Teaching Kids to Pray Effectively
Would you say your prayers are effective?
You’re not alone if you feel inadequate. The disciples did too when they came to Jesus in Matthew 6 and asked him to teach them how to pray. They’d been praying their entire lives but saw that Jesus’ prayers were far more effective, and so they wanted a taste of that.
5 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Church Management System
So, we landed on option 3. Find another system. But that’s far easier said than done. After weeks of meetings and weighing our options, we finally landed on a cloud based system that suited our needs far more than our previous system.
If you’re starting the same journey, here are 5 questions you should ask before you pick one that’s best for your church.
5 Steps to Attending Service in Kidmin
One of the hardest parts of serving in Children’s ministry is never getting to go to service. Some pastors require their kids’ leaders to attend the adult service, but those are rare. Other kidmin pastors have figured out how to attend somewhat regularly, but it's not the same as before they became a leader.
Part of the problem comes from the complexity of kidmin. It’s more than just one service.
3 Groups who Attend Your VBS (and Which One to Focus On)
It’s VBS season and for many churches, the event is seen as an outreach. We want to get as many kids as possible through the door, show them the way to Jesus, and then hopefully get them to come back on Sunday.
But when you put on outreach events, it’s important to realize that not everyone is seeking Jesus, not everyone is new, and not everyone is a prospect for coming to your church. This isn’t a reason not to do the event, but we need to be aware.
A Simple VBS Fundraiser
One thing about VBS is that it takes a lot of supplies. Crafts, games, decorations, Bible stories and so much more all need stuff. It’s a lot to handle and can be one of the biggest line items in your budget.
To keep my costs down, I’ve used this one fundraiser for years with great success.
15 Things I've Learned Over 15 Years of Ministry
Today is my 15th anniversary of vocational ministry. I owe my first job to Steve Lambert who saw potential in me and gave me a shot as a kid’s pastor. He paid for me to finish college, officiated my wedding, and gave my wife and I a place to live. I am forever thankful for his vision and generosity.
5 Questions to Create Your VBS Schedule
VBS is one of the most complex ministry outreaches in children’s ministries. It takes 3-6 months to put on a one-week event for tons of kids and a major part of the kidmin annual rhythm.
One of the more complex yet essential parts of VBS is the schedule. It answers the question, “How are you going to get multiple groups of kids to multiple rooms throughout your campus all at the same time, not lose anyone, make time for bathroom breaks, and still get all the content covered?”
When should kids move to the next grade in kidmin?
It’s coming to the end of the school year, and you’re probably thinking about promoting your kids to the next grade.
But when is the best time?
5 VBS Volunteers that Make a BIG Difference
Many of the curriculums I’ve used over the years give you an idea of how many volunteers you need and where they should serve. However, if you’re doing a VBS for 100 kids or more, these lists can be found lacking. They’ll list small group leaders and station leaders, but what about registration? Décor? Marketing? Supply management?
Over the years I’ve added several positions to my VBS that have helped me reach more kids and made my workload so much simpler.
4 Principles for Planning your Kidmin Service
If you’re like me when you’re planning your first kid services, you’re probably following the model that you’ve seen before. Whether you learned it from a mentor, internship, or just watching another kid’s service, you’ve decided this is the order for the service.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
How to Have an Easter Egg Hunt Part 2
Easter Egg Hunts. Love them or hate them, it’s one of the most popular kidmin events leading into the Easter season. I know it’s only February, but if you want to have a successful outreach event, you need to start planning now.
This is the second part of my two part series on How to have an Easter Egg Hunt.
How to Have an Easter Egg Hunt Part 1
Easter Egg Hunts. Love them or hate them, it’s one of the most popular Kidmin events leading into the Easter season. I know it’s only February, but if you want to have a successful outreach event, you need to start planning now.
In this series of posts, I’m going to share my system with you. If you leave me a comment with your email, I’ll share my to do list that will walk you through every step.
A Ministry Fundraiser that Works
Being in ministry usually means you’re going to have to fundraise for something. After all, a church is technically a non-profit and generosity is a core tenet of our faith.
Over the years, I’ve heard countless ideas for fundraisers for various reasons, but there’s one I’ve done year after year with great success.
3 Midweek Service Alternatives
I was stuck. We were finally coming back from COVID and starting Wednesday night services back up. We decided to rebrand the night for adults and focus on groups instead of the traditional Wednesday night service.
This was great for adults, but what about kids? Will I have the same kids every week? How long will the groups meet? What should I do on First Wednesday, when I’ll have more kids?
5 Steps to a Successful Parent Meeting
It was the summer of 2014, and I’m trying to get as many kids as possible to go to camp. I advertised, secured scholarships, made phone calls and much more, but I’d hit a ceiling. Many kids couldn’t go because their parents had already scheduled something that week or they had already committed to attending one of other paid events throughout the summer and couldn’t afford it.
Sound familiar?
3 Questions to Ask Before Picking a VBS
It's January and that means it's time to start working on VBS. I know it’s 6-7 months out, but there are a few high-level decisions you need to make now to set you up for success in the coming months.
One of the first questions that is asked is, "What VBS curriculum should my church use?
The truth is there are a lot of great curriculums out there, and while I have my preferences, I won’t advocate for any of them in this post.
5 Christmas Movie Recommendations for your KidMin Service
Come Christmas time a question I see asked over and over is, “What is a good Christmas movie to show at my church?”
Whether it’s for simple service for the Sunday after Christmas, a part of your midweek service, or a family movie night outreach, trying to find the right movie for your audience can be tough.
6 Steps to a Great Family Service
Family services. Love them or hate them, they have their place. I'm an advocate for family services because I believe children’s ministry needs to be more than a ministry held in another room never to be seen or heard from. These services can be a great tool for emphasizing ministry to the next generation, highlight the great things that are happening, and give your volunteers a much needed week off.
4 Ways to NOT Do Registration at Your Fall Festival (and one good one)
It’s Fall, and that means it’s time for your fall festival, trunk or treat, Holy Ghost Weeny Roast or whatever you call the event you do this time of year.
This is a unique event because a lot of people who may not come to your church may come to your campus for the very first time.
Unlike events like VBS or Egg Hunt, fall festivals offer a specific registration challenge.
How to Have a Kids Lead Team
Maybe you’ve seen this. You have a fifth or sixth grader completely checked out. They may have been engaged a few years before, but it’s getting close to their time to move on, and they have senioritis all of sudden.
You thought it was only for 12th graders, but now you see it in 12-year-olds.
But what do you do?
You've moved beyond the basics. Now, it's time to build a truly thriving and impactful Kidmin!
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