Mission
Raising Samuel – Releasing Children to Discover Godʼs Purpose
I do not believe that valuing children as a strategic means to church growth and as missionary targets fully embraces a biblical, ethical or respectful value of children in the Kingdom or the Church. BY SUSAN GREENER Introduction A mother bound by the One Child Policy hopes for a son. In disappointment she aborts the…
Read MoreChildren at the Heart of Mission
REDISCOVERING CHILDREN AT THE HEART OF MISSION There is a misconception of serious proportions among Christians that ‘the Bible says very little about children’. Let’s examine that. An Old Testament Cast of Children (from Genesis to Malachi) Ishmael (Gen 16) means ‘God hears’. His pregnant mother, Hagar, had all but given up hope, but God was…
Read MorePositive Peer Community & Child Discipleship
We are not mean to travel alone in this life, true friends are important! It is true in life that we grow to be like our friends. Therefore, the more time we spend with our friends the more we will be influenced by their values and the actions that result. It is also true in…
Read MoreThinking Again About Large Group Salvation Prayer
When I started in children’s ministry years ago, I was passionate about seeing kids step across the line of faith and become followers of Jesus. Each time I had the opportunity in a large group setting, I would lead kids in a prayer of salvation. 26 years later, I’m still just as passionate about seeing…
Read MoreOne in Every Class – Dealing with disruption
It wasn’t that long ago that kids brought apples to school for their teachers. But today it seems they just drive them bananas! For those readers who are teachers or who know teachers this appears to be an increasingly common scenario in our schools today. Statistics from Australia give a window into what’s happening in…
Read MoreEnjoying God, Creation and Our Time Together – Children’s Ministry
As children’s ministry leaders we endeavor to teach the truths of Scripture and help the children in our group to understand the Bible so that they can come to know God and live in relationship with Jesus. This is a serious goal with Kingdom consequences and we can have a lot of FUN achieving it……
Read MoreSeeking After Excellence in Ministry with Children – A Concise Checklist
We will treat each child as a unique individual: whilst ‘ages and stages of development’ material can provide some general help, they do not describe a real child – just trends. We will take the time, and make the effort, to ‘tune in’ to the life of each child it is our privilege to minister…
Read More15 Things You Should Know About Speaking to Large Groups of Children
If you’ve been asked to stand up in front of a group that is larger than your normal group or class, the following principles may help you to captivate and maintain their attention. (Of course, most of these principles apply to smaller groups as well!). This article can be found at max7.org 1. Seating The…
Read MoreChildren, Church Planting and Ministry to Parents
Last December a Christian mission partnership visited a village in a country not friendly to Christian mission to hold a day’s Christmas celebration with 80 kids. They distributed the Christmas Story with a gospel presentation. Afterwards, a young missionary pastor, who is pastoring a church 4 miles away, organized a Kids’ Club ministry and continued…
Read MorePeak Experiences: A place where God meets you, stretches and inspires you …. and transformation happens
A peak experience is a vital complement to the regular activities within the faith community. The experience may be a residential camp, a day camp, a special Saturday program, a concert, a special evening program, and so on. In these contexts, faith is deepened through the mixture of meeting new people with a real faith, being…
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