Children's Ministry Day

Updated Thursday, July 05, 2007

WMU plans Children's Ministry Day

By Julie Walters

WMU Communications

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The first National Children's Ministry Day next February is expected to involve children across the country in missions projects.

On Saturday, Feb. 16, all children's groups in churches are encouraged to join with members of Girls in Action (GA) and Children in Action to actively serve in their communities for a one-day, concerted effort to minister and witness together.

Mitzi Eaker, children's ministry consultant for national Woman's Missionary Union (WMU), said children involved in GA and Children in Action actively learn about and do missions throughout the year. The focus on children doing missions across the country on a designated, special day will "be exciting to see," she said.

Hope for the Hungry is the theme for the 2008 day of ministry as children are encouraged to serve those who are in need of food and nourishment. Eaker said a focus on hunger was chosen because it is tangible need and is part of WMU's focus on poverty through its Project HELP ministry. The focus Scripture verse is Isaiah 58:10a (NIrV): Work hard to feed hungry people.

"Participation will help children understand the needs of others and grow in their ability to minister to others as Christ did," Eaker said. "As they serve, children will realize that God can use them in a mighty way, even now while they are young, to share His love and minister to others."

To help plan and implement the event, a complete Children's Ministry Day promotional pack will be available from WMU in November. It includes numerous resources, including project ideas, learning activities for before and after the project, a children's sermon, ideas for involving families, a variety of promotional materials, and more. To order, visit wmu or call WMU customer service toll-free at (800) 968-7301.

Scheduled to coincide with Focus on WMU week each year, Children's Ministry Day will be held annually on the third Saturday of February. For more information on Children's Ministry Day, visit childrensmissions. To help children learn about and experience missions year-round, join the more than 100,000 children involved in missions through Girls in Action (GA) and Children in Action. For more information about GA, visit the GA Web site at gapassport. For more information on Children in Action, visit wmucia.

Source: Biblical Recorder

Entertainment Driven Christianity

Has the entertainment culture dominated our churches? Christian theology on a popular level seems to revolve around entertainment. Read this quote from Capitulating to entertainment:

"You do not learn about God and learn to know God by being entertained. I taught VBS for three years, and each year I became more and more dissillusioned with the “packaged” entertainment based VBS program that our chruch at that time put on. It wasnt just the entertainment that was so bad, the VBS program also played into the destructive frenetic hyper activity that typifies secular child entertainment today:

Train [teach] a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it Proverbs 22:6

"Today we teach our children that the world is about entertaining them, is it any wonder that adult life in America today is driven by entertainment, and is it any further surprise when those same children who were “trained” by their church via fallen secular entertainment methods then turn to that lifestyle when they reach adulthood and reject the idea of obedience to God on ideological grounds? As obedience to God on ideological grounds means you will not be entertained but frequently humbled."

Gospel Driven Children's Minsitry

Let me introduce you to my new website. I will post occasionally here on blogger but all my new children's ministry content will be there.

The Buzz Driven Children's Minsitry

I try to stay current in the field of Children's Ministry. It's part of my job description. But more importantly, I know I have a lot to learn. This is one area that blogs have been a big help for me.

One thing that bothers me is how obsessed many 'leading children's ministries' are with building buzz into their programs. It seems like every other day I read about a new way to get kids 'buzzing' about my ministry. To be fair - I do want kids to get excited about our church. But I think the Gospel gets lost in this ministry paradigm. If we condition our kids to look for fancy new decorations at church won't they be disappointed when the buzz wears off?

Too much of what we do is a distraction. Suppose you are preaching about Jesus Christ as the all satisfying Treasure of the universe. You pour your soul into every phrase. Silently you heart is crying to God to open the eyes of these children to see His glory. Then you look over at little Johnny who is too mesmerized with the latest animated decoration to hear anything you just said. I don't think that is a deal worth making.

Don't Try To Do It All

Too often I fall into the superman syndrome. I try to do all the work of the ministry. Maybe I think my volunteers are not willing or able. Sometimes it is just the easy way out.

There are at least two problems with this:
1. I don't leave room for other people to use their gifts in ministry.
2. I really can't do all that much.

Read Inch by inch is a cinch via Take T.W.O. Family Ministries by Todd McKeever.

How To Use Your Influence As A Children's Pastor - The Strategic Second Chair

Here is an interesting article reflecting on the role of Children's Pastor as the middle manager. What does it mean to lead from a subordinate role? How can the Children's Pastor serve their pastor and the Kingdom? These are good questions for Children's Ministry leaders to ask.

Managers in middle, Childrens Pastors via Take T.W.O. Family Ministries by Todd McKeever. Here is a brief quote. You can read the whole article by following the link.

I really think that as children's pastors we are definitely managers in the middle of the pack. It is a fine balance line we must continue to operate in. We are one support ministry of the whole church, and we are our senior pastors armor bearers working steadily to bring about what God has put in the heart of them. But we are also to oversee (lead) the wellness of a whole department, sometimes and most likely with the largest volunteer base out of any other single ministry in the church. We are truly managers in the middle.

Children Desiring God Conference Live Blog

Children Desiring God is providing a live blog of their Children's Ministry Conference. I will update links to each post here as they appear.

• CDG Conference: Photos 3
  from Desiring God Blog
• CDG Conference: Session 4
  from Desiring God Blog
• CDG Conference: Photos 2
  from Desiring God Blog
• CDG Conference: Session 3
  from Desiring God Blog
• CDG Conference: Session 2
  from Desiring God Blog
• CDG Conference: Photos 1
  from Desiring God Blog
• CDG Conference: Session 1
  from Desiring God Blog
• Blogging the CDG Conference
  from Desiring God Blog

Subscribe in a reader or get our latest posts by Email

Sharing the Gospel With Kids Is Dangerous

Most parents don't have much confidence when sharing Christ with their own kids. From my experience, most churches are very weak on this too. It seems that all the toxic runoff from our bad theology flows to the children's department. Most of the patterns for child evangelism are deeply rooted in faulty theology.

But I've f0und some help on the subject. Grace Community Church has just posted two great articles dealing with children's evangelism. The first deals with some common ways we get it wrong. The second offers specific advice for doing it right. Both of these are very practical and highly readable. I'm printing both of these off to give to the parents, Sunday school teachers, children's church workers and pastors in my church. (If you dig around the Grace Community Church website you can find it as a PDF.)

In our modern reformation, there are few issues more central than a biblical understanding of the Gospel. More and more pulpits are getting it right. But those gains are undermined when churches and families systematically raise up a new generation of false converts. Here is an sample of these articles:

The process of evangelizing one’s children, however, can be a daunting task. For many parents, the questions are as practical as they are disconcerting: How should I present the gospel to my children? What’s the best approach to take? How do I know if I’m doing it right?

Pitfalls, both real and imagined, intimidate virtually every parent who contemplates this responsibility. On one hand, there’s the danger of leading children to think they are saved when they are not. On the other, there’s the risk of discouraging children who express a genuine desire to follow Christ.

HT:Timmy's Dog

Blog Spotting - children's ministry and parenting

One thing I'd like to do with this site is point people to children's ministry blogs that I find useful. Not all of these are strong in every area. Some have great practical advice for leadership and administration of children's ministry. Some give help for creative Bible teaching to children. Some focus on more on leading children to Christ and evangelism. For example, you wouldn't read my blog for expert ideas about doing crafts. Why? Any crafts we do are given to more capable leader volunteers. That being said, here are my new favorite parenting and children's ministry blogs.

Sinners Raising Saint is my favorite new parenting blog. The couple who runs it are humble, intelligent and God-centered.

The Children's Hour offers comments and recommendations for books for reading to children, particularly books on the bible, history and good fiction by Ray Van Neste. He is seminary professor and pastor. Most importantly he reads heroic books to his boys.

For the Generation to Come, devoted to equipping and encouraging Christian parents in discipling their children. This site has more of a home school angle.

Ok . . . you talked me into it. I'm going to feature all these feeds on my aggregator.

Craft - Make a Playdough Mountain

I am very limited on craft time at our church. I usually look for ideas that are built into the teaching time. Here are instructions for making a playdough mountain to teach about the resurrection. Its from Noel Pipers book on children's discipleship called Treasuring God in our Traditions. This craft could be used by families at home or Sunday school teachers. This might be useful for Easter weekend.

Do not sanitize the Bible for Children

Here is a great little article by Dr. Russell Moore on teaching the Bible to kids. He exposes the tendency that many of us have to hide harder teachings from our kids. Once the Bible is divorced from its context it becomes a book of good morals. The Gospel is reduced to, "Just be a good little boy and God will love you."

If you are a parent, Sunday school teacher, or LifeWay curriculum writer you need to hear Dr. Moore's perspective. By the way, he is the Dean of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the father of young children. He knows what is at stake here.

And that is far more radical than we might think in an evangelical world that increasingly sees children's Sunday school as a platform for a syrupy moralism-and not much more. There is some great material available, but there is also a lot of evangelical curriculum and teaching theory in which children are thought to be too immature for "hard" concepts like sin and atonement; too tender for the "darker" aspects of the biblical storyline. So many evangelical children's Sunday school classes are translating biblical texts into a baptized version of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Jesus' calling of the twelve is about the fact that "Jesus had friends." Jesus' multiplication of the loaves and the fish is about the idea that "Jesus wants you to share." Noah's Ark is now about responsible care of pets. The children are then called on to emulate the biblical "characters" in being good boys and girls. Previous generations had a term for Bible study like this. It was called "Protestant liberalism." And, in case we don't remember, it didn't lead to anything good.

The Jesus Storybook Bible

There is a new story Bible available called The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. The author, Sally Lloyd-Jones, is a member of Tim Keller's church. This book does what we all need to do more often: teach the Bible as one big story about Jesus. Sally doesn't fall into the moralism that ruins most children's story Bibles. It is a distinctively Christ-centered book for kids.

I've ordered a copy and will be trying it at church with the preschool classes. This book would also serve well for bedtime reading or family worship. Sunday school teachers could use this for early arrivals with their other reading books.

There is a great interview with Sally at Dan Cruver's blog eucatastrophe.

See also:
A sample of the book.
Sally's website and blog.
A review of the book by Kathy Keller.
The illustrators blog.

Here is a sample of the interview. Sally says:

As a child, I thought the Bible was packed with rules you had to keep (or God wouldn’t love you) and heroes setting examples you had to follow (or God wouldn’t love you). I thought, in short, that the Bible was all about me and what I should (or shouldn’t) be doing. Until I read a Story.

It’s the Story running like a golden stream underneath all the other stories in the Bible: the story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. Suddenly, I realized the Bible wasn’t about me and what I should be doing at all. It was about God and what he had done. And it changed everything.

So, throughout the mapping out of the book and writing the stories, I was resolute in my determination to avoid even a whiff of moralizing in terms of applying the stories. The absolute last thing I ever wanted to ask a child was: “And what can we learn from David about how God wants us to behave?” The story isn’t there to be an example for us to follow. If that were the point, Jesus would never needed to have come. We could have saved ourselves.

SBC should do more to protect children

Here is a no-brainier for our friends in Nashville. Do something. Make it something bold. You guys are very smart - don't let us down. Get over the "our churches are independent" excuse. If we can wage war on theological moderates then we can at least join the battle to keep kids safe.

Full Disclosure: I am a Southern Baptist. I am employed by a Southern Baptist Church as a Children's Minister. I am the father of three children who spend too time at our church.

Few things would be as harmful to our Gospel mission than a Roman Catholic style scandal in Baptist churches. This issue is coming. Pray that our leaders and churches will be on the right side. I'm afraid that the 'appearance of evil' too often proved to be the real thing.

CNN: Sex abuse victims' advocates go after Southern Baptists

Baptist Press: EC general counsel disputes group's child sex abuse claims in AP story

Baptists Asked to Crack Down on Sex Abusers

SNAP Letter to Southern Baptist Convention

Voice to Stop Baptist Predators

Do Southern Baptists Need a Sexual Abuse Data Base?

How to raise God-centered kids

Your kids are in trouble. This world is determined to destroy their souls. They live in a culture that promises happiness but delivers only death. Idolatry was never more alive than today. Your children are walking in a marketplace with hawkers selling false gods on every side. I’m afraid – and you should be too.

How can you raise God-centered kids? How can you help them survive in a world of unbelievers? What will it take to raise your kids in a culture that loves everything except God?

God is not silent on these questions. He has given you concrete and specific directions. He knows your kids better than you know them yourself. He loves your children even more than you love them. God himself is passionate that none of your little ones would be lost.

Consider the greatest commandment. “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” This is God’s kind and loving direction to you. They are a rescue line that draws us back to our creator. They are practical for every minute of your day. But the blessing of God’s instruction is not for you to keep only to yourself. Immediately, God gives us concrete ways to pass this treasure on to our children. His instructions move beyond the immediate context and describe His whole plan for God-centered families. The kind of families that can raise God-centered kids even in a world that is at war with their souls. How can you raise kids who take God as their greatest treasure?

1. Focus first on your relationship with God. You cannot pass on what you don’t have for yourself. Before you can teach you must know. You must love God with all your heart, soul and strength. God wants you to live a radically God centered life. Your life must show that God is bigger and worth more than anything the world is offering.
2. Be diligent in teaching your kids. Your children will not be God-centered if you instruction is half-hearted. You must be intentional and determined. You must pay the price. The time and effort you invest will benefit you children for all eternity.
3. Use everyday situations. Your child’s life is full of teachable moments. While sitting at home. On the way to the grocery. At bedtime. In the morning. Show your kids the joy of loving God in everyday life.
4. Use simple visual reminders. Post fighter verses on the fridge. Write on your hand. Help your kids to make posters of Bible promises. Find ways to remember and think about God’s word. Clutter your home with scripture.
   

This list is from Deuteronomy 6:4-9. But don’t stop there. God has taught us well in His Word. Remember what is at stake. I’ll be praying for your kids.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
(4) "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (5) You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (6) And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. (7) You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (8) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. (9) You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Piper writes about David & Sally Michael

Bethlehem is preparing to honor their long time Pastor David Michael and his wife Sally Michael. They are the ones who have pioneered God-centered children's ministry at Bethlehem. Here is a quote. The whole Fresh Words article can be found here.

The key has been the intentional application of the Word of God in the power of the Spirit of God for the glory of God for children and parents. The word “intentional” is crucial. Raising children and teaching them at home and in the church should not just happen. It should be thought through. What is the goal? What are the means? What kind of training and equipping and leadership will it take? Everything was thought through from the Scriptures with God at the center.. . . If we want men who are mature, godly young men at age twenty-five and women who are mature, godly young women at age twenty-five, what are the decisions you make while that young man or woman is still in the womb? And at two years old? And ten years old? And fifteen years old? David and Sally are leading the way in answering these questions and shaping our cradle-to-the-grave vision for discipling at Bethlehem.

Will The Next Generation Treasure Christ? is a dialog on reforming children'’s ministry and equipping parents - for the glory of Christ and the joy of our children.

Required Listening on Children's Ministry

What does Children's minstry look like when John Piper is your pastor? This 9 Marks Interview paints a compelling vision of how a God-centered ministry can "filter-down" to all areas of the church. The MP3 is free at the following link:

Message Details

Children's Ministry, with David & Sally Michael

Speaker: David & Sally Michael

Date: 11/15/2004

Can we actually teach 5 and 6 year olds about the biblical concepts of sin, repentance, faith, and the nature of God? If you’re inclined to say no, then you might be interested in hearing how one of the most influential churches in America is proving that assumption wrong. Michael Lawrence and John Folmar, Children’s Ministry Directors at Capitol Hill Baptist in Washington DC, trek across the tundra to visit with David and Sally Michaels, Directors of Children’s Ministries at Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis, MN, where John Piper is the senior pastor. Got your coat and gloves?

Will The Next Generation Treasure Christ? is a dialog on reforming children’s ministry and equipping parents - for the glory of Christ and the joy of our children.

Richard Baxter Speaks on FAMILY WORSHIP/TRAINING CHILDREN

Hello Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

Richard Baxter in THE REFORMED PASTOR (1656),abridged and translated by my Pastor John Swanson

"How can a church be successful at building spiritual life in the people if that work is done by pastors alone? How can a church flourish spiritually if parents (especially fathers) neglect their duty of training their own children, when this is the primary way they can help their pastor? If God uses the work of a pastor or other leader to begin to awaken a person spiritually, a family that doesn't care about spiritual life, never seeks God in prayer together and spends all its time together pursuing pleasure in this world will often smother God's Word and always hinder it. However, if you could get parents to do their duty, what an abundance of good might be done! I plead with pastor and church leaders, therefore, if you desire the spiritual growth of the people in your church, do all you can to motivate and equip parents to seek God as a family in Bible reading, instruction (in doctrine), worship and prayer"

--Posted by Shawn L

What are you anyway, like Richard Baxter on Cool Aid? Defining the three primary roles of the Children’s Minister

Five years ago I didn’t believe in the vocation of Children’s Minister. I had never seen one, so they had to be imaginary. Right? If you are reading this you know that I’ve moved beyond that position. In fact, God has called me as Children’s Minister to serve his little ones. But I often get the question, “What does a children’s minister do?” I have wrestled with that same question. What follows is a selection from my working ministry model. In it I am attempting to define my roles through three dominant paradigms for vocational children’s ministry.


The Children’s Minister has many roles. One way to better understand these roles is to examine three identifiable ministry styles. These divisions are speculative. Each style will overlap at points. But by understanding the components one can better integrate them into a holistic ministry model. The three styles are the Shepherd, the Manager and the Visionary. The primary distinction of each is the core competencies that they emphasize. To maximize effectiveness one must integrate and balance all three within their ministry context.

The children’s minister can be a Shepherd. Such a person prefers the title “Children’s Pastor.” This is the spiritual dimension of the ministry. The Shepherd focuses on the Word and prayer. Personal knowledge of Christ is essential. As one Christian educator wrote, “Preparation for teaching includes also personal knowledge of Christ. It is not enough to know about him – we must know him. Teaching never can be effective which is only retelling of what some other one has said . . . We must be able to tell what we ourselves know. Personal friendship with Christ is a necessary qualification for one who would be a teacher in the school of Christ.” (Miller 1913, 29.) The shepherd begins each day asking, “What will God do in our church today?” This person cannot live without the mandate of God’s call. The style of minister has a deep concern for the welfare of children, parents, volunteers and the unreached. He/she teaches the Bible, shares the gospel and leads the children in worship. The Shepherd might ask a parent, “How is your child developing spiritually? How can I be praying for your family?” The Shepherd is devoted to prayer. As another Christian educator wrote, “A spirit of earnest prayer should be the living soul of all your conduct. While your eye is fixed upon the children, your heart should be lifted up to God. You should sit down between them and the fountain of life, and, while opening, by instruction, a channel to their hearts, seek to draw the living stream by prayer from heaven. Your closet should be the constant scene of their welfare.” (Angell 1834, 77.) The Shepherd is concerned that the children encounter God in worship. The authors of Children Matter write, “When the children of God are gathered together, awareness of God’s presence evokes the natural response of worship. Therefore thought the main emphasis of the Sunday-morning hour is to help children understand the biblical story, learning should not be separate from worship, just as worship cannot be completely separated from learning.” (May et al. 2005, 251.)

One danger in overemphasizing this role is to assume that God will supernaturally compensate for poor planning. The Shepherd might describe their ministry as, “Just loving people and teaching them the Word.” Conflict resolution is one situation that requires this pastoral heart. Loving the children is natural for the Shepherd. Without this role the ministry would lack depth and spiritual power. The Shepherd will be drawn to tasks such as home visits, Bible study and prayer.

The children’s minister can be a Manager. Such a person prefers the title “Director of Children’s Ministries.” The primary function of this role is administrative. In this capacity the minister plans, executes and evaluates the programs of the church. Organization is essential. The Manager begins each day by asking, “How can we stay on plan today?” This style of minister cannot live without a clear roadmap to achieve measurable goals. In this capacity he/she oversees facilities, staffing, supplies and schedules. This style minister strives for excellence and order in all things. The Manager might ask a parent, “Are you available to make snacks next Wednesday?”

One danger of overweighing this area is making the system more important than the people. “We get so busy running the ‘corporation’ and managing programs that children, relationships, and community get lost.” (May et al. 2005, 148.) In this role policies and safety concerns are addressed. Training and supervision of volunteers is natural for the Manager. Without this role the ministry would lack structure and effectiveness. The Manager will be drawn to tasks such as event planning, volunteer scheduling and record keeping.

The children’s minister can be a Visionary. Such a person thinks of himself as a leader/communicator. This role extends beyond the Children’s Ministry and affects the whole church. The Visionary influences others to fulfill God’s purposes. One such leader wrote, “As we see the world’s agenda for our children, we sense a tremendous urgency for parents and for the church to bring forth an even stronger agenda for God in the lives of our children. Our vision for children must be greater than the world’s vision. May it never be said that we stood by and watched while the world molded our children” (Bethlehem Baptist Church 2004, 6.) The Visionary becomes a catalyst for change as they spread their passion to others. This style of leader develops, empowers and encourages others. He/she begins each day by asking, “How can we spread this vision?” The Visionary cannot live without a compelling destination?” This style minister might ask a parent, “Are you mentoring anyone? How is God using your gifts and talents to build up the church?”

One danger in overemphasizing this aspect is neglecting those who cannot immediately contribute to the vision. In this role the minister will often be an advocate for the importance of children. The Visionary will say things like, “The church is fully the church—the people of God—only when the children are present.” (May et al. 2005, 143.) Networking and improving one’s skills is natural for this Visionary. Building teams and equipping others is essential for such a person. Without this role the ministry would lack urgency and direction. The Visionary will be drawn to tasks such as writing mission statements, writing notes of encouragement and recruiting new volunteers.

Growing Up Christian Book Abstract

Justin Childers (God-centered Student Minister) has outlined the 12 chapters of Growing Up Christian by Karl Graustein. Here is a link summary. There is also a Growing Up Christian blog by the author.

• Growing Up Christian: Some Concluding Observations
• Growing Up Christian #12: Making the Most of It
• Growing Up Christian #11: Spiritual Push-Ups
• Growing Up Christian #10: The Fight of Your Life
• Growing Up Christian #9: Banking on God
• Growing Up Christian #8: Building A Firm Foundation
• Growing Up Christian #7: Familiar Yet Thankful
• Growing Up Christian #6: More than Mimicking Mom and Dad
• Growing Up Christian #5: Biblical Greatness
• Growing Up Christian #4: The Cost of Compromise
• Growing Up Christian #3: Un-Amazing Grace
• Growing Up Christian #2: In or Out?
• Growing Up Christian #1: "Church Kids"

Will The Next Generation Treasure Christ? is a dialog on reforming children’s ministry and equipping parents - for the glory of Christ and the joy of our children.

Real saving faith cannot be ignorant, not even for kids

Is content important in the faith of a child? Is "Jesus is my friend" all they need to believe to be saved? John MacArthur offers the following council. Parents should be thorough, being careful not to soften or shorten the gospel for their children. Simplistic evangelism formulas should be avoided. These often leave out important information. In his book Successful Christian Parenting he writes:

“Real faith involves understanding and affirming some important concepts that may be out of reach for small children. The sole object of genuine faith is Jesus Christ as He is presented to us in the gospel. How can children exercise true saving faith before they are old enough to understand and affirm essential, objective elements of gospel truth? Saving faith is not blind faith. Real saving faith cannot be ignorant of essential gospel concepts such as good and evil, sin and punishment, repentance and faith, God’s holiness and His wrath against sin, Christ as God incarnate, the idea of atonement for sin and the meaning of the resurrection and the lordship of Christ. The specific age at which the child’s understanding is mature enough to grasp such concepts may differ for each child. (So there’s no reliable way to pinpoint a physical “age of accountability.”) But until the child demonstrates some degree of real understanding and some measure of spiritual fruit, parents should not be quick to regard the child’s regeneration as a settled matter.”

Will The Next Generation Treasure Christ? is a dialog on reforming childrenÂ’s ministry and equipping parents - for the glory of Christ and the joy of our children.