The Fruit of Certification— This year we celebrated 5 years of our Children’s Ministry Certification program! 5 years equals 160 men and women who have spent 12 months evaluating and growing children’s ministry in their churches. Children’s Ministry at CDM comes alongside churches by helping them pave the way for intergenerational connections [...]
Finding Rest in Ministry Rhythms— I love an old-fashioned paper calendar. I spend time marking it up with all kinds of colors based on the occasion. Later this month, there is a week outlined bright orange and blue with BEACH written in big letters. Beach Week happens towards the end of every [...]
Long Term Planning with the End in Mind— Long-term planning has always excited me. Seeing the big picture, setting goals to get there, and visualizing the end-product is one of my favorite things to do. I sit down with my paper planner, pens in a rainbow of colors, a cup of coffee, [...]
Ready or Not, Let Go! Short-Term Planning in a Church Planting Context - One Thursday evening, my senior pastor texted me the news. Our permit for Sunday worship in the local high school that week had been canceled. Not again! My head immediately began to go through a mental checklist of next [...]
Hop Off the Hamster Wheel: Getting Ahead of the Coming Sunday— Is nursery covered? Did I remember to make copies of the lesson for Children’s Church? Who texted me last night to tell me they weren’t going to be here on Sunday? Do I have enough volunteers? Which teacher asked me for [...]
Ages and Stages: The Tween Years— I was really proud of the Kids Ministry our congregation poured into when I was on staff as the Children’s Ministry Director. We had a robust volunteer list and always found help when we needed it. (Shocking, I know!) However, there was one hole that I [...]
How do you make children disciples of Christ?Join Sue Jakes, CDM’s Children’s Ministry Coordinator, as she shares that the difference between discipleship and childcare is where you're headed. Sue gives practical and foundational principles to help you reach destination discipleship.
Do you struggle to get volunteers? Does every member of your church know they are an essential part of your church's ministry to children? When the right foundation is laid and the vision of your ministry is clearly communicated, recruiting team members, teachers and helpers can be a much easier task. [...]