Engaging Pastoral Leadership in Child Protection Sadly, I have seen it happen far too many times. The children’s ministry director attends a conference, signs up for a seminar on child protection, brings home some good resources, and starts to write child protection documents. They invest a lot of time in making church [...]

Reflecting on Summer Ministry The transition time between the summer season and an academic season of ministry is often an overlooked opportunity. Sustaining summer ministry requires a good amount of effort, as does being ready for the fresh new season of ministry that comes with the beginning of the school year. These [...]

Coming to the Table As good ol’ Reformed Presbyterians, we know that our children are members of the covenant community. We treat them as “insiders,” expecting them to join us as we pray, as we sing, and as we listen to the sermon. We say with enthusiasm, “Our children are part of [...]

Teaching Children to Bring their Cares to God The children who enter the children’s ministry classroom each week do not leave their baggage at the door. They arrive with all the feels accumulated throughout the week. They carry with them worries, sorrows, and cares from life lived in a fallen world. One [...]

Hopefully Devoted to Jesus During much of my early adolescence, I was absolutely infatuated with Olivia Newton-John—for her Aussie accent as well as her music. It all began with the movie Grease, and one of her many hit songs from that musical: “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” In my foolish pre-teen mind, this song [...]

There is Still Time to Plan for Summer Are you in the middle of planning your summer for children's ministry? Are you still thinking through a VBS option for the summer? CDM offers a curriculum that provides in-depth Bible lessons, emphasizes Scripture memory, is Gospel centered and is FUN for children and [...]

Not All Questions Are Equal What an amazing opportunity we have Sunday after Sunday. God’s people gather to worship the Lord, listen to the preaching of the Word, and then it’s off to Sunday School where we get to teach our young ones the glorious truths of the gospel. As teachers, we [...]

Grow Virtual August 19th -20th, 2022 As we gathered with children's ministry leaders from around the country at our annual Leadership Training Retreat this past April, one of the many topics which came up in conversation was the need for resources to help train our teachers in the local church.  At CDM [...]

Planning for Vacation Bible School Yes, you read that right—VBS planning! After years of running VBS, I have learned that setting aside a day for prayer and planning goes a long way toward a successful VBS. Over the years I have directed Vacation Bible Schools of all sizes, from 40 kids all [...]

Creative 3-Day Option for VBS Space Probe Many thanks to Sherry Kendrick, Family Ministries Director at Covenant Church of Naples, for helping us develop a model to use Space Probe in a three-day format. This document contains everything from a sample schedule to recommendations for crafts, snacks, recreation and lesson emphasis.  View/download PDF. [...]