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Kids Ministry

Ready for Baptism?

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One of the most common questions parents and kids leaders ask is whether or not a kid is ready to be baptized. In this post, three ways to answer this question will be explored.  

How do we know when a child is ready to be baptized? This is a difficult question for many parents, kids leaders, and pastors, one that we all want to get right. How we answer this,  though, hinges on our doctrine of baptism. If we don’t have a clear view of that doctrine, then this question will be incredibly difficult to answer. But once we determine that doctrine, the right question to ask to determine if a child is ready to be baptized comes into clearer focus. 

What follows is three views of baptism—all coming from the presupposition that baptism is not an act of salvation, but rather an act of obedience done by believers. These views, then, are distinguished from each other by the precise role that baptism is understood to play in affirming a person’s salvation. For simplicity, I will call them delayed, quick, and immediate baptisms, defining them by when baptism is best believed to occur. We will interact with them from most complex to least complex. 

DELAYED BAPTISM

Question to ask: Has there been any fruit of faith? This view stresses the importance of believer’s baptism and seeks to safeguard it as much as possible. The thinking is that a child does not need to be baptized to be saved, so a delay between a confession of faith (such as raising a hand or walking forward in a worship gathering) is not harmful. However, what is often harmful is when children who have not genuinely placed faith in Jesus are baptized, giving them the false notion that they are good with God. 

This understanding of baptism then produces a goal of seeing evidence of salvation in a child before he or she is baptized. The hope is that if the child one day in the future questions his or her salvation, parents and leaders can point to a public confession of faith and evidence of conversion to affirm his or her salvation as best as possible. 

The question then becomes what sort of fruit is to be seen and how much fruit is sufficient? The latter question depends on how long the delay between confession of faith and baptism is. The longer the time, the more fruit might be needed. Spiritual maturity generally occurs in ebbs and flows, but over time, marked progress should be seen. The former question usually draws parents and leaders to look for the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) as well as a deeper desire and practice of the spiritual disciplines such as Bible reading and prayer. Some parents and leaders also abstain from talking about baptism during this delayed period to see how much the child mentions it—a possible sign of a true desire to obey God.

Baptism in this view, therefore, is a critical marker in verifying a person’s salvation. 

QUICK BAPTISM

Question to ask: Has there been a confession of faith? Like Delayed Baptism, this view also stresses the importance of protecting believer’s baptism, but it is not as rigid in requiring to see fruit before baptizing. Rather, this view looks for a confession of faith (again, such as raising a hand or walking forward in a worship gathering) which is usually followed by an interview with the child before he or she would be considered for baptism. 

During this interview, the goal is to identify an understanding of salvation in a child before he or she is baptized. Generally, the parent, leader, or pastor will seek to hear the child articulate the gospel, without coaching, and also to hear the child’s personal assent to the gospel—an awareness of sin, repentance of sin, recognition of who Jesus is and what He did on the cross, and a decision to trust in Jesus. If the child seems to have an appropriate understanding of the gospel, he or she is baptized soon after. 

Baptism in this view, therefore, is an important marker in affirming a person’s salvation. 

IMMEDIATE BAPTISM

Question to ask: Has there been a profession of faith? Like Delayed and Quick Baptism, Immediate Baptism also affirms believer’s baptism; however, this view doesn’t see baptism as following a confession of faith, but as that confession of faith. In other words, faith is not confessed in a raised hand or by walking to the front of a worship gathering, but rather in baptism itself. A person professes faith in Christ and confesses that faith in Christ in baptism. The two are tied closely together, more than in the Quick Baptism view and much more than in the Delayed Baptism view.  

Proponents of this view would answer a future question of a person’s salvation by pointing him or her to baptism. Baptism is held up as the time when a person took a public stand to associate with Christ and His church. That in itself is evidence of salvation. (This association is seen more clearly in the New Testament when being a follower of Christ was risky, as well as in places of the world today where persecution exists. Being baptized in that context is not taken lightly, adding weight to the act.) Those who hold this view, then, would baptize anyone who professes belief in Jesus and desires to be baptized. A brief interview may occur right before the baptism, or the questions asked of the baptism candidate in the baptism waters just before baptism would serve as such an interview affirming belief in Jesus prior to the baptism. 

Baptism in this view, therefore, is an important marker in affirming a person’s profession of faith.

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Encouragement, Kids Ministry

How to Keep Clean Amid the Garbage of Social Media

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Social media is both a blessing and a curse. In this post six suggestions are offered to help leaders be wise in their media consumption and engagement. 

GIGO is an old axiom of computer programming that stands for Garbage In, Garbage Out. Basically, if your coding is weak (Garbage In), the program’s execution will be weak too (Garbage Out). This axiom was crafted long before social media, but it certainly applies to it, doesn’t it? It seems that social media is full of garbage and it can be quite difficult to participate in it while staying clean. But as followers of Jesus, and especially as leaders in kids ministry, we have to. We need to protect our spirit and our witness before our kids and families as well as a watching world. How can we do this? NOGIGO. No Garbage In. No Garbage Out. Here’s how that works:

NO GARBAGE IN

Consume social media intentionally. For some, the answer is to abstain from social media. That is understandable and for some it might be necessary. But while social media can certainly be quite harmful, it can also be quite helpful. Not only is it a way to stay connected, but it is a way to keep a finger on the pulse of our culture and the church as well. It’s a way to see trends that might be affecting our kids and their families. Most of us, then, should begin by deciding why we are consuming social media and keep that purpose in mind. 

Consume social media wisely. One of the dangers of social media is that it can be a black hole that sucks us in and takes us to bad places we don’t want to go to. Not only is there so much ungodly content, but there is so much bickering, slander, and misinformation as well. And I am not just talking about from our culture—that last part comes from the church too. We need to be wise in how we consume social media so that we can protect our minds and hearts. That begins with monitoring the time we give to it, but also includes the content itself. While we will want to follow diverse views, we shouldn’t follow toxic accounts. 

Consume social media graciously. Perhaps the greatest danger of social media is that it can easily strip a person’s humanity away. It’s easy to forget that behind every 280 character tweet is an image bearer of God. Instead, we can easily reduce people to viewpoints, and if we reject the viewpoint, we find ourselves rejecting the person as well. Social media feeds the sinful binary proposition of “us against them.” There surely is a binary “us and them” presented in Scripture—the church and the world—but notice the middle word is “and” not “against.” Ephesians 6:12 says that no other person is to be our enemy. Rather, we should love all people and desire that all come to repentance of sin. As we consume social media, we need to do so with grace and compassion, not condemnation and intolerance. We need to fight sin in our hearts and strive to think the best, not the worst, of all others. 

NO GARBAGE OUT

Engage in social media intentionally. Just as we need to be wise in what we consume, we need to be wise in what we post. Before we post, we need to consider if what we are about to say is righteous, honoring, helpful, and humble. One of the dangers of social media is that it easily creates modern day Pharisees. Saying something right with the wrong heart makes it not right. Just as saying something wrong from the right heart doesn’t make it right. We need to make sure that all we post is right and that it comes from the right heart. Or else we don’t post it. 

Engage in social media wisely. Another danger of social media is that it feeds the ego. It causes us to think that our perspective is critical and that everyone needs to hear every idea we have about every issue. That simply is not true. Rather, we need to be wise in not only how to engage, but when to engage and when not to engage. There are some squables that are not worth wading into. There are some subjects that are better left alone. Sometimes social media is the worst possible way to work through subjects. We need to be wise and humble to know when to abstain from clicking “post.”  

Engage in social media graciously. Just as there are times when wisdom calls on us to abstain from posting, there are times when wisdom demands that we do. But even then we need to be gracious in what we post. We need to be fair to anyone we are responding to and not misrepresent them. We need to be gracious in recognizing the validity of positions that others hold that we disagree with but that can be supported from Scripture. We need to abstain from demanding that only people who agree exactly with us on every position are godly. Basically we need to remember that our goal is not to win Internet debates, but rather to be winsome servants of King Jesus displaying His fragrance among what is often the putrid stench of social media. 

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Kids Ministry, Parenting

Godly Discipline

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Not all acts of disobedience are the same meaning that not all acts of discipline should be the same. In this post we will consider how 2 Timothy 3:16 provides helpful guidance for teachers or parents in helping choose the right course of discipline when a child misbehaves. 

Disciplining a child is one of the more challenging aspects of classroom management or parenting. Not only is disciplining a child one of the least desirable aspects of being a teacher or parent, knowing how to discipline—what discipline is deserved—is often the most difficult part of all. There has to be a better way than extending the same discipline for every offense, or spinning a homemade “Wheel of Discipline” to choose how we will respond when a child misbehaves. Thankfully there is: 2 Timothy 3:16 overlaid on top of a common way to categorize our theological convictions. 

If you have spent any time on Twitter, you know that people like to bicker over pretty much every doctrine there is. While sometimes we need to go to bat to defend a foundational doctrine and be willing to divide over disagreement (e.g. Jesus being the only way to salvation), there are other times when we need to agree to disagree in unity (e.g. our understanding of the end times) or not even worry about our differences (e.g. the color of carpet in the fellowship hall). We can think of these three categories as first level issues (agreement is of vital importance), second level issues (agreement is important, but disagreement can exist), and third level issues (agreement is not important). 

First Level Discipline Issues. This would be disobedience that stems from an intentionally disrespectful and disobedient heart toward God or others. Whatever act of disobedience springs from this heart posture deserves the strongest of responses, a rebuke according to 2 Timothy 3:16. These offenses cannot be treated lightly or ignored because the heart of the child is at stake. For his or her own good, we need to intervene to provide a loving, but firm rebuke. 

Second Level Discipline Issues. This would be disobedience that stems from what can be thought of as natural sinfulness. Unlike first level discipline issues, the child’s heart is not openly defiant against God or others, but they are still pursuing sin, requiring correcting according to 2 Timothy 3:16. We want to point out how the child has sinned and how that sin dishonors God and hurts him or her. We also want to coach the child on how to resist such sin in the future.   

Third Level Discipline Issues. This would be either sins committed in ignorance or accidents because of a child’s carelessness. This level of discipline requires the “softest” response we find in 2 Timothy 3:16—training. Many times the child may not even know he or she did something wrong. Because there was no intention to sin, rebuke and even correction would not be fitting, but rather training—instructing the child in how to glorify God in his or her conduct in that situation. 

You surely have noticed that I did not provide any specific ways to rebuke, correct, or train. That’s because there is no “right” way. Each child is different so rebuking, correcting, and training may look entirely different from one child to the next and it will likely look vastly different from a classroom to the home. 

But here are three final tips on how to discipline a child. 

First, never discipline out of anger. That means absolutely ever. Discipline in anger is an oxymoron. Discipline is always done out of love with a view of what is best for a child. Discipline in anger is done to feed the adult’s pride and can lead to physical, mental, or emotional abuse. 

Second, discipline in the classroom must follow the church’s policies and procedures. 

Third, discipline and grace are not mutually exclusive. Look for times and ways to extend grace to the child—for all three levels—to paint a beautiful picture of the grace God extends to us in Christ Jesus. 

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Encouragement, Kids Ministry

When Good Comes from Bad

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5 Good Things God Might Bring from COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is bad. This deadly virus is preying on the most vulnerable among us, wreaking havoc on people’s lives, and jeopardizing the world’s economy. And yet, from this great evil, God may just bring greater good. 

“You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result​—the survival of many people.” (Genesis 50:20 CSB)

In 121 characters—what would be a brief tweet—Joseph provides us with one of the most beautiful and important verses about God’s sovereignty and how God can bring good from anything—even evil. What Joseph’s brothers did was evil, but God is not stymied in His pursuit of bringing glory to Himself and good to His people by anything, including evil. It’s a message that we need to take to heart always, but even more so now in the confusing days we are in. 

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to march its way across the globe, leaving dead, sick, bewildered, confused, frightened, and unemployed people in its wake. This should go without saying, but there is nothing good about COVID-19 in and of itself. It is evil—it is contrary to God’s design, a result of sin’s impact on the world. But as we see in the last quarter of the Book of Genesis and even more clearly on the cross, God is capable of bringing good out of even the greatest evil. COVID-19 is no match for God’s glory. Here are five ways God might bring incredible good from the incredible bad of COVID-19. 

  1. COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to slow down. This is perhaps the first opportunity we have begun to see. We are all spending a lot more time at home and many of life’s usual distractions have vanished—sports, entertainment, etc. The result is that we have been forced to slow down. While this is a struggle for many people right now, we need to pray that we take advantage of this opportunity and learn from it. We are all too busy. Life is too fast. We multitask too much. Perhaps we are now seeing that life should be less of a brisk race and more of a leisurely walk because a virus has hit the brakes on each of our lives.

  2. COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to reconsider priorities. While people have hoarded toilet paper, it has been encouraging to see sacrifice displayed even more. Remember that sheltering in place is not because COVID-19 is highly lethal for everyone, but rather for the most vulnerable among us. We are sheltering not for our good, but for the good of others. And that is beautiful. We have seen generosity—people and businesses sharing abundantly. And social distancing has helped even the staunchest of introverts appreciate relationships as never before. Needing a global pandemic to help us reconsider our priorities—what really matters—might be extreme, but what an important lesson we are learning.

  3. COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to innovate ministry. Remember when ministry was consistent—reliable—comfortable? Not any more. COVID-19 has forced us all to innovate new ways to minister. We are all scrambling for ways to care for kids, and to continue teaching God’s Word. It’s still early, but as days stretch into weeks of not being able to gather and weeks potentially stretch into months, we will need to innovate even more, such as ways to baptize new believers and celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Is this challenging? Sure. Is it difficult? You bet. But is it good? Without a doubt. Some of us may have been too comfortable before. Some of us may have been stale. Some of us may have wanted to innovate but we were too busy or too afraid to even try. But now, we have not just been allowed to innovate and get creative, we have been forced to. And that’s good.

  4. COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to strengthen families. We all know that kids ministry is vital, but family discipleship is more so. We know that God has designed the home to be the primary arena for discipleship. And we want it to be. We want to help families make it that. But, again, because of the frantic pace of ministry, most of us have not been able to prioritize family discipleship. We have given it our leftovers. Not today. Now this gets our first fruits. And we are already seeing family discipleship begin to thrive. Both the home and the church will be stronger when this is all said and done. Thanks to a virus.

  5. COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to develop leaders. There will be a day when “normal” returns. Sure, because of innovation, normal will not be quite like what it was before. It shouldn’t be. But kids ministry after COVID-19 will look more like it did before COVID-19 than it does now during COVID-19. Our programs and events will get back up and running. And what will they all need—what do we tend to struggle with the most in kids ministry? That’s right, leaders. We have too few leaders and those we have are often worn out. Not only are our leaders getting a rest, have you thought about what else is going on right this moment? As families amp up discipleship, many using the curriculum resources that normally are used by teachers, we are giving dads and moms, grandfathers and grandmothers, guardians and older siblings experience, and, may we pray, passion for kids ministry. People who have not served are learning to serve and even growing in desire to serve. What a gift! Right now, kids ministers need to be lining up our “asks” and preparing new leader training for when this is all over. God willing, we will see a shower of prepared, enthusiastic new leaders jump into ministry with joy, wanting to continue what they have been doing in the home during a pandemic. 

COVID-19, we will rejoice when you are gone, but may we rejoice more in how God might advance the gospel through you. 

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Easter, Kids Ministry, Kids Ministry Curriculum

Family Easter Event

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As COVID-19 has forced churches to forgo meeting on campuses forcing kids ministries to cancel egg hunts, programs, and other critical ministry events, many kids ministry leaders are wondering what to do for Easter. How can we serve our families and communities during such an important time of the year? The Gospel Project wants to help with a free ministry resource.

This time when so many families are home round the clock has made ministry challenging, but perhaps we can find a silver lining in it. What if we saw this as an opportunity for us as kids ministry leaders to serve the family in a unique way and provide a Resurrection experience that we probably could not do otherwise? What if we provided five online gatherings for us to serve our families in the home during Easter week? Not five Sundays of teaching kids. Not a one morning egg hunt event—but five opportunities within eight days to connect with our kids and families, bringing us together with them and them together with one another.

That is what the 2020 Family Easter Event is all about. This Family Easter Event will allow you to walk through the story of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection as it happened during the week. You will begin with the Triumphal Entry the Sunday before Easter. You will celebrate the Lord’s Supper on Thursday, then the crucifixion, resurrection, and appearances of Jesus in the order they occurred.

5 Steps to Getting Started

  1. Download the free resources. Below you will find everything you need for this event—PDFs and MP4 files that you can imbed in your gathering teaching times. Share the Activity Pages with your families and encourage them to print them in advance.
  2. Schedule the event. Try to choose the same time for each day’s gathering. Early evening may be the perfect time just before or after family dinner, but with so many families home all week, you could do something mid-day too.
  3. Determine how you will gather with your families. Facebook offers a great opportunity to create an event, invite your families to attend, and then either use Facebook Live as you share with families, or show a pre-recorded video. But there are many other options out there such as Zoom and Google Hangouts. Determine your method and let your families know.
  4. Plan each teaching time. While the leader guide was designed for weekly small group gatherings, you should be able to adapt it easily for this event. Consider starting with the Activity Page, then explain the events leading up to that day’s session. Show the Bible Story video, and then use the prompts from the Leader Guides to explain what families just saw. Show the Key Passage (a memory verse) and use one of the Key Passage activities to help families learn that verse. Wrap up by showing the Questions from Kids video and encourage families to discuss the question posed back to them as a family as they can also use the family discussion starter ideas on the Activity Pages for further conversation. That’s just a starting point. You can consider including other activities and elements as you desire.
  5. Consider the “icing on the cake”. Consider any other ways you can engage with your families during this time or to help advance family discipleship. Using Zoom or Google Hangouts? Invite interaction from the families. How about having your pastor join in on Thursday to share more about the Lord’s Supper? Maybe provide instructions for making Resurrection Rolls on Friday. Be creative and have fun!

EVENT SCHEDULE

  • Sunday, April 5: Jesus’ Triumphal Entry
  • Thursday, April 9: The Last Supper
  • Friday, April 10: Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection
  • Sunday, April 12: The Emmaus Disciples
  • Monday, April 13: Jesus Appeared to the Disciples

EVENT RESOURCES

PDF Items

MP4 Videos

ACTIVITIES TO CONSIDER

While not all of the activities in the leader guide will work in the home, here are several to consider using during your online gatherings or suggesting families do together afterward.

Preschool

  • Jesus’ Triumphal Entry: Make Dramatic Entrances, Hunt for Rocks, Play “Follow the Robes”
  • The Last Supper: Sing “Head, Heart, Hands, and Feet,” Make Feet Lacing Cards,” Wash Preschoolers Feet
  • Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection: Replicate an Earthquake with Blocks, Compare Rocks, Sing a Song, Build an Empty Tomb with Blocks, Make a Cross Painting, Dress Up Like a King
  • The Emmaus Disciples: Silly Walks, Play “Who Do You Know?,” Find Jesus’ Name in Bibles, Make Jesus Bookmarks, Play Out Teaching Bible Stories
  • Jesus Appeared to the Disciples: Play “I Spy,” Guess What Appeared, Create a Special Handshake, Make Invitations

Younger Kids

  • Jesus’ Triumphal Entry: Parade Brigade, Storytelling Stations, Rocks Cry Out
  • The Last Supper: Hide-and-Seek Dinner, Toe Painting, Hidden Objects
  • Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection: In-Out-In, Gospel Practice
  • The Emmaus Disciples: Blind Pathway, Everything Points to Jesus
  • Jesus Appeared to the Disciples: Which Surprise Is Best?, Reverse Charades

Older Kids

  • Jesus’ Triumphal Entry: Moo Baa Hee-Haw
  • The Last Supper: Play Dough Meal, Would You?, Supper Symbols
  • Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection: Twenty Questions
  • The Emmaus Disciples: Blind Toss, Closed-Eye Drawings
  • Jesus Appeared to the Disciples: Make Introductions, Collect and Conclude, Invisible Messages

**Note: Not all items referenced in the Leader Guide (such as missions videos and activity printables) are included for this event. These are not provided to keep things as simple as possible for you as a ministry leader as you quickly develop an online event. **

Kids Ministry

4 Ways to Minimize Your Kids Ministry

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Want to have the least impactful, bare minimum ministry to kids possible? In this post we will share four proven ways for you to minimize your kids ministry. 

No matter what your specific role is, there are many different facets to a kids ministry—many things that you can do that can go right or wrong. Here are four of the top ways that you can minimize your ministry to kids. 

Have a Utilitarian View of Your Kids. A mediocre ministry to kids begins with how you view them. If you want to minimize your ministry, start with being content just to know the names of your kids. Don’t worry about their hobbies or interests. Don’t waste time asking them about how they are doing in school, or where they went on vacation. And surely don’t waste your time visiting them, watching them play sports, or taking them out for ice cream. These things have nothing to do with them learning the Bible, right? All you need for them to do is sit quietly and absorb the information you pass along to them. As long as you know their names, you can call on them to read or pray and that makes you golden. You are the teacher; they are the learners. Period. 

Disregard Your Kids’ Families. While you will need to know your kids’ names to have a mediocre ministry, you will not need to know anything about their families. Don’t waste any time getting to know their parents or guardians. Don’t worry if your kids have any siblings, except, perhaps, for younger siblings who will become your future learners. Once again, their family lives have no bearing on you teaching them the Bible. Remember that you are the Bible expert in your kids’ lives; their parents and guardians are just there to keep them alive and bring them to you for all their Bible needs. 

Stay Comfortable. If you want to minimize your ministry to kids, seek to always be comfortable. In fact, the only time that you should be uncomfortable is when you have to sit in one of those tiny kids chairs. Other than that, be sure to put your comfort first. That means only preparing to teach each week when you have time and when there is nothing better to do. Don’t spend any money out of pocket for treats in the classroom, extra supplies, or anything else. And for sure, don’t volunteer to be at special events such as VBS or kids camp. 

Ignore Your Relationship with God. Remember that you are the expert. You have this all handled. Don’t worry about spending time reading the Bible, praying, and worshiping. All you need to do is teach the content exactly as it appears in your curriculum’s leader guide, follow your brilliantly planned ministry calendar, and basically trust in your abilities, skills, and power to fuel your ministry. 

There you have it. Four sure-fire ways to develop a mediocre ministry to kids. Of course, if you want more than that for some reason, just turn each one of these on their heads. Strive to know your kids well—to truly love them and care for them as you value who they are. Partner with parents and families. See them as teammates with the shared goal of discipling kids. Get out of your comfort zone. Stretch yourself and die to yourself to serve your kids. And pour into your relationship with God so that your service is done in His power and out of the overflow.   

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Gospel-Centered, Kids Ministry, Kids Ministry Curriculum

What’s the Story with the Story?

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When some kids leaders hear the word story, they hear fiction. It is not surprising then that there is a reluctance to calling what we teach kids a Bible story. Some go further and think it is wrong and even dangerous to use Bible story, believing that it leads kids to think of the Bible as a work of fiction. But is it? There just might be more to this story than meets the eye.

The Gospel Project uses the word story quite a bit. Each session has a Bible story. And we always remind kids that the Bible story each week is part of God’s one big story of Scripture. We aren’t alone in using this phrase; other curriculums do as well. But should we? Are we being unwise, or even harmful, by calling passages Bible stories? Some think we are. 

For some, story is synonymous with a work of fiction. When they hear story they hear fairy tale, myth, or a fable. It is unwise, dangerous, or even wrong then to use story in relation to the Bible. When we do, we communicate to kids that the Bible is untrue. 

Let me pause here and clarify that we at The Gospel Project would certainly hold to the belief that the Bible is absolutely true. That is a deeply held value of ours and it is a big part of what drives our crafting of that resource. Why then do we choose to use story? Because story is a good word to describe the Bible and it is a helpful word to build bridges with our culture, which uses story in many different meaningful ways.

What Story Means 

Here is the first definition of story according to Merriam-Webster:

a. an account of incidents or events

b. a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question. 

c. anecdote 

As you can see, aside from definition 1c, story is a good word for what is in the Bible. (This will likely blow your mind: myth does not primarily mean something fictional either, which is why you might hear theologians use it at times in reference to the Bible as well, such as the creation myth in Genesis 1-2.) When we use story in relation to the Bible, we are telling kids an account of the incidents or events of God’s plan to rescue people through Jesus Christ. That is one reason why I like story: it connects every passage we study to the overall narrative of Scripture. One alternative word I hear suggested quite often is lesson. That’s not a bad word in many ways, but my concern with using that term is that it can give kids the wrong idea of what the Bible is all about. The Bible is not a collection of unrelated, self-contained lessons to be covered in 60 minutes or so. It is one big story. 

How We Use Story in Our Culture

But let’s move beyond the dictionary and consider how we use story in everyday life. 

When I was a journalist, I wrote news stories.

Facebook has “Top Stories” and a “Stories” feature for people to share what is going on in their lives.

Someone might ask you to tell them your story. You surely would not make up a work of fiction about yourself on the spot. You would know they want to know who you are. 

You might tell your children the story of how you met your spouse or when they were born. 

As we can see, our culture uses story quite often in a way that clearly means real story. This is another reason why I like story: It connects with the people we are trying to reach and it is deep within our wiring. Ever wonder why Hollywood is so successful? Because humans are drawn to stories.  

How We Use Story in Our Faith 

But the case for story gets even stronger when we consider its use in relation to our faith.

The word story appears in some of the beloved hymns many of us grew up singing. “I Love to Tell the Story.” “Tell Me the Old, Old Story.” “You are Called to Tell the Story.” When we sing these hymns, we know they are not positioning the Bible as fiction. We know that story means true story.  

But here is the most important reason why story is a good word for us to use: the Bible uses it. That’s right, the Bible uses story to mean true events. 

  • 2 Kings 8:6 CSB
  • 2 Chronicles 13:22 ESV / KJV
  • 2 Chronicles 24:27 ESV / KJV
  • Psalm 107:2 NIV 
  • Acts 11:4 NIV

If the Bible uses story and many hymns we sang include story without leading us astray, we should not be afraid of using this word. 

Story is not a bad word at all. It is not a dangerous word. And it is not an unwise word. It’s a good word. Do you have to use story? Of course not. But neither should we think those who do are being unfaithful to Scripture. But for those of us who do use story, we need to recognize that the word can be used to mean a work of fiction. Because of this, let’s be wise and pair story with true at least at times. But if the only way the kids know we believe the Bible is true is by our use of a word or phrase to introduce what we are about to read from it, we have bigger issues to consider in what and how we are teaching and how we are living. Our kids should know the Bible is true primarily because they see its truth lived out in and through the story we are living.

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Family Ministry, Kids Ministry, Leadership

Equipped for Ministry

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Pursuing opportunities to develop in ministry is important. In this blog post four key questions are shared that you will want to ask yourself as you decide how best to grow for ministry. 

Serving kids and their families is one of the greatest privileges God gives. It’s also one of the greatest responsibilities He gives. Partnering with parents to point their kids to the beauty of the gospel is an odd mixture of joy and doubt. One moment we experience unspeakable joy at seeing God use us to help the gospel take deeper root in a child’s heart and the very next minute we wonder if we have anything to offer kids—anything at all. 

It is during the latter times when we find the old axiom “God doesn’t call the equipped but equips the called” so comforting. It’s good to remember that God provides all we need to serve Him. But this equipping is not automatic. We need to pursue it and choose the best available training from a number of options. Here are four key questions to consider as you pursue your ministry development options: 

1. Why am I pursuing ministry development? While you might be quick to answer that you want to pursue development to serve in ministry better, be careful that there isn’t some other reason lurking deeper down. For some, the real reason is validation—to prove one’s value to others. For others, the deeper reason is career advancement. While neither of these reasons are inherently wrong, neither can be the main reason. Serving kids and parents more faithfully must be. 

2. Do I have the resources? The main resource you need will be time. Do you have the time to invest in development opportunities? The other main resources are money and energy. What resources you have available will greatly influence the specific type of development option you should pursue.

3. What are my informal options? If any one of your three main resources—time, money, and energy—is limited, you will definitely want to go the informal development route. Here are a few of the main options you might pursue:

  • Podcasts. Podcasts are one of the cheapest most accessible options out there today. What can be better than listening to a theology, ministry, or leadership development podcast during a commute to maximize your time? The Kids Ministry 101 podcast is a great place to start.
  • Blogs. Like podcasts, blogs are an inexpensive, accessible option for development. While it is more difficult to multitask while reading blogs, an advantage of this option over podcasts is that it allows you to jot down notes and move more slowly over some content that you want to chew on.  
  • Books. Books require more of a financial investment but they will generally provide more depth than either podcasts or blogs. Many great books also come in audio format, allowing the multitasking win of podcasts with greater depth. 
  • Training Platforms. Training platforms, such as Ministry Grid, requires another step up financially, but opens a new world of training opportunities. Many of the training resources include videos and study guides providing sort of a classroom feel. 
  • Personal discipleship. This one shouldn’t really be an option, but a given. We are all called into discipleship relationships, in both directions. Someone should be pouring into us as we pour into others. If you don’t have someone pouring into you, consider some of the ministry leaders in your community and ask one. 

4. What are my formal options? If you have the time, money, and energy, then formal development might be the way to go. There is something about learning in community at a Bible college or seminary that cannot be matched. Until recently, this meant you either needed to live near a college or seminary or you were able to move to one. But distance learning has blossomed, even allowing you to pursue a PhD from your home. If you are considering this route, it is a big step that requires ample research. Don’t just go with the cheapest or easiest option; you want to make sure you choose an academic institution that meets what you need in all three of these areas:

  • Accreditation. Simply put, only consider accredited institutions. You will likely stumble across a number of internet options that seem too good to be true—because they are. Accreditation is not just important, it is essential. Without it, you cannot be guaranteed of the quality of education you will receive and you greatly limit who will recognize what you earn. 
  • Denomination Affiliation. Be sure to know the denominational affiliation and statement of faith of the institution and be good with both. This will not only affect what you learn in classes, but it might also impact future career opportunities. Like it or not, right or wrong, one of the first items prospective employers will notice on a resume is the academic institutions you attended. 
  • Focus. Not all Bible colleges and seminaries are alike. Many will try to stand out from the crowd by specializing in a particular area of ministry. Know what the institutions you are considering are known for and also be sure to confirm that the degree you are interested in is offered. This is especially important if you are interested in a degree in children’s ministry; not all seminaries offer one. 

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Encouragement, Family, Family Ministry, Kids Ministry, Parent Helps, Parenting, Preschool, Preteen

30 Things Parents Should Say to Their Kids

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Words matter. The words parents use have great power to give life to their kids. Here are 30 life-giving things parents should consider saying to their kids on a regular basis.  

In the Book of James we read that the tongue, although quite small, can do great things. We are also warned to control the tongue, because it can just as easily do terrible things (James 3:2-12). When we think of controlling the tongue, we often think of stopping it from saying harmful things, but sometimes the greatest harm a parent’s tongue can do is to be still. It’s not enough for kids not to hear life-taking words, they also need to hear life-giving words. Here are 30 life-giving things parents should consider saying to their kids on a regular basis. 

  1. I love you.
  2. God loves you.
  3. I will always love you no matter what, because you are my son/daughter.
  4. You are a blessing, a gift from God.
  5. I am proud of you.
  6. I am glad that you are my son/daughter.
  7. If God would have let me choose whomever I wanted to be my son/daughter, I would have chosen you. 
  8. When you grow up, you can be whatever God calls you to be. 
  9. You matter because you matter to God.
  10. You can tell me anything, and I will listen. 
  11. God wants you to make much of Him right now wherever you are in whatever you do. 
  12. I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?
  13. I forgive you. 
  14. I trust you.
  15. I like who you are. 
  16. Mistakes happen.
  17. God forgives. 
  18. Trust in Christ. 
  19. What are you reading about in your Bible?
  20. What are you talking to God about when you pray? 
  21. You are an image bearer of God, a person of infinite worth. 
  22. Why you do what you do matters as much as what you do. 
  23. How can I pray for you?
  24. Have fun and laugh today.
  25. You have my total attention.
  26. What do you think?
  27. (Grades, sports, etc.) is not most important; God is. 
  28. Let’s do that together. 
  29. You give me joy.
  30. Yes.

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Kids Ministry, Teaching Kids

What a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Can Teach Us about Teaching

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When it comes to teaching kids the Bible, we have a choice to make: do we focus on facts, concepts, or both? How we answer that question impacts much of what we do, including our goal in Bible teaching and how we evaluate success. In this blog post, we explore that the gospel we teach includes both facts and concepts and we also consider how to teach both and evaluate our effectiveness accordingly. 

Although it is often considered to be a kids’ food, I’ll eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from time to time. As a kid, I liked my sandwiches with more jelly than peanut butter, cut in half horizontally. Now, I prefer more peanut butter and I cut my sandwiches in half diagonally (yes, I have upped my kitchen knife game). That’s the thing about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches: they can be crafted in so many ways based on the preferences of the person eating it. Smooth or crunchy peanut butter. Grape, strawberry, or some other kind of jelly. White, wheat, or some other bread. But, with all of the variations possible, when it comes down to it, you cannot make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without peanut butter and jelly. It takes both. Peanut butter and jelly, not peanut butter or jelly. And that’s what a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can teach us about teaching. 

Part of teaching is sharing facts. Think of the facts as the peanut butter. This is usually what people think of when they think of teaching; we impart facts to someone else. Our goal of teaching kids the Bible, then, is to teach them the facts of the Bible. They need to know the people, places, and events of Scripture. Let’s use Genesis 22, the sacrifice of Isaac, as an example. 

Think of what a kid needs to know—the facts—of Genesis 22. Your list might include who Abraham was, who Isaac was, who God is (of course), what a burnt offering was, and perhaps where Moriah was. Our objective would be to explain these facts to our kids in a way they would understand them and remember them. We could assess how well we did by asking review questions to see if they get the facts right. 

Now, those facts are critically important, but facts alone does not a peanut butter and jelly sandwich make. We still need the jelly—or in this case, concepts. If the facts are the “what” of the Bible passage, the concepts are the “why” and “how.” Why does this story matter and how does it connect to the bigger story of the Bible? 

Returning to Genesis 22, if all we taught were the facts—we just gave our kids peanut butter—they would miss out on the meaning of the passage. They would know it, but they would not understand it. Think of the concepts that we would want them to understand: how God had promised to bring a Rescuer through this family, how Isaac was the son of promise which drove Abraham’s faith and obedience, how God provided a substitute in Isaac’s place, and how this passage foreshadows a greater Father who would not only be willing to sacrifice His Son, but who did. These concepts show the sweetness of God’s Word—the beauty of the gospel—which is why I think of them as the jelly. But without the facts—the peanut butter—we can never get to these concepts. That is why we need both. We need facts and concepts. Peanut butter and jelly. 

How do we assess our kids’ grasp of these concepts though? Well, a review focused on “why” questions rather than “what” questions might help to a degree, but the deeper, fuller evaluation of our kids’ absorption of these concepts comes over time. Are they understanding the gospel more? Have they trusted in Jesus? Are they experiencing transformation by the power of the gospel? This is why our best ministry takes place when we are consistently with our kids over the long haul. These factors are hard, if not impossible, to evaluate if we are with our kids every few weeks. 

One final lesson from the humble peanut butter and jelly sandwich is in order. Remember how customizable it is? The same is true with our teaching of facts and concepts. For the more concrete thinking preschoolers and younger kids, we want to focus more on facts—lathering on the peanut butter, but still adding some jelly. Younger kids are more concrete in their thinking, not entirely concrete. As the kids get older and can more easily think in abstract terms, you can then gradually shift the balance of the recipe and increase the sweetness by layering on more concepts.

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

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