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CDM’s mission is to strengthen the Church through connections. Through articles, podcasts, and resources we want to help connect you with people and tools that will help you in ministry.
Ministry to children can often feel lonely, but we hope this site will be a place that will encourage you and equip you for a lifetime of investing in the next generation. You are part of God’s covenant community and your investment in the little ones really does matter to God.
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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 worship Him with our whole being. Consider how children learn to eat. When a child is very young, we don’t wait until they fully understand nutrition or table manners before including them at the table. Instead, they sit with their family, [...]
Reachout Adventures VBS: An Unforgettable Experience With Lasting Impact-
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 endeavor. Our church is preparing for VBS this very minute, and it’s my third to plan and direct. During my first year as Children’s Ministry Director, we started a brand-new curriculum for our church: ReachOut Adventures. It was an easy “yes” as I read its vision and [...]
Leading Children’s Ministry Through the Lens of Mission and Vision
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 closed but evidence of open hearts as we recited creeds and spent time in humble confession. A curly headed little boy ran up to the front, eager to hear what the pastor had to teach him and his friends. As a visitor in my 20s, the relatable [...]
Celebrating a Christ-Centered Easter as a Family
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 thankful for them, but what would it look like to intentionally plan such warm family traditions with a focus on pointing the hearts of our children toward Jesus and celebrating the hope of His resurrection? Celebrating Easter Week One of the most impactful ways families can keep [...]
Children’s Ministry Rooted in Scripture, Shaped by Relationship
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 I discovered in a used bookstore in Nashville. This tiny pink book is falling apart, yet it holds rich wisdom for parents and teachers before presenting the 145 questions and answers drawn from the truths of Scripture. The second item comes from my family’s visit to the [...]
You Are Not Alone
You Are Not Alone — One year after becoming the children’s director of a very large church in New York City, I sat down with CDM and GCP staff members, Sue Jakes and BA Snider, to talk about children’s ministry. I was young, new in my role, and craving any help I could get! I’ll never forget sitting across the table from them at a Panera in Atlanta and feeling seen and understood in the questions I had and the struggles I was experiencing as I sought to lead this important ministry. They listened, answered all my questions, and [...]
A Revised Heirs of the Covenant
A Revised Heirs of the Covenant— Revising Heirs of the Covenant was not on my to-do list. I was amazed it was still in print after almost thirty years and never thought about a revision. It was Stephen Estock and Karen Hodge who saw the need and the potential of the book. When I originally wrote Heirs, my ministry experience as a pastor’s wife and on staff with CDM was with children and women. That experience was the context for what I wrote. When Stephen approached me about a revision, he had a much bigger vision. He said the [...]
First Things, First!
First Things, First!— In our first article on Advent, we looked at the reasons why the Church reserves Advent as an important part of the Church calendar. In Advent, we prepare our hearts by remembering Jesus’s first coming, and we look hopefully to His second coming. We are reminded to lay aside the busyness and clinging to idols that only leave us anxious and empty. In this article, we ask and then will try to answer the natural follow-up question of “How?” The historicity is all well and good but, as Robert Burns wrote, “The best laid plans of [...]
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