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.
Ready or Not, Let Go! Short-Term Planning in a Church Planting Context
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 steps. Make a new plan for Sunday, check. Notify volunteers, check. Notify parents, check. [...]
Hop off the Hamster Wheel: Getting Ahead of the Coming Sunday
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 stickers? Is check-in going to work? Did I remember all the things? Round and [...]
A Family of Faith Across Time and Geography
A Family of Faith Across Time and Geography— The theme of “Knit Together in Worship” strikes a powerful cord for me because we had young children in the pew with us for over thirty years as our nine children grew up. My husband and I realized that we are knit together in one huge Church family which spans time and geography, and we are a piece [...]
Discipleship Is Not a Distraction
Discipleship Is Not a Distraction - I’m a mom of two “littles,” ages four and two, with two more on the way. When my oldest was two, my husband and I decided to begin bringing her into corporate worship. We had been learning more about the benefits of having children in worship early through people in our church and through reading Jason Helopoulos’s Let the Children [...]
Grief and the Gift of Corporate Worship
Grief and the Gift of Corporate Worship— I grew up in a family that attended church services every Sunday, no exceptions. Although I will admit this habit wasn’t especially inspiring to me at a young age, my parents’ commitment to regular corporate worship built a similar habit in me. During and shortly after my college years, my parents were both diagnosed with serious illnesses: mom with [...]
Messy Reminders of God’s Faithfulness
Messy Reminders of God's Faithfulness— “Look at this mess.” That thought often crosses my mind at the conclusion of the benediction as I survey the floor and pews around me. On any given Sunday you may find ripped up bulletins, paper-airplane care cards, books, drawings, markers, the occasional spilled water, and maybe even pen marks on the pew Several families, including mine, sit in this section [...]
Join Us For Grow Virtual
Join us for Grow Virtual— I love people! Relationships with others help me thrive. If you know me, you may be surprised to learn that I am an introvert because relationships are so richly rewarding for me and always worth my time. This is where I confess that the virtual conference is hard for me. Sitting behind a computer in preparation and in front of a [...]
Inviting Children Into Prayer
Inviting Children Into Prayer Prayer. One word that encompasses many opportunities for those who are in Christ. It’s an action, a command, our part in a relationship with our Savior, and a calling we, both as parents and as adults within the covenant family, are responsible to bring our children into. Where do we even begin? We recount the events from Mark 10:13-16. Chances are that [...]