Grow Virtual Conference Home2021-10-12T17:01:12+00:00

GROW…so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” – Ephesians 4:14-16

Below are the Keynotes and Workshops.

Keynote Seminars

Why You and Your Children Should Be IN Church

Scott Barber, Pastor of Redeemer Church, Florence, Alabama (CDM Permanent Committee member) Why You and Your Children Should Be IN Church LIVE STREAM Friday Evening, August 20, 2021, 7:30-9:00 pm Eastern (this video will be available after 8:00am August 21, 2021) SPONSORED BY [...]

Teaching the Word To Children: YOU Can Do It!

Sue Jakes (CDM Children's Ministry Coordinator) Teaching the Word To Children: YOU Can Do It! LIVE STREAM Saturday Morning, August 21, 2021, 10:00-11:00 am Eastern (this video will be available after 12:00 pm August 21, 2021) Video Handout SPONSORED BY American Heritage Girls is a Christ-centered character and leadership [...]

Ministry Leadership: Turning the Hearts of Fathers To Children

Stephen Estock (Committee on Discipleship Ministries [CDM] Coordinator) LIVE STREAM Saturday Morning, August 21, 2021, 11:00 am-Noon Eastern (this video will be available after 12:00pm August 21, 2021) Video Handout (Malachi 3:16 – 4:6; Luke 1:17) As we strive to serve the next generation, what is the hope we long for? [...]

Workshop Seminars

Modeling the Message

Lisa Updike is the Director of Children’s Ministries at Covenant in Harrisonburg, VA Modeling the Message of the Gospel To Our Littlest Handout It can be tempting to underestimate the significance of our nursery and early childhood ministries. After all, they are so little! What will they really learn? It’s important to [...]

If You Build it

Sue Jakes is the Children's Ministry Coordinator for the PCA's Discipleship Ministries If You Build It: The Necessity of a Local Church Children's Ministry Team What should every Children’s Ministry Team include?  Once you’ve built a sturdy leadership team, what are first steps to set in motion the engine that will [...]

Family Worship

Burress McCombe is the Pastor of Worship at Covenant Presbyterian in Harrisonburg, VA Family Worship This video is for those who struggle to get a handle on how to do family worship, for those who have tried but have been frustrated, for those who feel weak in this area. This is for [...]

Understanding and Reaching the Whole Child

Laney Stayton is the Children's Ministry Director at North Shore Fellowship in Chattanooga, TN Understanding and Reaching the Whole Child In the craziness of Sunday morning, it's easy to view children in a goal-oriented way, forgetting that they are complex and emotional fellow image bearers. They don’t all fit into the box we make [...]

Teaching the Bible at Home To Kids with Unique Learning Differences

Ashley Belknap is the Director of Engaging Disability With The Gospel, a ministry of the PCA's Mission to North America Teaching the Bible at Home To Kids with Unique Learning Differences Many parents know all too well the challenges of teaching the Bible at home to their children who have unique [...]

Covenant Baptism

Dr. Bryan Chapell is the Stated Clerk for the PCA's Administrative Committee Covenant Baptism Sacraments are God’s gifts to His covenant people. They are physical pictures that serve as a promise and explanation of the benefits of the saving work of Christ to those who have faith in Him. Covenant baptism [...]

Teaching JESUS! Through the Ages and Stages of Childhood

Sherry Kendrick is the Family Ministry Director at Covenant Church of Naples, FL Teaching JESUS! Through the Ages and Stages of Childhood How can we teach the gospel redemptively at each stage of a child’s life?  And what are engaging teaching strategies that will help teach a lesson with content and [...]

Watch the Events from our Live Weekend

Speaker

Friday Evening
Why You and Your Children Should Be IN Church Rev. Scott Barber
Saturday Morning
Teaching The Word to Children: YOU Can Do It! Sue Jakes
Ministry Leadership: Turning the Heats of Fathers to Children Dr. Stephen Estock

Watch the recorded livestream portion of the conference using the links below.

View our Webinars

Speaker

Date

Video: Classroom Management (Click to rewatch the webinar)

PDF of Slides: Classroom Management

 B.A. Snider Recorded August 26
Video: Developing a Congregational Vision for Discipling Children John Kwasny Recorded August 31
Video: Unique Needs: How to Identify, Love, and Disciple Kids Impacted by Disability in Your Children’s Ministry

Handout: 2021· Grow Virtual – Identify, Love, and Disciple Kids with Unique Needs – slide handout

Ashley Belknap Recorded Sept. 7
Video: Beyond Sunday Morning B.A. Snider Recorded Sept. 13
Video: Transformational Summer Ministry  Jimmy Brock Recorded Sept. 16
Video: Equipping Kids to Stand Firm in the Present Culture Dana Russell Recorded Sept. 22
Video: Outreach: Relational-engagement with our Community Kids Joseph Parker Recorded Sept. 30
Video: Teaching Children to Worship God in a Corporate Worship Setting Becky Sinclair Recorded Oct. 5

Workshops and Webinars providing a Biblical lens to look at:

The Culture  |  The Church  |  The Children  |  The Call To Make Disciples

Video Workshop Descriptions

What should every Children’s Ministry Team include? Once you’ve built a sturdy leadership team, what are first steps to set in motion the engine that will keep all strategies running straight and strong in your church’s discipleship ministry to kids?

How can we teach the gospel redemptively at each stage of a child’s life? And what are engaging teaching strategies that will help teach a lesson with content and application? Let’s create discipleship times that help children learn and grow in their faith!

Sacraments are God’s gifts to His covenant people. They are physical pictures that serve as a promise and explanation of the benefits of the saving work of Christ to those who have faith in Him. Covenant baptism is the sacrament of initiation into God’s covenant community. Yet, many church leaders struggle with knowing who are the proper candidates for baptism. This seminar examines the scriptural and pastoral foundation for covenant baptism, including the baptism of infants who are brought to God by believing parents.

It can be tempting to underestimate the significance of our nursery and early childhood ministries. After all, they are so little! What will they really learn? It’s important to remember that Jesus himself said to those who questioned him, “…have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise?’” (Matthew 21:16). Samuel was about the age of our preschoolers when Hannah brought him to Eli, and of course, John was still in utero when he was filled with the Holy Spirit!

So, let’s follow suit and make the most of these early years in our nurseries and preschool classes!

This practical workshop will stir up your vision and give you tools that you can apply immediately with the little ones in your ministry.

This video is for those who struggle to get a handle on how to do family worship, for those who have tried but have been frustrated, for those who feel weak in this area. This is for dads who want to lead their families in worship, but don’t know how and haven’t had anyone show them how. This is for moms who are discouraged at how their family engages in worship together. In short, this is for most any family who seeks to worship together. This video is designed to give you some traction for family worship and some tools as to how to engage in family worship.

In the craziness of Sunday morning, it’s easy to view children in a goal-oriented way, forgetting that they are complex and emotional fellow image bearers. They don’t all fit into the box we make for them. Join us as we step away from our to-do lists and event planning to consider a holistic view of the child – the good, the bad, and the not so delightful.

Many parents know all too well the challenges of teaching the Bible at home to their children who have unique needs or disabilities. How do you adapt family devotions without making the content too basic for other siblings? How do you make hymns and Bible memory verses more accessible? How do you know if your child with unique needs has come to faith in Christ? This video will give parents a framework for adapting teaching content in ways that make learning easier for every child by breaking down concepts, not dumbing down the content. You will gain perspective and insights into how to lead your child with unique differences to Christ and for how to uniquely support a profession of faith.

Webinar Descriptions

Best plans and strategies for staying in charge of your classroom, teaching Bible lesson, and still having fun, even when the kids had donuts for breakfast.

When our covenant children are baptized, this vow is often directed to the congregation: “Do you as a congregation undertake the responsibility of assisting the parents in the nurture of this child?” If a congregation takes this vow, makes this promise, how will they be helped to intentionally keep it?  The church’s role in discipling children must be built on casting and implementing a vision for the entire congregation.  All parents need other covenant parents to come alongside them in this essential effort! This webinar will help you develop a Biblical congregational vision of child discipleship, as well as ideas for how to implement it effectively.

One of the Christian’s greatest privileges and calling is to gather with other believers on the Lord’s Day to worship the Lord. Because corporate worship can be challenging with young children, many have decided to remove the children from the adults and give them a substitute worship time. This webinar will discuss the biblical rationale of families participating in corporate worship together and tips on discipling children in worship.

Scripture and catechism memory, growing a servant’s heart, praying for others and more–how do parents and church covenant together to extend the discipleship of our children beyond a weekly Sunday School class.

Learn how to turn your summer activity from a fun but tiring task to a place of life-changing long-term discipleship and outreach. Also get practical tips and usable resources to start or improve summer ministry at your church.

Children and teens today face real challenges growing up in a culture fraught with division, dishonesty and hate. How do we equip our kids to stand firm in faith especially when so much of our society runs counter to the gospel? In talking to our kids about hard things, we show them that the Christian life is not about ignoring what is around them but about living in the world and loving our neighbors without being worldly citizens.

Join Joseph Parker in exploring not only what we can do to relationally-engage our local community with the gospel, but why and how we should relationally-engage them. This will not only be an informative webinar, but an opportunity to interact with Joseph about your own ideas, providing tangible feedback on what you are doing or considering doing to reach the families around your local church with the gospel.

Most children’s ministry volunteers have a very defined idea of disability—typically, a visible limitation or unique need. But many disabilities go unrecognized because they present with subtle, unique, complex differences not often associated with disability: behavior outbursts, poor impulse control, language delays, memory deficits, learning differences, and more. Kids displaying these are likely not thriving in your children’s ministry. They are present, but are they growing spiritually? Do they have friends? Those two essential components of discipleship are important for every child, including ones with diagnosed disabilities and undiagnosed differences. In this webinar, you will learn how to identify unique needs, how to determine supports needed for the child, and how to have winsome conversation with parents.

Event Details

Watch the three live-streamed Training Sessions followed by live Q&A

  1. Invite teachers, parents, volunteers, and possible volunteers to a church wide training weekend. Serve dinner, breakfast, lunch (one or more), spend some time with your church protocol training and then tune in to these three sessions for resources, encouragement, and how to’s for making disciples.
  2. Invite a smaller group into a home for a more intimate setting on Friday evening for dinner and join in the session together for training. Everyone can watch from home on Saturday morning or you can gather at the church or in home again.
  3. Send link to all church members, encourage Friday evening viewing, come together on Saturday morning to discuss at breakfast and view the rest together.
  • Friday Evening Session 1: Why You and Your Children Should be “IN” Church [Rev. Scott Barber]
  • Saturday Morning Session 2: Teaching the Word to Children – YOU can do it! [Sue Jakes]
  • Saturday Morning Session 3: Ministry Leadership – Turning the Hearts of Fathers to Children [Dr. Stephen Estock]

Access to Seven Breakout Training Videos to be viewed when and with whom you like:

See list below of video titles, descriptions and presenters

  1. View one or more of your choice immediately after live sessions end to complete a full weekend training conference at your church. They can break out to view the training of their choice.
  2. Schedule live training using these videos throughout the year as a continuing education program for parents and volunteers.
  3. Schedule virtual group training to be followed by live zoom discussions throughout the year.
  4. Send links for individuals to watch on their own and have breakfast, lunch or coffee to discuss the topic(s) that have been viewed.
  5. Post the links to these videos on church website or in bulletin as you train your entire congregation to consider and become involved in direct discipleship of children.
  6. Watch, take notes and hold a live training event where you communicate all that you have learned and want to pass on.

Invitation to 8 live training Webinars scheduled between August 26 to October 8

Click on link above to register for the webinars so you receive a reminder email and link.

See list below of webinar titles, dates, times, descriptions, and presenters

  1. Send schedule and links for some or all of these study webinars to individual teachers, parents, or volunteers so they can participate from home. Discuss together later over coffee or live zoom.
  2. Gather small group at church or in a home to participate and ask questions together.
  3. Watch, take notes and hold a live training event where you communicate all that you have learned and want to pass on in person.
  4. Post times and links throughout the fall in your church bulletin/e-letters and website. Invite all your congregation to participate, especially in the webinars that may encourage them to become involved in children’s discipleship ministry. 

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