It is an exciting time when a child starts asking about baptism.  It can also be a challenging time. How do you know if the child is ready? How can you make sure they understand the decision they are making? Have they truly invited Jesus into their life? Is there a minimum age for a child that wants to be baptized? Let's talk about these questions. A child needs to have made a clear salvation decision before they are baptized. This is where it should start.  Can the child clearly tell you about asking Jesus into their life?  One big thing that helps with this is having two sepa ..read more

I believe when a children's ministry has God's hand of blessing upon it, you will see it grow.   Attendance is not the only factor of God's blessings, but it is an important one to measure. The bottom line is this - God wants to see your ministry grow.  He wants you to reach more people.  He wants you to disciple more people.   He says this in Luke 14:23. "And the Lord said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel the people to come in, so that my house may be filled'."   As long as there are people around us who need Jesus, we must c ..read more

Bullying is a problem among kids. It happens at school...at soccer practice...in the neighborhood...and yes...even at church. If you have been in children's ministry any length of time, you have probably experienced this.  A child approaches you and says that they are being bullied by another child in the class.  Many children have experienced bullying at church.  Look at some of these stats from Pew Research. About 35% of parents with children younger than 18 say they are extremely or very worried that their children might be bullied at some point.  Another 39% are somewh ..read more

It is important to teach kids about giving from an early age. If we want generous adults one day, then now is the time to start teaching them about what it means to be a generous, giving person. One of the best times to teach kids about giving is right before the offering.  A short 2-3 minute giving lesson before each offering time will help kids to grasp why giving is so important. Here are 10 giving lessons that I have taught kids over the years right before the offering. Feel free to use any of these in your ministry.  You can also get giving lessons as part of the Connect12 Curr ..read more

Let's talk today about creating momentum and excitement for your teaching series.   I have found that the best length of time for a teaching series to last is around 4-5 weeks.  It seems that after that time frame kids can start to loose interest and get bored with the topic you are exploring. An important part of teaching through series is promoting your current series while also pointing children and parents toward your next series. One way you can do this is by making traditional posters and displaying them by your entrance / exit doors, in the hallway, in the check-out area ..read more

Whether you're new to children's ministry or if you are a veteran with years of experience, there is always lots to learn.  I often feel like the longer I am in children's ministry, the less I really know.   But there are a few things I have learned over the years...a lot of which was learned by making mistakes.   I am writing about these so that hopefully others will not make the same mistakes.   Here they are...10 big mistakes to avoid in children's ministry. Avoid the mistake of thinking that children's ministry is just about children. The ironic thing ab ..read more

In children's ministry, we often talk about spiritual growth factors. What helps kids grow in their faith? What helps children discover and follow Jesus? What spiritual disciplines should kids be involved in?   I believe one of the key ways to see kids grow spiritually is to empower them to share their faith.  I know personally that when I step out of my comfort zone and share about Jesus with other people, it makes my faith stronger.    Remember the old saying, "the best defense is a good offense?"  When we empower kids to be proactive in sharing their fait ..read more

Do you want to know what kids like?  When it comes to movies, here are the top 50 most popular kids' movies of all time. We can learn a lot about what kids like as we look at this list.  If you want to catch kids' attention or enter into conversation with them, these movies are a great start. This is not an endorsement of these movies, but simply a way to get insight into what kids like.  When Jesus was teaching, He often referenced relevant topics and illustrations from that time in history.   He used these things to connect with His audience. We can do the same by u ..read more

Did you know that you are serving in an area that has a deadline? In children's ministry, the average deadline for a child to come to Christ is before the age of 18. Yes...you read that correctly...age 18.   When children are younger, their hearts are normally more open and receptive to the Gospel.  Maybe that's why Jesus said to have "heart of a child when you come to Him."                                   &n ..read more

This past weekend at church, we had our baptism class.  The class is designed for kids and their parents to experience together.   Many of the children in the class have made a decision to follow Jesus. The purpose of the class is to make sure children understand the step they are taking by being baptized.   I used to teach this class with just the children attending.  But then I felt led to have the parents attend the class with their children.   When you do this, something amazing begins to happen. You will see parents also come to Christ.  This past ..read more