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CDM’s mission is to strengthen the Church through connections. Through articles, podcasts, and resources we want to help connect you with people and tools that will help you in ministry.
Ministry to children can often feel lonely, but we hope this site will be a place that will encourage you and equip you for a lifetime of investing in the next generation. You are part of God’s covenant community and your investment in the little ones really does matter to God.
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You Are Not Alone
You Are Not Alone — One year after becoming the children’s director of a very large church in New York City, I sat down with CDM and GCP staff members, Sue Jakes and BA Snider, to talk about children’s ministry. I was young, new in my role, and craving any help I could get! I’ll never forget sitting across the table from them at a Panera in Atlanta and feeling seen and understood in the questions I had and the struggles I was experiencing as I sought to lead this important ministry. They listened, answered all my questions, and [...]
A Revised Heirs of the Covenant
A Revised Heirs of the Covenant— Revising Heirs of the Covenant was not on my to-do list. I was amazed it was still in print after almost thirty years and never thought about a revision. It was Stephen Estock and Karen Hodge who saw the need and the potential of the book. When I originally wrote Heirs, my ministry experience as a pastor’s wife and on staff with CDM was with children and women. That experience was the context for what I wrote. When Stephen approached me about a revision, he had a much bigger vision. He said the [...]
First Things, First!
First Things, First!— In our first article on Advent, we looked at the reasons why the Church reserves Advent as an important part of the Church calendar. In Advent, we prepare our hearts by remembering Jesus’s first coming, and we look hopefully to His second coming. We are reminded to lay aside the busyness and clinging to idols that only leave us anxious and empty. In this article, we ask and then will try to answer the natural follow-up question of “How?” The historicity is all well and good but, as Robert Burns wrote, “The best laid plans of [...]
Busy or Beholding?
Busy or Beholding?— Busy. The word usually follows a justification regarding an absence, a lack of service, or a dropped responsibility. It is often a bedfellow of self-absorption as well. “I’m sorry that I didn’t put more thought into your birthday, I’ve just been so busy.” “I’m sorry that I forgot to check on that for you, I just got busy.” “I’m sorry I couldn’t make your anniversary party. We’ve been so busy.” I recently have been struck by its lie. Is busyness the issue, or is it that I prioritize my comfort, my desires, and, well, me? Busyness [...]
The Delight of Having Children in Corporate Worship
The Delight of Having Children in Corporate Worship- Have you noticed that there’s no mention of Children’s Church or Sunday school in the Bible? We know people in the early church had children, so where were they when Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42)? Most likely, the children were there too! Children were with their families, learning about the things of God right alongside them. They heard the letters of Paul being read; they sang the Psalms with their parents. Maybe they weren’t perfectly still [...]
A Children’s Ministry Perspective on Intergenerational Discipleship
A Children’s Ministry Perspective on Intergenerational Discipleship- Heirs of the Covenant by Susan Hunt is a 30-year-old book that has been read by many. Recently, Stephen Estock and Karen Hodge have joined Susan in updating this book that will be available at the end of 2025. In this refreshed book, a framework for discipleship is laid out, with Covenant theology as the why of discipleship. Discipleship is defined in the book as “using God’s outward means of grace—the Word, worship, prayer, sacraments, fellowship—to cultivate an intergenerational discipleship culture where all ages and stages flourish and multiply.” As a part [...]
Practical Ideas for Intergenerational Discipleship
Practical Ideas for Intergenerational Discipleship— She scooped him up from the pew in front of her and sat him in her lap. Patiently, she walked him through the words of the closing hymn, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.” Caroline sits behind our wiggly row of preschoolers when they return to observe their church family partake of communion. She doesn’t flinch when I pass a child in her direction. In fact, she counts it a blessing and calls it part of her own discipleship. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 states, “And these words that I command you today shall be [...]
Hope for the Suffering
Hope for the Suffering- All of us have experienced moments of stormy trials. These can be difficult, forcing us to consider where the anchor of our faith lies. Some experience moments of suffering, while others experience prolonged seasons of valley trudging. Our faith shaken, our prayers faint whispers of desperation for the Savior’s tender comfort and peace. The latter is the type of suffering journey I find most familiar and where I have seen joy, hope, and endurance grow immeasurably through the faithfulness of the Lord. My husband and I have experienced pregnancy losses. We have each lost jobs, [...]
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