Yes, I agree there are a number of excellent curriculum resources currently available for churches to use in their Children's Ministries, so why am I releasing   Deeper In for Children? There are several reasons, but the biggest one is because  Deeper In for Children  does several unique things - Read more ..read more

I have been writing about some of the reasons why we need to teach the "whys" - and we certainly find another reason in Luke 1:1-4 - Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that  have been accomplished among us, just as those who  from the beginning were  eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerni ..read more

Over the years I've served in Children's Ministry I've come to understand something VERY important. We do not know what we do not know until something happens which gets our attention. One example of this is we did not know we needed to teach the "whys" (why we are able to believe what we believe) until we began to see the exodus of young people from the faith they once had to atheism - Barna says this is happening at double the rate of any previous generation and he expects it to be triple the rate by 2030 . . . which is not very far away.Read more ..read more

Over the many, many years where churches have had intentional Children's Ministries, we have done a good job when it comes to teaching the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe - if we teach in ways which engage children. But for some reason we never focused on teaching the "whys" - why we are able to believe what we believe. While we absolutely must teach the "whats" in ways which engage children, we also must teach the "whys" - when we do not, we end up with the results we are seeing in families throughout our churches - where young people are turning away from their fa ..read more

For those of you who may not remember because you are young, Sunday school used to be like regular school - children sat in chairs and listened to someone tell them a Bible lesson, then they worked in their workbook to answer questions about the lesson. Then Group Publishing showed up and everything changed. Learning by engaging children slowly took over - at least for many churches. Learning by engaging children is what we all should be doing because it works. When we engage children we get their attention, they are then able to remember what the Bible says, and are able to understand it for ..read more

Does your Children's Ministry equip parents and grandparents so they are able to hand down confident faith? What do you do to do this? If you say you teach the Bible in your Children's Ministry, then, while this is essential, you are very likely not really equipping parents and grandparents so they are able to hand down confident faith. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that 80% of U.S. adults say religion’s role in American life is shrinking – a percentage that’s as high as it’s ever been in their surveys. (You will find the report on this at the following link.) You must ..read more

What "metrics" do you use to evaluate how you are doing with your Children's Ministry and to make decisions about what you will do in and with it? Do you measure your effectiveness by "church" families? Do the families in your church seem satisfied with the Children's Ministry? Do church children like your Children's Ministry and participate at a high level? Do church parents "approve" of your Children's Ministry? While the "satisfaction" of "church" families matters, if this is the only - or even the primary metric you use to evaluate your Children's Ministry, you may very well have an inacc ..read more

A couple days ago I wrote about how Anchored will help you teach children why they are able to believe the Bible is trustworthy. Today I want to look at 1 Peter 3:15, 16 and how these verses give us another solid reason "why" we need to teach the "whys". Read more ..read more

Churches, parents, and grandparents teach the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe. They do this for solid reasons, they also need to teach the children they love the "whys" - why we are able to believe what we believe. Anchored is a supplemental curriculum designed to be used alongside whatever curriculum a church is currently using to teach the "whys" and equip parents and grandparents to do the same at home. But why do we need to teach the "whys" . . . shouldn't we just be able to believe without knowing "whys"? Consider the following . . .  Read more ..read more

Friday I shared some quotes about why we need to know and teach apologetics - today I want to share a few more . . .  Read more ..read more