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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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Starting Fresh: Building Rhythms for a Thriving Children’s Ministry
Starting Fresh: Building Rhythms for a Thriving Children’s Ministry- The start of a new school year is so much fun. In our ministry, it’s also the start of our new year. Promotion Sunday falls when school is starting back, and it’s such a joy to start fresh with clean classrooms and organized curriculum binders! Throughout the summer, you’ve probably spent time evaluating the last year. Whether you’re new to your ministry or have been doing this for a while, it can be helpful to evaluate your ministry every year and to do a further evaluation including an appraisal of [...]
Beyond Drop Off: Building Meaningful Partnerships with Parents to Disciple Our Children –
Beyond Drop Off: Building Meaningful Partnerships with Parents to Disciple Our Children - The first day of school is one of the coolest days of the year. Yes, I said it. In my area, there are some schools that start mid-July and some that start mid-August. And some start somewhere in between. Needless to say, my socials—for a month—have a bevy of first-day-of-school posts. Some of my favorites are of the parents who send their kids to “big school” for the first time. For many of them, it is the first time they realize that something is happening with [...]
From Good to Great: How to Use Your Curriculum Effectively in Children’s Ministry
From Good to Great: How to Use Your Curriculum Effectively in Children’s Ministry— I am a self-proclaimed nonplanner. After being a foster parent for fifteen years, I developed a mantra: Why make a plan when you know it’s going to change? Just roll with it. However, as a new children’s ministry director, I quickly learned this approach was essentially a plan to fail. When I first stepped into this role, I was directionless. Our church was in the process of restructuring our children’s ministry team—without clear mission and vision statements. As a result, I found myself scrambling on a [...]
Family Worship: A Guide to Help Our Families Create a Rhythm of Worship at Home
Family Worship: A Guide to Help Our Families Create a Rhythm of Worship at Home- When you hear the words “family worship,” what feelings arise? A parent with young children may smile, remembering a sweet prayer their child offered just yesterday. Another may feel guilty because family worship hasn’t happened at home in a long time. Still another may feel frustrated because, despite their efforts to set aside time for family worship, it always ends with someone being sent to their room. Parents of teens or adult children may recall a meaningful conversation that came from time spent worshiping together. [...]
Faithful or Flashy? Discerning Curriculum for Your Children’s Ministry-
Faithful or Flashy? Discerning Curriculum for Your Children’s Ministry- Any time I feel and think I am unequipped to do this job as children’s ministry director, the Lord is unbelievably kind to show me how He has prepared me for this job over the last twenty years. Unbeknownst to me, I’ve been discerning curriculum for a very small ministry my whole adult life. Our family is blessed with five souls to shepherd, and as a young Christian, wife, and mom, long years ago, I started examining the songs we listened to and the books we read. I was saved [...]
Beyond the Family: Why Covenant Parenting Requires the Whole Church
Beyond the Family: Why Covenant Parenting Requires the Whole Church— My sons are not being discipled by my husband and me alone. Their spiritual inheritance is being shaped by a whole community of believers. They are loved by “Aunties” and “Uncles,” our friends who love our boys as their own. While we are rooted first and foremost in the gospel, our family also draws from a beautiful tradition common in many Asian cultures: calling every invested elder “Auntie” or “Uncle.” For our family, these titles are more than terms of affection. They represent a living network of support and [...]
Making the Most of Summer
Making the Most of Summer— Popsicles and less programming are what summer is made of around here! A few years ago, our church purchased two lots adjacent to our campus which gave us a lawn for summer suppers. Bare-footed, sun-kissed toddlers make their way to the outdoor popsicle freezer. Mamas enjoy deep conversation on picnic blankets. Bigger kids become expert helpers and feel promoted status. The boys bring their football and have a game going while Mrs. Lou is in her lawn chair finally catching up with Mrs. Vickie whom she hasn’t seen all year. It’s summer in the [...]
Helping Children See God’s Gracious Mission
Helping Children See God's Gracious Mission- If you have ever baked with a small child, you know how messy that process can be. So messy in fact, that you might vow to never bake with small children again! But how rewarding is it when you take time to sit in the mess with small children, to model for them how to bake those cookies? Serving in church is similar. When we invite children into serving from a young age, when we sit in the mess as they learn, they ultimately grow in their understanding of serving humbly wherever the [...]
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