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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
How the Covenant Shapes Children's Participation in Worship- Studies have revealed a lot about how children understand the world around them. Children learn much more through experience than just through instruction that is only tailored to their age. They learn by imitation rather than by simply being told what to do. They learn as embodied beings—because that is [...]
Reachout Adventures VBS: An Unforgettable Experience With Lasting Impact Vacation Bible School is one of the most rewarding and hectic weeks of the year! Add in the months of planning, hours of meetings, and the moment-by-moment prayer to the God we long to introduce to these precious children, and it’s a full-time [...]
Leading Children’s Ministry Through the Lens of Mission and Vision — Sometimes a renewed perspective on the mission and vision of the church comes from unexpected changes that remind us we are all a part of God’s family. The sanctuary had such a homey feel. A smaller space with pew doors that [...]
Celebrating a Christ-Centered Easter as a Family- One of my vivid memories of Easter growing up is my mother buying matching Easter dresses for my sister and me. There are many Easter pictures of us in those dresses with Easter bonnets and baskets. Those memories are wonderful and warm, and I am [...]
Children’s Ministry Rooted in Scripture, Shaped by Relationship - I keep two items on my desk as I work. Both were purchased during my travels in the first year of my role as CDM’s Children’s Ministry Coordinator. The first is a well-worn copy of Catechism for Young Children, published in 1910, which [...]