Grow Blog
CDM’s Children’s Ministry with Purpose Grow Blog connects you with people and resources to disciple the children in your church. Read as we write about children’s ministry opportunities and challenges, connecting with leadership, how to cast vision, and many more important topics.
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
How the Covenant Shapes Children’s Participation in Worship
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 how God created them. And as God’s image bearers, we are embodied people who [...]