable childcare during the summer months. For working families, summer break is a time of logistical stress, trying to juggle childcare with work schedules. Your church can offer not only a fun, faith-filled program but also a solution for parents who need care for their kids.

For many families, VBS is a lifesaver, providing kids with a safe environment, giving parents peace of mind at work.

This is especially important for families who may not attend church regularly but are looking for a positive, Christ-centered space for their kids. VBS opens the doors of the church to these families, serving them practically and, most importantly, sharing Jesus’ love in a tangible way.

In a culture that often prioritizes convenience over community, VBS is a powerful reminder that the church can be a loving, caring presence for families in need. (Team Family is another great resources for serving families year-round!)

5. Sharing Jesus through VBS

VBS is clearly a powerful evangelistic tool. Many children who attend VBS come from families who aren’t deeply connected to the church. A focused summer event creates an open door for the gospel to be shared in a dynamic, engaging way. Eye-catching decorations grab kids’ attention.

Upbeat songs, Bible lessons, and stories of Jesus’ love come to life in ways that captivate children’s imaginations and hearts.

For many kids, VBS is their first introduction to Jesus. I’ve witnessed countless children make the decision to begin a friendship with Jesus during VBS, and the relationships they build during the event often continue to nurture their faith for years to come.

VBS not only helps kids grow spiritually but also invites them into the larger story of the Church.

A Lifeline for Kids, Families, and Churches

When you think of VBS, maybe your brain gets focused on the wild decorations and chaos of so many kids. Or the thought of rounding up volunteers for such an endeavor seems daunting.

 But VBS isn’t just an event—it’s a ministry that matters now more than ever. In a world where children are struggling with loneliness, disconnectedness, and anxiety, you can offer them a chance to experience genuine relationships with others, with caring Christian adults, and, most importantly, with Jesus.

VBS is more than just a program; it’s a life-changing experience. And that’s something that will always be relevant.

Want more info on the power of VBS? Don’t miss this insightful research article!

More Articles for Summer Programming

• Group’s VBS Resources
• Creative Summer Programming in Children’s Ministry
• 6 Fun Ideas for Engaging Kids in Summer
• What Happens When We Reimagine Summer Connections with Families at the Forefront?
• VB-Yes: Why Special Events Are Still Important
• VBS Alternatives: Take Back Summer for Kids’ Ministry!

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

Free Guide

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

Free Guide

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

Free Guide

Why weren’t they there? Well, I had gotten comfortable. We had a system for Sunday morning, and we had gotten so used to the system that I didn’t have thorough checks in place. As a result, we had started doing quick run-through’s instead of the step-by-step checks we should be doing.

And I missed making sure all the necessary props were on stage and in place.

I learned a valuable lesson that day: not to get caught in the trap of being comfortable. That’s the first of five traps we’d like to lay out for children’s ministry leaders.

1. The Comfort Trap

Systems, processes, and standard operating procedures are important. Done correctly, they leave plenty of room for creativity, flexibility, and even spontaneity.

But they also open the door for getting a little too complacent. Essentially, we say, “We do this so much, we don’t need to prepare as much.” That’s when we get caught in the comfort trap. And the comfort trap deceives us into thinking that we know what we’re doing and what to expect. This is true to a certain degree, but preparation is always important!

Is there something you’ve gotten too comfortable with in your ministry?

2. The Small-Church-Thinking Trap

Have you ever gotten into this trap?

We’re just a small church and know everyone … we don’t need to worry too much about security.

But don’t buy into this thought. We need to be wise when it comes to security (and all the other matters), no matter how big or small our ministries are. Be it one child or 300, their lives matter and the ministry we serve them with matters too. Being small does not give us an excuse to be less than excellent.

3. The Hoarding Trap

You are the leader of your ministry, and God has placed you there for a reason! But remember that the Church is a Body of Believers. When it comes to the collective job of ministry to children, we have to do it together. We need the full support of the Body, from the toes to the top of the head.

When we forget what the Church is supposed to look like, we tend to keep more things to do them ourselves. Not only does this begin to limit the potential of you and your ministry, but sooner or later it leads to burnout.

What tasks do you need to equip others to do, so your primary focus is on those things that only you can do?

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!

Download your ministry burnout guide

Free Guide

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!

Download your ministry burnout guide

Free Guide

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!

Download your ministry burnout guide

Free Guide

4. The Blame-It-on-the-Big-Guys Trap.

While some of us have great senior leadership and others of us struggle, we can’t point fingers at them. If they lack understanding, let’s work to bring understanding. If they create challenges, let’s work to build bridges.

We can still have a great vision for children’s ministry, even when it’s not cherished by senior leadership (although it should be). You may have greater challenges, fewer resources, and need to take smaller steps in pursuing a great vision, but let’s remember that God is with us, and He cares deeply about children.

What attitudes might you need to adjust in order to pursue a great vision, regardless of the support you receive from senior leadership?

5. The Comparison Trap

You may be thinking at times, “We don’t have [insert your challenge here] like the church down the street, so we can’t really do a lot of great ministry like they do.”

While you may have fewer resources or more challenges, comparison will steal your joy (and many times your creativity).

You see, friends, great ministry doesn’t happen because you have a big budget, great facilities, a lot of people, or any of these types of resources. Great ministry happens as a result of a great vision. It happens because people are equipped, and leaders are developed. It happens because there’s a culture of relationships. Great ministry happens because the Gospel is primary.

It happens because you love God and you love people, and you act on it—plain and simple.

Continue doing the good work that has been laid before you! And beware of the traps. Keep your focus on the Lord and His kingdom and do all things for Him. As Scripture tells us, He will direct your path.

Here you can discover the top children’s ministry curriculum from David C Cook!

We encourage you to pause and pray for God’s direction for your ministry. Pray that He leads you to know the right fit (and the wrong ones), so that you can choose what’s best for the kids at your church.

5 Children’s Curriculums

Wonder Ink

• Digital Materials
• Sunday School, Midweek, Large/Small Group, Children’s Church
• Toddler to Grade 6

Rooted in the Wonder of the Gospel

Empower kids to understand the fullness of who they are in God’s Big Story as they discover 4 core truths:

• God Knows Me
• Jesus Loves Me
• The Holy Spirit Leads Me
• I am a Child of God

Created by ministry practitioners and discipleship thought leaders, Wonder Ink Bible curriculum for kids is a trusted solution for your children’s church or Sunday school program. It helps the local church inspire children in faith, walk alongside parents at home, and equip volunteers in ministry.

Plus, Wonder Ink’s theological guideposts make sure every lesson points children to God—with a focus on God’s Big Story, the hope of the gospel of Jesus, sharing the people of Scripture as real people (not characters or superheroes), sharing biblical language in the context of Scripture, and pointing kids to their identity as image bearers.

Wonder Ink features the NIrV Bible translation but makes it easy to change to the translation your church prefers.

Try for free at WonderInk.org.

“What don’t I love about Wonder Ink is the question. I was using a curriculum that was just big and huge and was teaching a lot about behaviors and was teaching a lot about how to be a great person. And so, I wanted to find a curriculum that I could teach birth through fifth grade, all the same Bible lesson. And I wanted it to be about God, and I wanted it to reinforce their identity—the kids’ identity and who they are.

And I love the kids and want them to know who they are and who they are in God.

But it also kind of leaks into my volunteer training. And I want to make sure my volunteers know that they are enough and that they are loved by God.

And because if they don’t know that, how can they possibly teach the kids that too?

. . . I’ve just really enjoyed watching, of course, my kids and families grow, but I’ve really enjoyed my volunteers growing and learning.”

—Christin Merz

Bible-in-Life

• Printed Materials
• Sunday School, Age-Graded Classroom Format
• Toddler to Adult

Big Faith for Everyday Life

Connect everyday situations to God’s Word with Bible-in-Life. The lessons help your kids see God’s truth all around them as you disciple this generation with lifelong faith.

Bible-in-Life helps kids form faith and express their faith in everyday life moments. With a variety of age-appropriate activities to support Bible learning, there are built-in options for multiple learning styles and class sizes.

With the flexible materials, you can build a ministry program that works for your volunteers, your budget, and your church.

Bible-in-Life features the popular NIV translation for all ages.

Try for free at BibleinLife.com.

“This curriculum works so well for various learning styles. And it helps point the lesson to real life situations.

Our teachers love how Bible-in-Life builds in time for them with a teacher devotional, commentary on the lesson, and age-level tips.

In addition, they tell me they love how they can delve into the lesson focus on their own level to understand what they are teaching about God. That equips them as they discover more about God right along with the kids in their classrooms.

But sometimes things come up on Sunday mornings and teachers need a sub.

Our subs are wonderful! Right?! And because Bible-in-Life lessons are easy to prepare, they feel confident before teaching a lesson—even at the last minute.

You should try it out for yourself!”

—Gail Rohlfing

Gospel Light Children’s Curriculum

• Printed Materials
• Sunday School, Age-Graded Classroom Format
• Nursery to Grade 6

Jesus for the Next Generation

Point kids to Jesus and build strong relationships with Gospel Light. Emphasize evangelism and discipleship as you teach children and preteens in their formative years.

Gospel Light points to Jesus in every Bible lesson and has a big impact on the faith formation of kids and volunteers alike! From Baby Beginnings through Grade 6, Gospel Light guides children to explore the Bible five times.

Through an engaging approach to Bible storytelling and relationships, you can build a ministry program that inspires volunteers to share the gospel and guides kids to a deep understanding of Jesus and what a relationship with Him offers.

Gospel Light features the popular NIV translation for all ages.

Try for free at GospelLight.com.

“When I began to use Gospel Light’s ‘Give Me Jesus’ curriculum, my mind was blown to discover Jesus in places I never expected—and soon, I began to look for Him everywhere in Scripture! Finding Jesus in every part of the Bible was a great adventure and a new experience for me.

Once I began to look, finding Him got easier and easier.

But I’ll confess, I had help! As I dug in to teach my first lesson, a simple and understandable “Connecting You to Jesus” paragraph outlined just how the action in the lesson’s Bible content pointed to Jesus.

So (unlike looking for Waldo!) I began to use the clues I was given there to learn for myself where and how to find Jesus in each Bible account! And that gave me courage to teach more intentionally—I wasn’t just re-hashing the “same old same old” moral lessons.

I was excited because I was learning along with the kids that Jesus is ‘the same, yesterday, today and forever’ and that we could know Him right here, right now!”

—Mary Davis

HeartShaper Children’s Curriculum

• Printed Materials
• Sunday School, Age-Graded Classroom Format
• Toddler to Grade 6

Hearts Shaped. Lives Changed.

Help kids discover God through His Word with HeartShaper. With Special Needs Friendly activities, inclusive ministry is central as you disciple every child in God’s kingdom work.

HeartShaper provides teacher-friendly lessons to reach the heart of every child. From toddler years through grade six, HeartShaper takes kids on a journey through the Bible five times to discover God’s story and how they fit into it. Plus, HeartShaper makes it easy to include every child in each step of the lesson—no matter their ability.

With HeartShaper’s well-crafted program, training tools, and free extras, your team is equipped to teach Bible skills and help kids grow in their walk with God.

HeartShaper features the ICB for early childhood age levels and NIV for early elementary through preteen. KJV option included.

Try for free at HeartShaper.com.

“In our search to find a resource that would help us meet the goal of connecting kids of varying ages and abilities to the Bible lessons, we discovered HeartShaper Children’s Curriculum. HeartShaper provides tools to include kids with varied levels of Bible knowledge, different learning styles, and diverse abilities.

With this curriculum, our children go through the Bible five times from their preschool to middle elementary years.

Having learned what the Bible teaches, our preteens look at topics that impact their everyday lives. Then they look at Scriptures that help them live out God’s Word in those situations.

Every child learns that God prepared for salvation, He sent salvation, and He offers salvation.”

—Margie Redford

Echoes

• Printed Materials
• Sunday School, Age-Graded Classroom Format
• Toddler to Adult

Celebrating African American Heritage and Faith

Share God’s resounding Word and celebrate black history and faith with Echoes. Relatable lessons and teacher-friendly options help you disciple children through adults. Plus, the Sunday School Superintendent’s Manual connects all ages thematically!

Echoes provides teacher-friendly options for churches of all sizes, helping today’s generations come to know God’s Word. Motivate students to study more and more with inspiring, relevant, and soul-searching materials. Plus, Echoes provides options for every age level to develop Bible knowledge and foster lifelong spiritual growth—all while making meaningful connections to the African American experience.

With flexible materials, you can build a ministry program that works for your volunteers, your budget, and your church.

Echoes features the popular NIV translation for all ages and has a KJV option for adult lessons.

Try for free at EchoesCurriculum.com.

“I encourage you to check out Echoes curriculum for yourself. As children’s ministry leaders and Christians, we are called in Matthew 28, the Great Commission, to go out and make disciples of all nations . . . and to teach them to observe all things as I have commanded you.

This curriculum is strong in the teaching of the Word and the cultural emphasis for God’s children of color. Teachers and volunteers appreciate how, in addition to a great lesson, they receive a special section in the teacher guide that includes black history highlights.

It is often said that children are the church of tomorrow. But I disagree with that statement. They are the church of today. They are the reason we do what we do in ministry.

May God continue to bless you and guide you with His Holy Spirit as you work with children, teach them the Word, encourage them in their relationship with God, and help them identify themselves within their culture and as part of God’s plan.”

—Sharon Gilbert

But instead of mourning the lower attendance numbers and challenges in recruiting summer volunteers, what if we changed our focus to engage families in different ways during the summer months?

This summer, while considering all families, what if we focused on supporting and providing opportunities for families of kids with disabilities or special needs? Families with kids who have a child who as special need, disability, or is neurodivergent, face unique challenges every day.

These are the families least likely to attend church. For example, autistic children are twice as likely as neurotypical children to NOT attend regular religious services for a variety of reasons. This is according to research done by National Survey on Children’s Health.

Summer is a great way to build relationships with those families. It’s a great time to provide opportunities that are safe and welcoming and also tons of fun for their kids.

Here are a few easy ideas for supporting and engaging ALL families this summer:

Engaging Every Kid (And Their Family) this Summer

1. Keep It Simple

Plan simple events for the whole family.

A foster/adoptive mom shared, “I wonder if we undervalue connection and think everything needs to be over the top or no one will show.”

Families want to connect with other families and have shared fun experiences with their own kids. We don’t need to bring in expensive entertainers or have fancy lighting. Loud music and intense special effects can be a barrier to some families, especially those with sensory issues, rather than an attraction.

Instead, try a cookout and ice cream social in the evening with some sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and music at a local park. This simple gathering gives parents an opportunity to connect.

Having a quiet area in the corner with fidgets, playdough, and activities for kids who are sensory seeking or sensory avoiding shows parents that you’re thinking of their kiddo.

Hang up a sheet on the side of the church building, rent a popcorn machine, and have a family movie night. Simple events are often the most effective in providing opportunities for connection.

2. Utilizing Sundays to Engage with Kids in Summer

Add some fun after Sunday services. Rather than ask families to come back another time, gather while they are already together.

One leader shared that her church rented food trucks the church subsidized to make the cost more affordable. Families loved being outside and mingling while getting their crew fed, with no cleanup required.

For kids with unique needs, consider giving their families early access to food trucks so they can avoid the lines. Or better yet, take their orders and have their food ready right after church. If some families have kids who are runners, provide enclosed areas for them to gather so the kids are safe.

Others added some fun after service with pizza and a variety of water activities including slip-and-slide or water balloons.

A separate area for younger kids who need to be more closely supervised or kids needing a more chill experience with fewer kids around was created to meet their needs. When all the water balloons had been used, they turned on sprinklers and filled up baby pools to continue the fun and community building.

3. Outdoor Family Worship Nights

“I love a good family worship night,” shared a parent of kids with a variety of unique needs.

During COVID in order to meet together our church moved services to a large outdoor area. Families brought chairs, blankets, and snacks for the kids. Pro-tip: Snacks make everything better.

Families were greeted with bubbles and high fives (air high gives due to COVID) and families found a spot on the grass that worked for them.

Some preferred a spot right under the stage, while other picked a place far from the crowds. It was such a hit that we continued Summer Worship Nights long after the COVID restrictions were lifted.

Parents especially loved mixing in some of the kids’ favorite worship songs, and this showed the service was for kids too.

4. Offer Family-Friendly Activities in Summer

One children’s pastor shared that, “If we have a stand-alone kids’ activity, it is not well attended” but families love activities they can do together.

One summer activity was “Sundae tour” which was a family bike ride in the church parking lot ending with ice cream sundaes. Their VBS is also family style, with kids and parents participating together.

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

Free Guide

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

Free Guide

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

Free Guide

5. Summer Parent Support Groups

The summer can be especially difficult and isolating for families parenting kids with unique needs or those who have come from trauma. Having the opportunity to gather with other parents with similar challenges is described as a “lifeline” for many parents. And you have the opportunity to engage kids this summer in that way!

When I talk to adoptive and foster parents or parents of kids with special needs/disabilities, they frequently share one of the best things their church has done for them is to provide childcare while they meet and support one other.

These meetings are helpful well beyond summer and are a great way to support parents in your community. Over half of the parents who attended our groups did not initially attend our church but came to learn from the experts—other parents on a similar journey.

6. Partner with Other Organizations

Every community has hidden gems, or fun places for kids. Find organizations that are sensory friendly or provide extra support for families with kids with unique needs.

Our local zoo offers an “all access” pass. Families who have kids with needs who are unable to wait in long lines check in upon arrival and get a pass that enables them to enjoy the zoo, then show up at the scheduled time and step right on to the ride.

There are also museums and trampoline parks in our area that provide areas for sensory breaks. Many of these places offer discounts to families with kids with disabilities/special needs or foster and adoptive families.

Make a list of discounted or free activities for families to do this summer. Families will feel known and loved when you create a resource list for them, so they can have some options for days when the kids utter the inevitable “I’m bored” this summer.

On the list include links and details of cost/discounts, hours, rules around outside food, etc.

Summer is a great opportunity to mix things up and try new things. While schedules are busy, many parents long for adult conversation and fun activities for their kids. One adoptive mom shared, “I think most people just want connection, to find their people. And that’s easiest with a simple setting.“

So don’t over complicate it. Gather a team of families to help you create the event. Then enjoy some laid back simple summer fun that is welcoming for every family.

More Summer Fun for Engaging Kids

• Summer of Change: How to Change Up Summer Programming in Your Ministry
• Creative Summer Programming in Children’s Ministry
• What Happens When We Reimagine Summer Connections with Families at the Forefront?
• VBS Alternatives: Take Back Summer for Kids’ Ministry!
• Zipped To-Gather: A Summer Programming Guide
• Wise Up Summer Series from Wonder Ink

Jesus used questions repeatedly to teach His disciples. Questions are excellent for engaging in deeper thought, shifting behavior, and returning to the mission.

A four-year-old will ask approximately 300 questions a day. A doctor in the United Kingdom compiled the top 10 questions they ask.

Included in the list are:

• Why do people die?
• What is God?
• Is Santa Claus real?
• Why do I have to go to school?

And if you have worked in children’s ministry for any number of years, you know that around Christmas time, you might even get asked what a virgin is.

We know how to deal with the hard questions from kids!

Even as a child, Jesus was found in the temple asking questions, and I can only imagine those would be tough ones.

Maybe you have even been asked questions by parents. These could range from How will you keep my child safe? to What curriculum do you use?

We are the professionals at answering questions.

Becoming Question-Askers

But I want to challenge us to become question-askers for a change. I want us to learn the position of curiosity from the children we serve.

Jesus used questions repeatedly to teach his disciples. Questions are excellent for engaging in deeper thought, shifting behavior, and returning to the mission.

If we ask these ten questions each month, our ministries will flourish. As we submit to the position of a learner, our leadership will grow.

So, here’s the question: Are you ready?

1. What is my big goal this month?

Make sure you can quickly and efficiently answer this question. The answer to this question is the goal on the wall that everything you do is aiming at.

Knowing what you want to accomplish gives you a better chance of doing it. Nothing done in children’s ministry should be by chance. The mission is too critical to leave to chance.

2. Who is missing?

Do you have a team member who has been ghosting you, a family that has not been consistent, or a child refusing to come to class? Find out who is missing and then kindly and sensitively go after them. Let them know you miss them and would love for them to return.

Knowing who is there is good, but knowing who is missing is another way to care for the families you serve.

3. What do I need to stop doing?

It is so easy in the church to always do what we have always done. But what if we stop doing good things to make room for the great? What if we decided that if something no longer supported the mission, we would let it die?

I challenge you to look at everything you are doing and to strategically let go of things.

4. If my kids’ ministry disappeared tomorrow, would my community miss us?

I want you to evaluate your role in the community. Do you add value? Do people even know you exist, and if they do, are you seen as a valuable resource in the community?

If all you ever do is kids’ ministry within your four walls, that’s the extent of your reach. Brainstorm this week how you can go into your community and allow yourself to be a resource for them.

5. When was the last time I read the Bible, and it wasn’t for my job?

Are you in the Word? As ministry leaders, it is so easy to tell ourselves that we are constantly in the Word or worship because we work at a church. That could not be more wrong. We pour out consistently and daily.

So, if we do not devote ourselves to getting filled, we will eventually run dry.

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.

Download Your Guide

Free Guide

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!

Download your ministry burnout guide

Free Guide

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!

Download your ministry burnout guide

Free Guide

6. How do I view the families I serve?

Do you have a God-like view of those you serve? Do you see them how God sees them? I know it is difficult, but I think you should decide that you believe that every parent wants to be good, is made in God’s image, and deserves your attention.

Check your biased, negative thoughts and wrong beliefs so they don’t start creeping into your ministry.

7. What is a win from this month?

If you want to make it long-term in children’s ministry, you must focus on the good and zone in on the wins. Put the wins in the front of your mind to remember. Kids’ ministry can be difficult, but remembering the wins helps make it more bearable.

8. Am I having fun?

Every month, ask yourself if you had fun. You are in the most fun ministry of all. So, if you find the answer to this question is a no—if you find bubbles do not make you smile, or hugs from littles don’t make your heart explode—you might have lost your joy.

Get it back! Enjoy your ministry and be glad you get to use your gifts.

9. What about my family?

We are moving so fast, sometimes we unintentionally sacrifice our family on the altar of ministry. Have you consistently been late coming home? Have you been working too much at home and on your day off?

Your first ministry is your family. God did not give you too much; He gave you what He knew you could handle with His help. Ask Him to show you where the imbalance is.

Cut away the unnecessary and focus on the mission critical. Work hard to disciple your team and delegate to them. Your gifting should not be what hurts your family.

10. Who do I need to forgive?

Has someone hurt you, betrayed your trust, or made you feel bad? Ministry is working with and serving people. So, if this has yet to happen, it will. People will hurt you, and you cannot control that, but you can manage your reaction.

I read that unforgiveness is like someone drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. Forgive and ask God to help you move on.

Do not get weary with all the questions that come at you or even the ones you ask yourself. Decide to do a monthly rundown of these challenging questions. It is not easy, but it’s good. You are doing good work, and there is no question about that!

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap the harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9 NIV

As we walk alongside them on their faith journey, let’s remember the relationships we build are key to sharing Jesus in our lives.

10 Ways to Show Kids You Care

1. Know their names.

It’s important to know the children in your ministry well enough to be able to call them by name. This shows them you see them!

2. Listen to them.

When we listen intentionally, we can learn a lot from kids and a lot about kids. The more we listen, the better we’ll know how to lead and help each child in our ministries.

What if We're Failing Kids at Faith Formation? (And How Not To)

Have you ever wondered if we’re missing the mark? Research shows that young people are leaving the church and aren’t looking back. In this guide, we examine this difficult, challenging, and eye-opening question and seek answers to help change the trends. There is hope. We can make a difference.

Download your faith formation guide

Free Guide

What if We're Failing Kids at Faith Formation? (And How Not To)

Have you ever wondered if we’re missing the mark? Research shows that young people are leaving the church and aren’t looking back. In this guide, we examine this difficult, challenging, and eye-opening question and seek answers to help change the trends. There is hope. We can make a difference.

Download your faith formation guide

Free Guide

What if We're Failing Kids at Faith Formation? (And How Not To)

Have you ever wondered if we’re missing the mark? Research shows that young people are leaving the church and aren’t looking back. In this guide, we examine this difficult, challenging, and eye-opening question and seek answers to help change the trends. There is hope. We can make a difference.

Download your faith formation guide

Free Guide

3. Show kids you care by getting on their level.

As you speak to children, it’s important to not only shift your physical position to their level, but it’s important to make sure you use language they understand. And if there are things they don’t understand, be sure to explain them in a way that kids can follow!

4. Take time to teach well. 

As we mentioned earlier, it is great to have awesome lessons. Make sure your curriculum is not only fun, but that it is teaching in age-appropriate and engaging ways. It’s equally important to prepare properly and give your best when teaching and leading. Care for them by preparing for them.

5. Speak well of them with their parents.

Even when there are behavioral outbursts, remember that they typically stem from a deeper source than the outburst itself. Look for the best in the kids within your ministry and share the good things with their parents.

Of course, there may be times where hard things need to be addressed, but always speak well of the child when doing so.

6. Show kids you care by praying for them.

As Oswald Chambers once said, “Prayer does not equip us for the greater work … prayer is the greater work.”

And if you don’t know where to start, here are some great ideas for you and your team.

7. Pray with them.

Not only is it important to pray for the children in our ministries, but it’s imperative that we pray with them and over them. It’s one thing to know someone is praying for you, and it’s another to hear the words as they reach God’s ear.

This also models to children how to pray and gives them examples of what prayer can look like.

8. Share Jesus with them. 

This one seems obvious, but it’s key that we share Jesus with the kids in our ministries. It’s not simply about telling them what He did, but it’s introducing them to who He is. It’s showing them Jesus through our words and actions each and every interaction.

One way to do this well is to make sure your ministry has theological guideposts. It’s important that we’re all speaking the same ‘language’ when it comes to sharing God with children. This shows kids just how much we care.

9. Get to know them beyond your classroom walls.

If all you know about the children in your ministry is how they act in class, then it’s likely you won’t know them well. What are they interested in? Who are their parents? What is home like?

As you get to know children beyond your classroom, you’ll get the opportunity to show them love in ways you wouldn’t have been able to before.

10. Show kids you care by seeing their best qualities. 

It’s easy for us to get frustrated or have preconceived notions about some of the kids in our ministries. But it’s for the best that we assume the best of them. We should never make pre-judgements about them based on behaviors. Remember that many behaviors stem from something much deeper.

Remind children of who God created them to be and who they are in Him. Remember yourself that they are kids who are growing and learning, and they are welcomed by Jesus. Invite them in and love them unconditionally!

Here are 3 decisions you won’t regret as a children’s ministry leader.

Supporting Your Senior Leadership

If you can begin your ministry with a strong mentor, we highly recommend it. And if this person is part of your senior leadership, that’s even better! It’s such a gift to have the support of your senior leadership, and it’s equally a gift for you to fully support your senior leadership.

Supporting one another doesn’t mean that you will always agree, but it does mean you stand together in mutual respect publicly and privately.

It means we get on board with the vision, we stand with one another, and we work together to bring the vision and mission to life. We don’t talk badly about our leadership behind their backs, instead we are direct with one another and address issues head on.

We are in it together. Be a team player—you’ll all be better for it!

(If your leadership is unhealthy, we would recommend addressing it in the correct way. It’s important that, even in an unhealthy situation, we handle it with care.)

Building Relationships

Many of us are introverts. We are great at working alone, being with people we already know, or even speaking to surprisingly large groups. Any of these options seems easier than engaging someone we don’t know.

We know you love people. You wouldn’t be in ministry if you didn’t! But it can definitely be hard to engage in relationship with those we don’t know very well. So, building relationships has to be an intentional part of what we do, or it won’t happen.

And, sometimes, ministry is already messy, so adding relationships on top is just hard. Hard doesn’t mean bad though. We have to remember that relationships are what ministry is all about. It’s how discipleship takes place in the Body of Christ. And relationships lead to deep and lasting ministry.

Commitment to Daily Growth

First and foremost, take time each day to spend time with Jesus. Without Him, we can’t grow in the ways that we need to. It’s Scriptural. We need Him to lead us as we lead our ministries and do the work set before us.

Spend time with God in prayer, worship, community, and in His Word. You won’t regret it.

And after you spend time with Jesus first, then take time to grow your skills too! Here are some ideas for you!

1. Pick a book and read one chapter a day. It’ll get you to about 25 books a year if you take up this practice.
2. Go to at least one children’s ministry or leadership conference this year. And if you can, take your team with you!
3. Submit to your mentor(s). There are a lot of people who have a lot of experience and have walked in places so that you won’t have to. Learn from them and lean into their experience.

Ultimately, it’s so important to first follow Jesus, to support your church and the team you’re on, and to build relationships with those around you. This is ministry! And these are choices you will not regret.

Leadership Articles for You

• What Does It Mean to Be a Servant Leader?
• Serving People When They’re Hard to Love
• 5 Things to Remember When Ministry Gets Hard
• Always Choose Relationships Over Programs
• Navigating Anxiety in Children’s Ministry: When You Have Anxiety as a Leader
• Walk Alongside Parents as They Lead Kids Spiritually

I come from Iowa, but my parents were from small, farming communities in Iowa. And my dad had this big giant family with seven brothers and sisters. There are lots of people in my family. And every time we got together, there were people filling a small farmhouse.

There would come a moment in the night, when the patriarch of the family would suddenly slap their hands down on their thighs and say, “Well.” And the minute they say, “Well,” it’s what starts the Midwestern goodbye. And if you are from the Midwest, you know exactly what I’m talking about because it sets off this flurry of activity. Everyone stands, gathers dishes, and finishes conversations on the way to the door. Everyone is walking people out to the door and getting into cars. Then there’s another flood of hugs and goodbyes and well wishes.

And whoever is hosting that gathering comes all the way out onto the front porch as everyone else gets into their cars. They wave everyone off until the last set of taillights is gone.

It is truly a beautiful thing, and I would contend that it’s biblical.

Learning from Paul

One of my very favorite moments in history from the Bible is in Acts 20. It’s when the Apostle Paul is leaving the Ephesian elders. These are incredibly dear people to him. They knelt and they prayed, they embraced him, kissed him, and then walked Paul all the way out to the ship.

So, this is like the first recorded Midwestern goodbye. I’m pretty sure that’s what this all points to. And I would guess that in tears they sat on that dock, watched as that ship set sail, and waved until it was far out of sight.

The next chapter, Acts 21, begins with, “After we had torn ourselves away from them.” There was such precious relationship that they had to tear themselves away from Paul, and Paul had to tear himself away from them because of the relationship he had with those people.

That’s the kind of legacy I think we all want to leave, right? I want to leave that legacy because of what Paul says in his goodbye speech to the Ephesian elders.

Paul says this in verses 24 through 27 (Acts 21:24-27): I consider my life worth nothing to me. My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task. The Lord Jesus has given me the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Now, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I’m innocent of the blood of any of you, for I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.

A Legacy Worth Leaving

I usually can’t get through that without tearing up a little bit because it is what I want my life to be defined by. You see, I want people to know the Word, the whole will of God, and the good news of God’s grace. I want that to be true of the children I encounter as well as the adults.

That’s the legacy that I want to leave. And I’m pretty sure that resonates with you. I think this is the legacy that you want to live and that you want to leave in children’s ministry and in life.

Paul says, “My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task. The Lord Jesus has given me the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

God has a mission for us. He calls us to testify to the good news of God’s grace and to proclaim the whole will of God to children. And that’s the finish line we strive toward.

My family is all runners. All of my kids have run at different levels. My second-born son has run at one of the highest levels that he can at this point in his life.

He ran at the World Cross Country Championships last year for team USA in Bathurst, Australia and they won a bronze medal. So cool!

There is a photo of him at the end of the race, where he is passed out right past the finish line. It is the ultimate I-have-run-the-race-and-crossed-the finish-line moment. It was 97 degrees that day. There was no shade on that course. He’s covered in mud. There were obstacles. They were spraying water on the mud to keep it muddy. There was sand he had to run through. They had to run up and down hills, through tires, and over hay bales.

Running the Race to Finish

When he got on the starting line, his aim was to finish the race. That’s what he wanted to do.

And in this picture of him passed out at the finish line, if you look behind him you can see a young man from Japan who is scooting to the finish line on his bottom. He wanted to finish the race, so he is bottom scooting to the finish line, and he did finish. He was so desperate to finish the race that this guy scooted through on his bottom.

So, what I would tell you is that, as you are running this race, some of you may feel like your arms up and you are triumphantly running the race. Some of you may feel like I just, I’m going to cross that finish line and pass out. And some of you might be bottom scooting through. But whatever your context, we should be that desperate to finish the race and the task that God has called us to.

I would challenge us that we need to begin with the end in mind. When we stand on the starting line, what’s in our heads is what’s at the finish.

Known, Loved, and Led

We want kids to know that they are known by God, loved by Jesus, and led by the Holy Spirit as children of God. So, when you pull up your lessons, when you look at the things that you’re teaching kids, are you thinking through God’s Word informing theology, informing identity, and forming beliefs, which is all forming behaviors?

But isn’t it sweet and precious when we can say our children have learned that what they know about the Bible is true? That what they know about God, the theology they formed about Him, is a solid and true and full robust theology of Him. And that the theology is informing their identity. They walk in confidence knowing that they have a God Who stands before them and behind them, that Who hedges them in on all sides. That they would be believers and that it would shape their beliefs and the way they see the world and that they would go out and behave completely differently.

The End of the Story

When we minister to young children, we may not always see the end of the story.

At the end of the day, what I can tell you is that I taught God’s Word. I testified to the good news of God’s grace. I taught the whole will of God.

God, I thank you that we know this truth, that we know that we are known by you, that we are loved by Jesus. That we are led by the Holy Spirit, and that we are children of God.

And you have given us this finish line—this mission that we are on, God. You have given us a mission to be people who testify to the good news of Your grace and proclaim Your whole will. That there would never be a doubt in our hearts and our minds and our souls, that we have done that with absolutely everything we are, God, that this is our finish line.

I pray that we would be people who run through the finish line triumphantly. That we would be people who teach children the truth of your Word, the history, the good news of Your Word. That we teach children who You are, the robust theology of who You are, God, that it would inform their identity, that they would walk throughout the world and say, “I am a child of God.” And that means something.

God, I pray that they would know what they believe in and that would drive their behavior. And that if we turn out a whole generation of world changers who turns out a whole generation of world changers, that sounds pretty amazing to me.

So, God, we are humbled by the ministry that you’ve called us to. We hold it in awe and wonder knowing that you have given us a great responsibility. And we ask with hands open that you would bless us in that work that we do and the efforts that we make to proclaim the whole will of God and testify to the good news of God’s grace. And thank You for this gift that You’ve given us. It’s in Your Son’s name we pray. Amen.

Watch the Webinar

Known, Loved, and Led: Helping Children Know Who They Were Created to Be

Here are 7 things you need to know (or should be learning) about the families at your church.

What to Know About Families in Your Ministry

1. Know Their Names

How many parents’ names do you know? It’s said that the most important word to any of us is our own name.

Knowing the names of your parents sets the stage for deeper relationship and discipleship. When you know their names, doors open that might not otherwise open.

2. Know the Kids’ Names

Not only do families care if you know their names, but they really care if you know their children. Parents and guardians watch how others interact with their children, and they pay special attention to how adults interact with their children. And based on those interactions, they make judgments.

They judge how much you care and your ability to disciple their children.

Although no one expects you to remember every name on their first visit, they do expect you to care enough to get it sooner than later.

3. Know More About Them Than Their Check-In Number

Even if you have a very large church and can’t manage this all alone, make sure each family is known by a member of your team and do your best to know them too.

Beyond simply recognizing their name, what are some things you know about them? Because what happens in the walls of their homes greatly impacts what happens at church. It impacts behavior, their ability to learn, and more.

• How old are they?
• What are their favorite activities?
• Who lives at home?
• Where do they go to school?

These are just a few ideas to get you started.

4. Know How to Walk Alongside Them for Faith Formation at Home

According to George Barna, most parents want to take responsibility for the spiritual life of their children, but many don’t know how. Help them.

Give them simple ideas that fit into their everyday moments with their kids.

• Give them language for talking about God and His Word.
• Give them practical ideas for sharing with their kids (in play, on drives, before bed, etc.) through affirmations, declarations, blessings, and more.
• Give them resources so they know what’s being taught at church!

Ready to help parents create an environment for spiritual growth?

Get ready to help families with their most important task, in our guide from Ministry Spark: 7 Ways to Encourage Today’s Parents as Spiritual Influencers at Home.

Download your free guide

Free Guide

Ready to help parents create an environment for spiritual growth?

Get ready to help families with their most important task, in our guide from Ministry Spark: 7 Ways to Encourage Today’s Parents as Spiritual Influencers at Home.

Download your free guide

Free Guide

Ready to help parents create an environment for spiritual growth?

Get ready to help families with their most important task, in our guide from Ministry Spark: 7 Ways to Encourage Today’s Parents as Spiritual Influencers at Home.

Download your free guide

Free Guide

5. Know When and How to Challenge Them in Their Faith and That of Their Children

You’ll have different family situations with varying devotion to Christ with the families in your ministries. That’s why it’s important to know them, so that you can know how to help them.

Some parents may recognize their responsibility in the spiritual development of their children but are so caught up in life that it’s not a top priority. This is true, especially if the church is willing to accept responsibility in their place when they are just trying to figure it out for themselves.

Each family will have differing needs when it comes to practical and spiritual needs. Make sure you know them well enough to be able to offer encouragement and challenge when needed.

6. Know How to Engage Them in Serving

So many parents and guardians are busy, tired, and pulled in every direction.

But the fact is that we need them to serve, and it’s mutually beneficial when they serve. So know them enough to gauge what role would work for them. And as you ask them to fill the role, make sure they know and understand that this role is just for them and what they have to offer … it’s not simply another checked box on your list of needs.

When parents can see their talents being used, the benefits for their families, and their role in the body of Christ, they will be excited to serve.

Being seen matters.

7. Know How to Let Them Have A Break

Not every parent has capacity to serve. Many serve in other areas at church, and sometimes things simply happen.

If you have a volunteer (especially a parent) who says they need a break, please believe them. Don’t try to guilt them into staying longer or waiting it out. Let them know that you see them and hear them. When you do this, they will recognize it. And if they come back to serve, or even if they don’t, they will remember that you treated them with respect when they needed it.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a conversation and talk through their reasons for needing a break. It might expose an area of weakness in your leadership or in the ministry that can be fixed. But it also might just be time for them to have a season of rest in this area. ‘Yes’ isn’t the healthy answer for someone’s if God isn’t calling them to it.

Trust God to lead the families at your church and support them in the best ways that you can. Mainly by seeing them, knowing them, and loving them week to week.

This calling is for shepherds, evangelists, apostles, disciples, leaders, warriors, nurturers.

Children’s ministry people are some of the most practical, resourceful, and creative people I have ever known. More than half of their time is spent on administrative tasks including budgeting, scheduling, planning, rescheduling, and organizing resources.

And less than a quarter of their time (if not only 10%) will be spent doing what they thought they signed up for: discipling, loving, being with kids and families. How they reconcile that gap is a sacrifice that’s hard to measure.

What’s Needed in Children’s Ministry?

So, if this article were a cautionary tale, I would say “those lacking interest or gifting in administrative tasks need not apply.” But you and I know what makes it the best “yes” you’ve ever given: your love for children, their families, and God’s Kingdom.

Yet saying yes without having the administrative competencies means we run the risk of an early retirement thanks to burnout. Barna’s study, Children’s Ministry in a New Reality, suggested that nearly 70% of children’s ministry leaders were at risk for burnout in 2022. Some have guessed that the retention rate for KidMin leaders is 3-5 years.

Why is this?

Is it a misalignment of calling with job description? Is the job description wrong? Are there unspoken or unmet expectations for me? For my team? For my church? Something is consistently askew for those of us invested in kids’ ministry.

I say this because a quick Google search brought up an abundance of articles and resources specifically targeted at us. There are planning tools, helps for working smarter not harder, organization, efficiency, you name it and there is advice available for you to get it all done.

This calling is not for the faint of heart, but it also isn’t for administrators of tasks. It is for shepherds, evangelists, apostles, disciples, leaders, warriors, and nurturers.

Knowing that you have a to-do list each week that would mind melt most church attendees, what do you need to ensure you are not a casualty of the tasks of your calling? And what do those around you need to know in order to champion children’s ministry for the sake of the future church?

Below are two critical things I’ve found most important to remember. They help me build competencies for my own endurance and also honor them in those God’s has called to serve alongside me:

1. You are human. And you are one human.

This statement means more than “you will need a team.” It is meant to remind you that every human in Scripture needed to be utterly dependent on God to be fully used by God. Your call to Kingdom work will require direction from the King first.

He wrote you a love letter, the Bible, full of things He has to say to you about who He is, who you are, and how you are to be in this world. Start there. Find yourself in the pages of Scripture mining for purpose and vision. This is the lens through which every lesson plan and to-do list and schedule should get interpreted.

Know your own humanness. How did God wire you? What are you good at? Do you know your strengths, skills, and core competencies that make you the leader you are? What are your spiritual gifts? Now, perhaps more importantly, what are you not?

That Deuteronomy 6 passage we love to read at child dedications is a community conversation, not a mom and dad conversation. God is in community Himself, three in one. We are called to community.

Better Together

And the goal of community isn’t more—it’s better. We are better together, one body many parts. As Paul says, however:

“But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body” (1 Corinthians 12:18-20 NIV).

Take an honest look at the part of the body that you are made to be and fully be it:

“Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us” (Ephesians 2:14-21 MSG).

Now, knowing that the same is true for every other person on your team: who do you need? Willing people, generous people, kind people, yes. But Jesus-y people shouldn’t be a terribly high bar in the church. (Aren’t we all supposed to be willing, generous, kind?) Our needs are so great for the safety and health of our ministry that it’s tempting to equate growing with more people.

But what if you grew your team for the sake of a functional body? Willing hands and feet are great. Do you need more? Where do you need a mind for numbers? A heart for a child with disabilities? Energetic lungs for the very active neurodivergent group of kids you have this year? The gift of a liver (so to speak), offering a filter of discernment as you dream of more for your ministry?

Growing Your Team

One year, I made it my goal to see how lean I could grow my team. I didn’t want more people; I wanted more commitment. I needed fewer people but with better commitment to use their gifts to serve children. I shrunk my team by a third that year. And I even still had floaters every week, and a functional, healthy kids church living and moving in one direction as one body. It was amazing.

It was late August the year before, and I was at my wit’s end trying to fill the schedule with the fall team roster. I knew there were holes, and I knew I hated spreadsheets. I realized I was down to my last option (which should have been my first): I needed to pray. And I needed to repent for letting it get out of hand, for not asking for help, for not setting my devoted regulars up for success with excellent administrative planning.

How did I let this happen?

I was out of my depth, beyond my skill set, and there was a giant blinking neon sign above that tab on my computer screaming “BORING!”

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.

Download Your Guide

Free Guide

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!

Download your ministry burnout guide

Free Guide

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!

Download your ministry burnout guide

Free Guide

Prayer Is Key

So I prayed. And I asked God to bless me with someone who loved Excel. Someone who loved administration. Someone who would want to serve behind the scenes and liked to schedule things and people. I think we forget how specific we can get with God. He knows what and who we need. But He also loves the sound of our voices and loves when we agree with Him about our needs.

You and I both know that prayer isn’t a silver bullet, but you might be inclined to think like I did when I opened my inbox about a week later and found an email from sender: BLESS, subject: Do you need help with scheduling?

You guys. Pray. Pray like you believe He can do immeasurably more than you can imagine. Bless was this sweet woman’s last name, and she was new to the church, the mom of two little ones, and figured scheduling would be the best way to get to know the names of the people serving her kids.

On Sundays, she would practice putting faces to names. She literally wanted to do the boring thing I failed to ever do well. Because she was knit together differently than I and I needed her. The Kingdom needs her. And it needs all of us. It doesn’t need 25 of me or 12 of her. It needs each of us doing what God, in His great wisdom and imagination, designed for us each to do.

2. Give glory to God.

I have recently spent a lot of time in specific stories of the people of the Old Testament and aligning them with what I know to be true throughout the whole of Scripture. What does God say over and over and over, and how is His story shaped by the consistency (or lack) of obedience to what He repeats?

God tells us a lot about the type of people we are meant to be. But when He talks about what we were made for, there’s only one answer: we were made to give God glory. Or at least we are meant to be. From Psalm 8 and the importance of the praise of children to 1 Peter 2 declaring us living stones being built into a spiritual house “so that we might declare the praises of him who called us out of the darkness and into his wonderful light.”

We are here for God’s own glory. That is what we were created to do, and we were each wired a particular way to glorify God. When we give Him glory the way He made us to, we give kids permission to do the same, and we build that spiritual house in real time.

Made in His Image

God’s own image in each one of us desires to be made known. I get to know God better by how you reflect His image back to those around you, and we miss out on glimmers of who He is when we don’t do our part. Kids miss out on the fullness of God when your team is not flourishing in their gifts and radiating His glorious presence for them to see on full display.

And guess what? His glory doesn’t depend on being seen, felt, experienced. A perfectly executed schedule, plan, craft, or event. He gets the glory because you choose to glorify Him in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Your Sunday blunders take nothing away from His majesty. I promise.

So, what does this look like? Tell stories of God’s goodness (He is still good even when stuff isn’t). Share your glimpses of His presence throughout the week. Ask kids where they experienced delight, what they’re grateful to God for, if they talked to Jesus this week, and what He said back to them. Wonder about the whispers of the Holy Spirit among those you serve with.

What are they praying for? Listen for one another. Is there a passage of Scripture that keeps coming up? Share it! Ask the team to pray through it over the coming days and share words of knowledge, insight, thoughts, and reflections.

And praise God! You get to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You were made to worship. So get loud about the goodness of God in the land of the living and may every bit of glory experienced in your ministry point to Jesus only, ever, and always. He is worthy.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
²     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100 NIV

Known, Loved, and Led: Helping Children Know Who They Were Created to Be

I ended with an Amen, slipped off the stage, and left the inquiring minds to the small group leaders.

Tough Questions Kids Ask

Kids are curious. They are likely to ask their toughest questions in the context of relationships with people they trust. And this group often includes the people who love and care for them at church. So how can we best equip ourselves, our volunteers, and our parents to answer their questions as they arise?

Brooklyn was in 3rd grade when she made an appointment with me to come and talk. She came in with a notebook, and the first few pages were filled with questions. Her mom—overwhelmed after a barrage of questions had been fired her way—had blurted out, “Let’s go ask Pastor Courtney!”

I was happy to oblige, to satisfy the curiosity of this child, to give respect to her spiritual exploration, and to help give her mom the confidence to answer these questions in the future.

In general, how should we approach questions that feel difficult to answer, for whatever reason?

How to Respond to Tough Questions

Here are the guidelines I use, both as a ministry leader and a parent:

Avoid “shock and awe.”

When a shocking question comes out of a child’s mouth, be sure to check your own reaction. This includes your facial expressions and body language. You never want a child to feel as if they shouldn’t inquire about something to a safe adult. When kids don’t feel like they can ask questions of the trusted adults around them, they will search in less safe places—like the internet.

I would rather they come to their trusted adults. So make sure the child feels safe and valued in their wondering. It will help them to come to you in the future.

Discern what the actual question is.

We have a statue of Jesus and the children outside of our church. One day there was an unfortunate snowplow accident, and the statue had to temporarily be removed for repair. A 2nd grader and her dad approached me a few weeks later, and, with a concerned look on her face, she asked, “When is Jesus coming back?”

My mind immediately began racing with how I would respond to this deep theological, tough question a child asked. I began digging into my knowledge of eschatology. I started with, “Well, Jesus says no one knows the day or the hour, so we need to be ready for His return …”

Her dad started to giggle and jumped in to clarify. “She means the Jesus statue!”

Well, that would be coming on Tuesday around noon.

Obviously, this is different from some of the questions you may get. But, often, the way a child asks a question is misinterpreted by the adults around them. We may try to go too deep, or even start to explain things that are far beyond what they wanted to or needed to know, and in the process cause ourselves to panic!

Ask a few additional questions. Such as, “When did you think of this question?”

Or ask, “Were you reading a certain Bible story when you thought of this?”

This will help you gain context and know where to start with your response.

Find the feelings.

Another good clarifying question when asked a tough question by a kid is, “How does that make you feel?” or “Is there a feeling you’re having about that?” For example, sometimes a question about the imagery of Revelation is really a question about fear, and our response should center on who God is, not as much on what the imagery represents.

What if We're Failing Kids at Faith Formation? (And How Not To)

Have you ever wondered if we’re missing the mark? Research shows that young people are leaving the church and aren’t looking back. In this guide, we examine this difficult, challenging, and eye-opening question and seek answers to help change the trends. There is hope. We can make a difference.

Download your faith formation guide

Free Guide

What if We're Failing Kids at Faith Formation? (And How Not To)

Have you ever wondered if we’re missing the mark? Research shows that young people are leaving the church and aren’t looking back. In this guide, we examine this difficult, challenging, and eye-opening question and seek answers to help change the trends. There is hope. We can make a difference.

Download your faith formation guide

Free Guide

What if We're Failing Kids at Faith Formation? (And How Not To)

Have you ever wondered if we’re missing the mark? Research shows that young people are leaving the church and aren’t looking back. In this guide, we examine this difficult, challenging, and eye-opening question and seek answers to help change the trends. There is hope. We can make a difference.

Download your faith formation guide

Free Guide

Evoke wonder.

One of our favorite phrases in my house is, “Some things we wonder, and some things we Google.” Sometimes, we don’t need to answer a question, we just need to wonder about it together.

Generally speaking, preschoolers are OK with wondering without an answer. (Any answer you give will often result in a “Why?” response anyway.) But elementary-age kids are explorers and scientists and want to know the answer. It is OK for kids to understand that, sometimes, we just need to wonder about things.

We may not have answers to the tough questions kids ask, and that’s OK. We can sit and wonder about them, and them may move us deeper in our relationship with God.

Sometimes, the answer is simple and can be looked up quickly, and that’s OK too.

Use the Scientific Method.

Elementary-age kids are especially ready to explore the questions and are gaining independence in their reading and reasoning skills. Teach them to make an observation, form a hypothesis about the answer (what do THEY think is the answer), and then test that hypothesis through Scripture and the experiences they have had and their trusted adults have had.

They will gain confidence in using the tools available to them and be set up for success as they eventually move into middle school. This also helps kids who may be questioning faith because of their own intelligence or reasoning.

When we show that we don’t fear the scientific way they are being taught to investigate things at school, kids learn that their faith and their intelligence don’t need to be at odds with each other.

Ask the right person.

Kids’ questions around faith and Scripture generally fall into a few categories: simple factual questions, questions about things in God’s Word that just don’t make sense to our human minds or our cultural context, questions that may be about more sensitive topics, and theological questions.

If one of my volunteer leaders is asked a question they can answer directly from the Bible, I tell them to go ahead and answer the question.

If the question is of a more sensitive nature, such as “What does virgin mean?” I tell them to give a simple, and true, answer, such as “A virgin is an unmarried woman.”

And if the child inquires further, or if another child in the group tries to give deeper information, I tell them to explain, “That’s a question you should probably talk with your parents about.” And then we make sure to inform the parents!

If they ask a theological question that the volunteer cannot answer with a direct Scripture reference, we ask that they call on a staff pastor. We also reassure parents and volunteers that sometimes a great response is: “I don’t know, let’s ask someone who might have already explored that!” In this response, you show value to the child’s question and don’t dismiss it.

Encourage Kids in Their Curiosity

Our kids’ questions should be an encouragement that they are wondering about who God is and what He has done! The tough questions kids ask are signs of their curiosity to know more. Next time a child asks you a question that makes you “gasp” or “gulp,” take a moment to ask God for wisdom and respond with wonder, curiosity, and discernment.

More from Courtney

Check out more helpful articles from Courtney Wilson here!

The fact that we have a God who is all powerful, omniscient, omnipresent, yet incredibly personal, is one of the things that makes Christianity so unique from every other religion in the world. We have a God who is a personal God—our God is fully God and fully man.

And because of that, we have this incredible story to tell other people because this story that has been told to us through His Word is so powerful, necessary, and life-giving.

I always loved reading when I was a kid. I still do. And what is so cool about books is that you get to be part of the story. The reason they’re so powerful is that they point beyond themselves. The purpose of a story is not just to entertain, but it’s to point beyond itself to a greater, more powerful truth than the story presents itself.

And that’s true of every story.

We Were Made for Story

G.K. Chesterton said this, “Fairy tales are more than true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.”

The power of story doesn’t just say that, factually, these things exist, but they inspire us to realize that not only does this very big dangerous thing exist, but this very big dangerous thing can be beaten and destroyed for good.

Age of Science

We live in an age that is super obsessed with facts, figures, science, and getting the science right. But the problem with our scientific age is that we are often short on stories, and we see that in the way we lead.

We see it in how we communicate. We tend to want A + B = C (or tell me how to grow my ministry). And the problem is that’s not how things work. How things work is this: There’s a story that God is writing in your life. There’s a story that God’s writing in my life. And there’s a story that God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through His work.

And see, we have this desire for theological precision. And believe me, I believe in theological precision. I believe that we need to get it right. But here’s the thing: God could have revealed Himself to us through an owner’s manual of facts and figures.

But He didn’t do that. God revealed Himself to us in a story. In the beginning, God created. That is how He chose to introduce Himself to the world—through the power of story.

Power of Story

Two of the greatest 20th century storytellers both happened to be Christians, British, and friends. And they had much in common. They were Gerald Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

One of the things they differed on was the idea around the purpose of story. Tolkien’s idea was that story was made to reflect this idea of the Creator God—that we are sub creators.

And so, from this perspective, when you’re creating a story, what you’re doing is you’re speaking into existence a world that didn’t already exist. We see that through Lord of the Rings. He created this whole world that didn’t exist as an act of sub creation that reflected his Creator.

Lewis had a different take. He said that the purpose of our stories is not necessarily sub creation. He didn’t disagree with that, but he said there was something more powerful. Lewis said that stories were tools to smuggle truth past watchful dragons.

And this is what C.S. Lewis did. He took Mere Christianity—his idea of what Christianity was all about—and he smuggled it into the world through Narnia. Lewis used story to smuggle truth.

He realized that story is a powerful tool to help us understand something real and something more significant. He didn’t just give us systematic theology—he took systematic theology and wrote a story.

Deuteronomy 6

One of the most powerful stories, that we hear so often when it comes to kids’ ministry, is Deuteronomy 6.

It is one of the most significant passages of Scripture. If you ask a Jewish person what the most profound and prolific passage of Scripture is, they will invariably say Deuteronomy 6.  It’s the Shema.

When Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” He pointed back to the Shema; He pointed them back to this passage.

Here’s what we have to realize: Deuteronomy 6 is this call to discipleship—a call for us to make disciples. And it answers a lot of questions. 

Before we talk about who, what, where, when, why, how … what is the goal?

I think we must measure the success of our lives not by asking if our kids are serving God, but if our grandkids treasure Christ.

If your kids have heard the story of God’s redeeming love for them and were so transfixed by it that they believe this is the story by which every other story finds its meaning, they will invariably tell your grandkids that story. Then they’ll tell their grandkids.

How Stories Are Made

Beginning, Middle, and End

The most basic composition of every story is there’s a beginning, middle, and end. And we see that in Scripture.

In the beginning everything starts with God. Everything is created by God. Everything finds its source in God Himself.

In the middle, we see that because we broke the world after God created it, we marred it, God sent His perfect son to us to live a perfect life, to die in our place, rise again, ascend to the Father, and make intercession for us.

The end is that He’s coming back one day to make all things new.

Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

You need to ask all those questions of a story to find out what’s going on. You have to ask good questions.

But the problem with how we disciple kids is that too often we don’t ask good questions. We don’t get to things like the personal nature of God because we’re so caught up in the function of our ministries. We miss questions like:

Why do we disciple kids? What do we say when we disciple our kids?

And these are the questions that your parents need answers to. This is what you need as a kids’ ministry leader … why you’re discipling kids. I need to know what to say because it’s important, because this story matters more than every other story.

A formational church understands that discipleship is both relational and communal. Faith formation happens in families, and it happens in churches.  It’s important for kids to know what is true, but it’s equally important to know why that thing is true.

Back to Deuteronomy 6

So, the first thing we see in Deuteronomy 6 is this: How and where do we disciple kids?

Deuteronomy 6:7 (NIV) says, “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

So, this is explicitly talking about home.

The home has this formation power because of God’s design for homes and because kids are formed by their parents in ways that are explicit and ways that are implicit.

As parents, we’re telling them about God, but we’re also showing them about God. We’re intentionally, explicitly teaching our kids. But here’s my gentle admonition to you: specifically teach your kids what has always been taught, okay? Teach them the 10 Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Apostles creed. Train them in godliness. Have them memorize passages of Scripture.

A Strong Compass

It’s so important to get your kids to internalize what’s true so that when they’re confronted with the world, they will have a strong compass. They’ll have a compass that will lead them and guide them into what God has for them.

What’s powerful about a compass is a compass is an orientation outside of yourself. It orients yourself to what’s true. It points continually to a north.

And as parents, we need to hand our kids truth. We need to give them a compass that continually points them to the unchanging reality of a God who loves them, because He loves them.

They don’t need a GPS that’s oriented around their current location that will constantly reroute them, but a compass that points them relentlessly to the God who loves them more than they can imagine.

Why do we disciple our kids?

And we see that answered in Deuteronomy 6:6 (NIV): “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.”.

You Cannot Give What You Do Not Own

See, you cannot give to your kids, your parents, or your volunteers what you do not own. The motivation for discipleship is that your heart is gripped by the grace of God in such a way that you cannot help but tell His story.

And if not, what you’ll do is religious activities, minus that personal relationship with God. Kids need to know what God is like. They need to know what we believe as Christians, and that you’re not a Christian because you say you are.

But those things are not what will grip your heart.  Those are truths that point to the God who’s intensely personal and who, when you see Him as He is, will grip your heart in such a way that you cannot help but pass these truths on about what our God is like.

Kids are not going to remember how great your illustration is and how much you used flash paper. They’re going to remember who you were and how you made them feel.

Learning from Moses

In Deuteronomy 6:20-22 (NIV), Moses says this, “In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household.”

What Moses is saying is this: when your kids ask, “Why do you do what you do?” tell them a story. And not just any story—tell them the story of God’s redeeming love for them. Tell them that you were slaves in Egypt, but God rescued you by His powerful hand. Don’t just say, “because I said so.” Tell them that God rescued you.

Story Is the Gospel Way

Story is the gospel way. You see, story doesn’t impose itself on our life; it invites us into its life. The meaning of the commands of God is the gospel.

See, discipleship is not something that happens by accident. It’s something that happens on purpose. When the centrality of Christ’s last command is not our priority, what happens is we get apathy that transforms into apostasy.

When there is not warmth, when there is not a revelation of who God is, when there is not a relationship with God that is active and living, the result will be that those kids will walk away from God.

We have to be better storytellers of God’s redeeming love for kids, so that they will see the story of God’s love for them as something that is more compelling than every other love in this world.

Ideas from Tim Keller

Be Consistent in Behavior

The first idea from Tim Keller is that we must be consistent in our behavior.

So, you want your kids to treasure Christ? Be consistent in your behavior. This is modeling what it means to treasure Christ both at church and at home. Help parents understand that their kids see them everywhere they are.

Be the same person and be consistent in your behavior.

Be Wise About Reality

Number two, be wise about reality. Teach them to believe what’s true.

We live in a world that’s telling them competing ideas. So teach them to believe what’s true.

Warmly Personal on Your Faith

The third thing is to be warmly personal on your faith. Tell them the story of repentance and forgiveness. Your faith must be personal, but not private.

We must not only understand who we belong to, we must not only teach our kids what we they need to believe to true, we must also help our kids to know who they’re following. Because who they’re following is what they’re going to become like.

Who are parents becoming? Who are their kids becoming?

So, when your kids ask you, “Why do you do what you do? What do you believe?” Say this: “We were slaves in Egypt, but God rescued us. Say, “I was a slave and God rescued me.”

If you’ve never told your kids the story of how you came to faith, tell them your story because they need to know. How will they understand the personal nature of a redeeming God if you have not told them how He personally rescued you?

Tell them your story. And tell the kids in your kids’ ministry. Tell them what God saved you from and what He saved you for. Tell them a story about how God rescued you by His powerful hand. And tell them the personal reality of who God is and how He transforms today.

More from Sam Luce

• What Did Jesus Think About Kids and Why Does It Matter?
• Why Thanksgiving Is an Important Response to God’s Gifts
• How Can Leaders Cultivate Wonder in a World of Incessant Distraction?
• Parents as Primary Source of Discipleship in the Home
• Telling Your Children the Truth in a World of Sorrow and Pain
• I’m Still In: A Response to Leaders Leaving Their Faith
• How to Smuggle the Gospel through the Imagination to the Heart
• 5 Things Your Pastor Would Want You to Know about His Kids
• Why Kids Need to Know the Old Testament
• 4 Powerful Things Every Parent Needs to Hear from You
• How to Give Kids Faith They Grow Into, Not Out Of

The basics of children’s ministry are foundational to how we run our ministries. So, when asked to speak on this topic, I went back to a verse that really frames my personal ministry. It’s from Psalm 71: 17-19.

If that’s not a basic, I don’t know what is. These are the truths that we want each of the kids who come through our ministry to proclaim. We want them to know that they are known and loved by God. And we hope that they recognize that knowing and that loving from their very earliest childhood—that’s why we do what we do.

As ministers, we want to be used by God to proclaim these truths, to tell these stories, to inspire the faith of the next generation.

But how do we begin? What are the basics? What are the essentials a children’s ministry that enable us to stay laser focused on what we want our kids to know about God and about themselves?

Back to the Basics of Children’s Ministry

As we look at the basics of children’s ministry, I’d like to hit on four key points:

• Know your story.
• Center your vision and values.
• Prioritize relationships.
• Never cease praying.

Basics of Children’s Ministry 1: Know Your Story

We are wired for story, are we not? So the first thing we need to know is our own story—our own faith journey. How does following God impact my life? And why is it important for me to share with the kids that I serve?

Simon Sinek has made “Know your Why” a popular phrase. And that phrase is repeated by a million different people. And when I feel discouraged or burnt out, or I need to remember why I’m doing what I’m doing, I can go back to my own faith story and focus on my own why.

So, the church that I grew up in celebrated its 100th birthday in 1986. was in elementary school for that celebration. So as you can imagine, it was multi-generational, it was well established, it was in a rural community, and it was a place that was as much home to me as my own home was.

And some of my fondest memories from my childhood were running around my church, playing games with my friends who were really more like cousins to me, or making meals with my mom and my grandma to take to new babies or families who were struggling attending potlucks and weddings and funerals.

We shared life together from cradle to grave.

Sharing Life in Faith

And it was on this foundation that my faith journey began, and it’s there that I began to understand who God was, my need for Jesus, and how to live in community.

Many, many people in that church beyond my immediate family modeled Christlikeness in front of me, and this went beyond just modeling. They actually spoke words of life to me. They showed me my need for Jesus and made clear the way of salvation for me. So they earned the right to do that, to say those words, to call me into community, to hold me accountable, because we had relationship. They were my community.

And that’s God’s beautiful design, right? For us to live in community with one another, to share life and faith together. And as I grew up, I realized that my faith community had shaped me in a way that I wanted for my own children.

Foundation for Their Faith Journey

I have four children I wanted to experience that. Honestly, when I came to a pain point around church a few years ago, and I stepped out of church community, it was this foundation, my story, my faith story that drew me back, drew me back to the church, drew me back in to church community. And I gave church another chance because I wanted my own kids to have that.

I know that church is an imperfect community, and we don’t always get things right, but it’s given to me much more than it’s ever cost me. And so knowing and remembering my faith story and my why, help keep me following Jesus. Because I follow Jesus and I have that story, I want to share that story with the next generation. So there’s a second part to our story. We need to know our personal faith story of course, but we also need to know our church’s story.

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.

Download Your Guide

Free Guide

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!

Download your ministry burnout guide

Free Guide

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!

Download your ministry burnout guide

Free Guide

Know Your Church’s Story—Your Community

Catherine Stonehouse—if you don’t know her, she’s a great voice in children’s ministry—says in her book, Children Matter that every church has a story. A story happens in a particular time and place with a distinct cast of characters. And just as each person is unique, each church community is distinct.

Now we all see the social media feeds full of shiny new great things in children’s ministry. We’re part of networks, and we have colleagues who are doing amazing things in their church ministries that we want to emulate. But one of our main jobs in our role as children’s ministry leaders in unique and distinct churches is to discern the needs of our own community. We need to know our church’s story and be a student of the church that we serve, the kids that we serve, the families that we serve.

I grew up in a rural church. My first ministry job was in an inner-city urban context. And now I serve in a large suburban affluent church. And so every church that I’ve been a part of has had really distinct needs. Some of the churches needed really strong community programming. Some churches had really practical needs.

Every Church Looks Different

When I was serving at a church plant in an urban ministry context, a social worker was on speed dial. My friend who was a social worker, because the kids and families I served at that church had practical needs that needed met before they ever could hear about Jesus or gain any Bible knowledge.

Sometimes they needed access to food or electricity. And I worked within the school community to help meet some of those practical needs of the families that we served.

You may have other needs in your community. In the church I serve in now, families are maxed out. Their kids are pulled in a million directions on sports teams, so they need more simplicity. They need us to really streamline access to resources and programming.

Knowing the context where you serve will really help you most effectively serve the families that you’re there with—the actual families you’re serving.

Reading and responding to our community and their needs at a particular time and place is one of the basics that is worth focusing on as children’s ministry directors. That brings us to our second basic: centering our vision and values.

Basics of Children’s Ministry 2: Centering Our Vision and Values

Our values are timeless. They speak to the need of every human being. So we need to ask ourselves, what are the values that only the church can provide in the life of kids and families?

Reggie Joyner says that churches need to innovate on the original intent of the church instead of the new of culture. So when we center our vision around a very few essentials, we can recognize the things that we really want to say yes to and the things that we really need to say no to.

Carrie Nieuwhof says that vision is a leader’s best friend, and it’s free.

If you don’t dream big dreams for your church, who will?

Children’s ministry leaders develop and hold the vision and values for the families in our communities. How are we going to take these ministry ideas and use them to serve our kids and families? Keeping them at the forefront of the conversation in our church communities is one of the essentials of our job.

So I lead a family life team that actually serves two congregations, and we regularly sit down and ask ourselves, what are the essential lessons, experiences, and milestones that we want all of our kids to have by the time that we launch them into the world? We really try to take a long view and then develop our ministry around those essentials.

I want to share just a few of those with you that we’ve come up with for our congregations. But I encourage you to take time with your teams in your context, knowing that every ministry is unique and develop these values for yourself.

Bible Content

One of our biggest values is Bible content. We want our kids to know the word of God because we believe it brings life and it’s essential. It’s central to the Christian faith. So we want from the earliest days for our kids to interact and engage with and know the Word of God.

Sacramental Experiences

We serve in an Anglican context. And if you know anything about Anglicanism, it’s liturgical and sacramental.

So sacramental experiences are really huge in our church. Baptism, first communion, and confirmation.

And the church calendar plays a big role in our ministry planning. The seasons of Advent and Lent are really central in our context. So we plan unique ministry experiences for those seasons. They’re really hallmarks of our ministry.

Spiritual Practices

Our third value is spiritual practices. We want an embodied faith. We don’t want just them to have head knowledge, but we want them to taste, feel, hear, see, and experience God. So the spiritual practices of worship, prayer, confession, Bible memory, are core for us. There are lots of spiritual practices that could work really well in your context.

Experiences

And finally, experiences. We want our kids to have experiences inside our church walls and outside our church walls. Some of those are fun experiences. Some of those are service opportunities or mission trips in our own community.

Those are some of the experiences that we really want all our kids to have, so that by 18, they’re launched into the world as kind of fully formed disciples, right? We must think about all of the different aspects so they’re fully formed before they leave.

It’s also important to remember the things that you want repeated over and over week after week, year after year, so that they’re deeply cemented in the identity of each child.

The elementary curriculum that we use right now, Wonder Ink, has very simple statements that we repeat weekly. God knows me. Jesus loves me. The Holy Spirit leads me. I am a child of God. We made posters of these truths and put them on the wall.

By the time they leave elementary school, we want our kids to have those repeated values as identity markers on their hearts.

Vision

At our church, we also have a vision statement that’s church wide. I really find a lot of value in aligning our vision with the overall church vision. Our church vision is to be a people fully alive in God’s kingdom. We also say that we want our kids to come fully alive in Christ.

And we ask them to do that by making three key connections: to God through Jesus Christ and His Word, to adults through community, and to one another.

So aligning your family ministry with your church’s vision and values allows you to really have a cohesive statement, a cohesive goal that you’re all working toward together.

Children’s minister Scottie May asks that if the teenagers in our congregation were to read the statements used in their baptism or dedication, would they say, yes, my church kept those promises, or would they feel betrayed?

When we center our vision and our values, we can more easily keep those promises by reinforcing those truths over and over.

Basics of Children’s Ministry 3: Prioritize Relationships

We are built for relationship.

Many studies of faith formation say that 80% of people who follow Christ made the decision to follow Him before age 18. And many of us forget that the gospel came to us through faithful parents and godparents and grandparents and Sunday school teachers who valued us enough to share the gospel with us.

We all know that life change happens in the context of relationships, and we all need guides and mentors—even as adults—to guide us and lead us to deeper levels of knowledge and faithfulness.

We were made to want to be known not only by God, but by others. It’s a basic human need. And we can’t lead people well unless we know them well, both adults and kids.

As a children’s ministry director, those people fall into three categories.

Knowing Your Team Members

The first category is the leaders I call to serve. And I ask myself, do I know this volunteer? Will I get to know them personally? Not just as someone who can fill a slot for me on Sunday morning, but will I know them?

Will I know their day job? Will I know their family makeup, their gifts, their struggles?

And that can take a lot of time and a lot of energy. But the more we know our leaders, the more we can pour into them, the more equipped they are to serve the kids who we ask them to serve.

A lot of times in a large church context like mine, volunteers don’t have a lot of one-on-one interaction with a clergy member. So a lot of times I become the main pastor, if you will, that a volunteer knows.

I’m the one who gets called when their life falls apart or when they’re having a struggle or they’re having a joy. I’m there when they have things going on that they’re celebrating.

One of my longtime volunteers just last week, graduated from nursing school at the age of 50. And it was so fun to celebrate that victory in her life!

Knowing Your Kids

The kids who come through our doors need us to know them. They need us to delight in them.

So how can we prioritize knowing the kids who are in our ministries? If you’re a large church like mine, a lot of times that takes some social media interaction with the family so I can kind of scroll through and know what sport the kid is involved in, what grade are they in, what their personality is.

Know simple things like birthdays and deeper things like knowing what the kids are going through in their family.

Is there a new baby? Or is there a divorce? Is there something going on that can impact their ability to come on Sunday morning and hear from God?

Knowing those things and praying for our kids is important. Walking in faith together happens best when there is trusted relationship. It’s one of the joys of serving with kids.

Knowing Parents

Our parents need us to support them. The truth is, as children’s ministry leaders, we only have about 25 hours (give or take) of engagement with kids in our ministry per year. That’s not very much, but parents have thousands of hours with their kids each year.

So the question we must ask ourselves is, how are we equipping parents so that they are empowered to build those faith relationships with their kids, to walk this spiritual journey together as a family?

I’ve learned the hard way through the years about what works and what doesn’t work.

Keep resources accessible and really streamline them so that parents can get a win, that’s what we want. Listen to what parents really need. This goes back to the story concept of knowing your church context. Ask: What do families really want?

Give Simple Ideas

I know a lot of churches and families who can do a 30-minute family devotional, but a lot of other families can’t, and that’s okay. Don’t expect them to.

One resource I’ve created is a little table tent. It’s a simple piece of card stock. On the front is a family mealtime prayer that they could say together and some practices that they could engage with throughout the week. And on the back was a simple Bible reading that they could do together as a family if they wanted to.

We’ve used this for several series in our church when the adults and kids were studying the same thing. They could set it on their coffee table or dinner table, and it was a win because they could just say the prayer together.

Look for ways to give the parents a win.

And the second thing is just to encourage any effort. A lot of times parents will come to me and say, well, all we really do is pray at bedtime. And that’s the opportunity for you to encourage them with something like: Do you know the impression that will leave on your kids their whole life long? That is amazing.

Look for every opportunity to encourage your parents in what they are doing right now. Build on that.

Families are not one size fits all. So make your resources flexible.

Basics of Children’s Ministry 4: Never Cease Praying

Our final basic is really just the foundation of everything that we do in life, and that’s to never cease in your prayers. My first impulse is always to take action. But our first impulse really needs to be prayer.

Success in ministry begins and ends with prayer.

We can forget that everything we do comes from the hand of the father. For me, ministry has been one of the most faith-building exercises of my life because, at the end of the day, as high as my capacity is, I cannot make Sunday mornings happen in my own power. I can never get the volunteer matrix perfect, and I can never have the right number of volunteers.

I can’t do it. There’s no way I can do it alone. And every single week on Sunday, I’m amazed at how God is faithful and brings it all together. He makes it happen. No matter what fretting I was doing on Saturday night, Sunday morning the Lord is faithful.

And ministry happens and kids hear those repeated phrases, and their identity is formed in Christ.

Prayer Is Central

My practical encouragement is to set aside time in your ministry each week to devote yourself to prayer as a staff. We do that in our church together on Thursday mornings. It’s a sweet time when we can bring all our ministry needs to the foot of the cross. It is a good reminder that the Holy Spirit does things in His power that we could never do in our own.

Pray at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. It’s foundational to our ministry and one of the most important basics of children’s ministry.

Wonder Ink

Faith begins with wonder

With ready-to-go lessons, Wonder Ink is a customizable digital curriculum and toolkit for creatively engaging kids and families in God’s Word—connecting the classroom on Sunday to their homes during the week.

Learn more

What is identity?

Identity is what we believe about ourselves, our worth, and our purpose. We can help kids discover that their identity is found in God’s big story—where Jesus is Lord and the Holy Spirit is present. And we need to leave room for their big questions and big ideas while leaving no doubt about who God is or who we are in Him.

As followers of Jesus, our identity is rooted in Christ. We are all beloved children of God who are known by God and loved by Jesus, and we are invited to be led by the Holy Spirit.

God’s big story doesn’t start with the Fall—it starts with Creation. People were created in God’s image to reflect Him and have a relationship with Him. We have the privilege of helping kids discover their true identity in Christ and help them live with confidence as they claim their inheritance as image-bearing children of God, sharing His wonder with the world.

The more kids come to know and look like Jesus, the more they grow in godly character and are shaped by the Holy Spirit.

Why is identity important?

All kids wonder … They ask questions like: “Who am I?” and “What makes me unique?”” and “Why is my life important?”

These are questions of identity. Kids are on a journey of discovering their identity, and we can speak God’s truths over them and affirm their identity in Him so they can internalize it and combat the lies the world and the enemy throw at them.

Wonder Ink

Faith begins with wonder

With ready-to-go lessons, Wonder Ink is a customizable digital curriculum and toolkit for creatively engaging kids and families in God’s Word—connecting the classroom on Sunday to their homes during the week.

Learn more

What do kids need to know about their identity in God?

You belong. You are known by God.

God, the Creator of all, knows me. He has always known me. He has had me in mind from the very beginning. God made me, and I am His masterpiece. He made me in His own image to do the amazing things He has prepared for me to do.

Kids have a natural desire to want to fit in and be liked.

When my son came home from first grade and declared, “No one in my class likes me. The boys who are the leaders in our class said that everyone could play except for me.” I could see his spirit was crushed, and his heart was discouraged.

What he believed in that moment was the lie that he was not loved, worthy, or good enough—he didn’t belong. He tried to come up with ways he could get the boys in his class to let him play at recess. He tried bringing his favorite whiffle ball set and football to play with, but day after day, he came home crushed that those few boys in his class continued to exclude him.

What is always true about identity in God?

As a mother, I wanted to march to that playground and make those boys allow my sweet son to play. But, instead, I reminded my son the truth of his identity. Helping our children discover their identity sometimes means pointing out the lies the world is telling them and then helping them replace the lies with truths from Scripture.

I spoke these familiar words over my son, “You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are known by God, loved by Jesus, and led by the Holy Spirit. God has great plans for your life.” The words he has heard declared over him almost every day.

Sadly, those boys in his class didn’t include him, but other kids did, and the experience taught my son empathy and awareness of others. It also taught him to remember his worth is found in what God says about him—not what others say.

Kids also need to know: You are loved by Jesus.

Jesus’ perfect life, death, resurrection, and promised return are God’s love story. Jesus came to fulfill God’s promises to His children. Through Jesus, we have salvation.

Jesus loves you no matter what. His love has no beginning and no end, and we get to love Him back. God’s love is big and generous. Jesus is the way to God’s love. Choosing to follow Jesus means choosing God’s love and God’s way.

You are led by the Holy Spirit.

You are not alone. God gives us the gift of His Holy Spirit when we choose to live for Jesus.

When we trust in Jesus as our Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit as a gift, and He lives inside of us. When we let the Holy Spirit lead, He strengthens us, and we grow more and more like Jesus.

You are a child of God. God’s amazing story changes your own. Because God knows you, Jesus loves you, and the Holy Spirit leads you, you get to be a wonder-filled reflection of God to the world.

You get to be part of God’s story, and your life tells of God’s wonder.

How can we share with kids all they have access to with an identity in Christ?

We can give kids language to know their identity in Christ. We can affirm, declare, and speak truth and blessing over our kids every opportunity we get. And we can read the Bible to them and teach them who God is. We can encourage them to memorize verses that speak to the truth in their identity.

When we give kids an opportunity to repeat back to us the truths affirmed in the Bible, the words plant seeds of truth and faith into their minds and their hearts.

We can model it. When we believe the truth about our own identity and believe that all people are created by God and are loved image-bearers, that impacts how we view and treat others, and it also influences kids.

We can model for kids what it looks like to seek God for our value and identity in our own lives, and we continually pray with and over our kids to know who they are in Christ.

Every night as I’m tucking my kids into bed, before I walk out of their bedrooms, the last thing I do is whisper affirmations over them. If for some reason I’m in a hurry or forget, my kids will ask, “Mama, can you say all the things about me?”

And I pause, turn back, and whisper the affirmations over them. I want the last thing they hear at night before they drift off to sleep to be God’s truths, reminding them who they are and whose they are.

Are there practical things we can equip parents and volunteers with as they walk alongside kids?

Encourage parents and kids to memorize the following truths from Scripture. Post them where families can see them.

Speak these truths over kids and pray for them to internalize and believe them.

• I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-14)
• I am loved by Jesus, and I get to share His love too. (John 13:34, 35)
• I was made in the image of God and am an image-bearer. (Genesis 1:27)
• I was created with a purpose and God has prepared good works for me to do. He will give me everything I need to do them. (Ephesians 2:10)
• I am chosen by God. I am valuable to Him. My life tells of His wonder. (1 Peter 2:9)
• I am a citizen of heaven; this world is not my home. (Philippians 3:20)
• I am a child of God and an heir of Christ. I am led by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:14–17)
• I have value because God loves me and sent Jesus to die for me. (Romans 5:8)
• Nothing can separate me from God’s unending love. Through Jesus, I am more than a conqueror. (Romans 8:37–39)
• I am set free from sin through Christ. I am forgiven and made righteous. (Ephesians 1:7)
• God has good plans for my life; plans for a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
• The peace of God will guard my heart and my mind through Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
• I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)
• I am blessed, chosen by God, and through Jesus, I am saved, forgiven, and made holy. I am a child of God. (Ephesians 1:3-7)
• I do not have a spirit of fear and timidity, but God has given me a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

What kids believe about themselves is the foundation on which they build their lives, beliefs, and relationships.

The words we speak over kids, the lessons and Bible stories we teach (and the way we teach the Bible), the songs we sing, the conversations we have, and the advice and comfort we offer are all planting seeds that will grow into the fruit of identity that comes from being rooted in Christ. 

I delight in thinking back on moments when a young child would ask their small group leader a simple-yet-big question like, “Who is Jesus?” Oh, to think of the ways that God is at work in moments and questions like this.

As I think about my own ministry experience and connect with ministry leaders, I notice a question that rises to the surface. The question is: “Am I doing enough?”

I wonder if there is a better question for us to be asking—one that can turn our focus.

Instead of asking, “Am I doing enough?” what if we focused more on asking ourselves and encouraging all who we lead to ask, “Who is Jesus?”

By asking this question, we are invoking evangelism. Now, don’t let the word “evangelism” intimidate you or send your brain in the wrong direction—let’s lean in together.

We are called to share the good news of Jesus with those around us. It’s that simple. Evangelism is sharing the good news of Jesus.

If you lead a children’s ministry, you are being called to share the good news of Jesus with the children, volunteers, and families you lead. And it’s important because Jesus loves children. And children need to know that He loves them and is near.

It’s not always easy, and that’s okay, but it really is that simple.

Evangelism

As we help kids wonder about who Jesus is, we have the profound opportunity to introduce them to Jesus. And as they are introduced to Jesus, they begin to know Him for themselves. As they grow in knowing who Jesus is, they may welcome and grow in relationship with Him.

The best part?

God is already pursuing each of these children—just like He pursues each of us. We are simply creating space for children to spend time with their Heavenly Father, who has good plans for them and wants a relationship with them.

As leaders, we go first.

If we want those in our ministries to know who Jesus is and be able to share it with others, we must be intentional in sharing Him ourselves. We can no longer assume that children are being introduced to Jesus in their homes or especially in their schools.

If the next generation is going to be bold in sharing their faith, we have a responsibility to teach and equip them as they grow. This includes equipping those who influence them—their parents and our volunteer leaders.

I wonder what your volunteers would say today if you asked them “Who is Jesus?” I wonder what families in your ministry would say. I wonder what you would say. Here is a thought on starting to prompt this question in each group.

Gospel Light

Because the Gospel Changes Lives

With our easy-prep lessons, teachers can focus on building relationships with kids and pointing them to Jesus as they explore God’s Word.

Learn more

Evangelism: Asking Questions

Who is Jesus to your volunteers?

As you gather with your volunteers to huddle or pray before weekend services, take a moment to ask them this question. You may ask your team, “Who has Jesus been to you this week? How have you seen Jesus at work in your life this week?”

Expect some awkward silence, and then ask it again next week. Encourage your volunteers to turn to Scripture for answers.

Who is Jesus to your families?

Have you ever asked the families in your ministry, “Who is Jesus?” Simply asking this question is a great place to start. You may challenge parents to share who Jesus is with their children. You may encourage families to think of three people they can share the good news of Jesus with.

Then, you can celebrate with them as they grow in this together. And encourage families to dive into Scripture together to uncover the answer.

Who is Jesus to you?

I encourage you to pause and think about this today. Then, share it with someone. Then, share it with someone else. This is a muscle that we must practice using. It may feel shaky at first, and that is more than okay. You may feel tempted to overcomplicate this, but there is no need.

It can be as simple as saying, “I was challenged to ask myself the question, who is Jesus? and it got me thinking…” And as you go deeper, make sure your thoughts are aligned with Scripture.

We have to make sure we are sharing the real, true Jesus with those around us.

Sharing Jesus

Let’s not wait to get started with evangelism (sharing Jesus!)—there is urgency in the gospel.

I’ll go first. Jesus is my closest friend. He has shown me love and grace in ways that I could never deserve. When I read the gospels, I see Jesus’ gentleness, His compassion, His peace, His authority, and I want to be more like Him.

To help cast vision, here is a tangible example. The staff of my church gathers every Thursday morning and for 30–45 minutes, 15 ministry leaders share stories of how they have seen God at work during the past week. They share stories of sharing the gospel or seeing Jesus meet them as they evangelize.

I have never witnessed anything like this. The joy and encouragement in the room is almost tangible. The presence of God is there.

Each leader leaves those Thursday morning conversations feeling filled up to go share the gospel again. It has become a natural rhythm of our church, and we model that for the next generation.

I am so excited thinking about the next generation of our church growing up excited to share their faith because they have seen it modeled by the generations before them. May that be more and more true of the ministries we build and lead.