Articles
The child and commitment to Jesus
During many children’s ministry programs, there will be opportunities given for children to respond to what they have learned and heard in that particular lesson. Some responses will be to the Gospel message that Jesus died for our sins to bring us back to God. Some of these responses will be to a challenge about…
Read MoreAdapting Materials to Different Cultures – A Guide for Children’s Workers
Suggestions on how to evaluate the local culture and adapt programs and curriculum for greater effectiveness. Regardless of where you work with children, their inner needs are very similar. The differences in culture, however, result in wide variances in the classroom. Mostly these differences are in the way people deal with authority, the norms for…
Read MoreJesus Asked – Open Ended Questions & Ministry With Children
The ‘open-ended’ question is used to prompt a longer thinking process in the listener/responder. A closed question requires a yes, no, or a straightforward factual answer. An open-ended question may be rhetorical, but is more likely to be asking the listener to search for an answer in themselves that they have not considered before (thus…
Read More8 ideas to help you connect with families
Ideas for connecting the children’s ministry at church with the children’s families and supporting parents in their role. Children are part of families and while friends grow in their influence as children reach their teens, families are still the biggest influence on the life of a child. How do we support families as they develop…
Read MoreBible Handling Goals for Children – 5 years old and under
An age-appropriate guide for children’s use of the Bible – their knowledge of its content, skills in using it and attitudes towards it. Children of different ages approach the Bible in different ways. As their general skills grow, so does their understanding of the Bible and their skill in using it. The statements below represent…
Read MoreWhat Children at Risk Need and How the Church Can Help Them Best
The latest research revealed by the US government indicates that more than 1 billion children, almost half of all the children in the world, are exposed to violence every year. What can the church do. Author: Ruslan Maliuta, World Without Orphans Introduction: Children must be Protected from the World’s Violence UNICEF identifies four types of…
Read MoreRediscovering the Domestic Church
Domestic Church is a way of describing spiritual activities taking place in a home setting. It has been practised across the centuries, although not always called by this name. At a time when faith in the homes of many Christian families consists of bedtime stories and prayers, Domestic Church is a way of tapping into…
Read MoreIt’s time to take children and youth seriously
Children are all around us. Every human is or was once a child. Children are the most numerous needy and most people on the planet. Never in history have we had so many children among us and never have so many of them been at great risk. Author : Dr. Dan Brewster International Director for Academic…
Read MoreThe Child as a Partner in Mission
The past decade has seen a significant awakening on the biblical and strategic importance and potential of children and youth as both objects of and agents for world transformation. A wealth of new initiatives and publications has raised awareness of the needs, the promise and the possibilities represented by this large, needy and receptive ‘people…
Read MoreWhat does a discipled child look like?
After writing about “Developing a Biblical World View in Children” for a magazine I have not been able to get this question out of my head. If our job as children’s pastors is to do what Matthew 28:19 tells use to do, (and I believe it is) “Therefore go and make disciples of all…
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