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Kids Ministry

Dedicated to helping Kids Ministry leaders in their mission of making disciples

Family, Kids Ministry, Parenting

A Father’s Bucket List: 15 Things Every Believing Dad Must Do

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Welcome Guest Blogger, Aaron Wilson. Aaron is husband to Jennifer, father to 4-year-old twins, and serves as an associate editor in LifeWay Corporate Communications. He enjoys spending time with his family and writing about God’s glory. You’ll find other great parenting tips and encouragement in LifeWay’s  ParentLife Magazine.

A Father’s Bucket List!

  1. CHEER FOR HIS CHILDREN — Fathers breed godly confidence in their kids by being their biggest supporters, not just on the playing field, but wherever God calls young hearts to bring Him glory.
  2. ESTABLISH A REPERTOIRE of at least five character voices for story-time.
  3. DISCIPLINE IN LOVE — Faithful dads aren’t lazy when it comes to engaging sin in their children’s lives. Dads are prepared to stand up to the real enemy (even when it temporarily makes them out to be the “bad guy” in their children’s eyes).
  4. BE WILLING to get his hands dirty (drool, runny noses, diapers … yeah, you get the idea).
  5. BECOME A SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTOR — A father doesn’t delegate the principal role of teacher to Sunday School workers or YouTube channels. He takes the lead in forging a spiritual path of knowledge and wisdom for his children.
  6. KNOW HIS PLACE — Men who bow low before Jesus are the ones who stand tall as leaders of their families. They kneel in humility when the world says to bask in pride and rise up for their families when the world says to shrug with indifference.
  7. MAINTAIN A STRAIGHT FACE when he discovers his bag lunch for the office meeting contains a juice box and cartoon character fruit snacks.
  8. MODEL GOD THE FATHER — Dads have the unique privilege and responsibility of reflecting the first person of the Trinity to their kids. Often, a person’s most ingrained perception of God will come from memories of his or her own father.
  9. BE ABLE to turn an old cardboard box into a rocket ship or princess castle.
  10. CHARACTERIZE LOVE FOR HIS KIDS — Children in today’s culture are hungry to know what real love looks like. By demonstrating how to put the good of others first, fathers emulate the servant nature of Jesus (and the Biblical meaning of love) to their kids.
  11. POST WITH PARENTAL INTENT — Fathers leave a legacy of words for their children when they choose to post on social media. Dads can steward social networking for the good of their kids, who will grow up needing godly examples of how to navigate the digital realm.
  12. ASSEMBLE a bike or play kitchen in the living room at 1:00 am on Christmas morning.
  13. LOOK BEYOND THE MESS — Dads who have a heavenly perspective look past broken furniture and scratched walls to see the eternal investment found in parenting.
  14. CHERISH THE CHURCH — One of the greatest blessings a dad can give his children is to demonstrate a love for Christ’s bride, the church. Dads who lead their families to be involved in a local church are at an advantage when it comes to shepherding the home.
  15. RELY ON JESUS (NOT A CHECKLIST) FOR STRENGTH — Every dad who reads this list knows he doesn’t measure up (at least, not to the serious entries). That’s actually the point! Christian fathers succeed in life, not because they knock it out of the park as parents, but because they admit they’re sinners who need forgiveness and the enabling grace of Jesus. Biblical manhood doesn’t come from a performance checklist found in a Christian magazine; it comes from confidence in the finished work of Christ.

While there are many more things a dad might do, in the words of Jesus, only “one thing is necessary” (Luke 10:42). Take time this month to celebrate the fathers in your life who stand tall for their families by necessarily sitting at the feet of their Savior!

Family, Kids Ministry, Parenting

Great Expectations: Four Biblical Expectations You Should Have for Your Kids

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Welcome guest blogger Kelly Mikhailiuk.

Life is full of expectations. When a woman is pregnant, we say she is “expecting.” We watch weather forecasts so we can learn what to expect and prepare accordingly. We struggle under the weight of others’ expectations of us or suffer disappointment when our expectations aren’t met. Whether we admit it or not, we expect certain things of our children. Our expectations may be high or low, realistic or unreasonable—but we all have them, and they affect the way we live.

What do you expect from your kids? What do they expect of themselves? Where do those expectations come from? How do they affect the choices you make? The Bible teaches us four things to expect of our kids (and ourselves)!

#1: THEY WILL SIN.

Our babies may be beautiful, naive, and unsullied by the evils of this world, but their hearts are bent toward sin and self. Like every human being, the default mode of a child’s heart is to put himself—not God—at the center of his universe and put his own desires first. Our children’s sin should grieve us, but it shouldn’t shock us. Every heart turns away from God like a sheep gone astray—there are no exceptions, “not even one” (Isa. 53:6; Rom. 3:10).

Help your kids recognize sin in their own hearts. Grieve with your kids over the effects of sin in the world. Guide your children to respond to their own sin with repentance. Model what it looks like to humbly confess your sin, believing that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us” (1 John 1:9).

#2: THEY WILL BE LOVED AND CARED FOR.

We love our kids. They depend on us, and we feel the weight of our role in their lives. It’s a glorious weight, but it can be a fearful one. If we’re honest, our love and care often falls short. In those moments, we need to be reminded that God loves our children more than we ever could, and His love never fails.

These precious kids are His, but He has given them to us for a time and He uses us to show them His great love. But when we fail, He is faithful. God is the only perfect Parent, and He is completely trustworthy. He loves our kids—and us—with a love that “surpasses knowledge” (Eph 3:19). If He loves us enough to offer up His own Son, will He not also “supply all [our] needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”? (Rom. 8:32; Phil. 4:19).

#3: THEY WILL SUFFER.

We instinctively want to protect our children. If we could, we would shield them from all fear, pain, sadness, hardship, and disappointment. But we can’t. We can only trust God’s wisdom and love for our children (and ourselves). Jesus told His followers to expect “suffering in this world,” but to “be courageous” because He has “conquered the world” (John 16:33). Our comfort is in Christ (2 Cor. 1:5), and that goes for our children too. When our children suffer and when we suffer, we also experience the brokenness of this world, the sting of sin and death that pierced our hearts and tore through the entire creation.

But Christ took this sting of sin and death in his body (1 Cor. 15:54-57). He bore our sorrows, spoken and unspoken (Isa. 53:4-5). He wept with His friends and paid with His life to redeem His children and His creation from death (John 11:33-36; Rom. 8:18-21). He triumphed over evil, and we can find comfort in His victory (2 Thess. 1:5-7). One day God will wipe every tear from the eyes of His dear children, and all sin, suffering, and sorrow will be no more (Rev. 21:3-5).

#4: THEY WILL GROW AND MATURE.

We expect children to grow physically, and we want to make sure they get what they need to mature. Just like physical growth, spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process that starts at the new birth and continues throughout life. We all grow in various ways and on different timelines, but God doesn’t let any of us stay the same for long. We can’t make our kids grow, but we can guide them to the nutrients they need (Scripture, prayer, fellowship with believers). We also can challenge them to exercise their faith through obedient service and worship, remembering that “neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:7).

Even if a child is not a believer, God is still at work, and we should be faithful in pointing every child to God’s love and righteousness, repentance from sin, and faith in Christ. It is God who produces saving faith and its fruits in our lives. So, whether our children are followers of Christ or not, we can be encouraged that God faithfully cares for us and for those He has entrusted to our love and our gospel witness.

Adopting gospel-based expectations for our children and ourselves is both humbling and liberating. When we bring the gospel into our everyday language, teaching, and discipline, we create a safe space where—together with our children—we can take a hard look at sin, then lift our eyes in great expectation to the abundant grace of God in Christ.

Kelly Mikhailiuk is a stay-at-home mom and editorial freelancer. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, Taras, and their four young children.

A version of this article first appeared in the June 2016 issue of ParentLife. To order, visit HERE.

Kids Ministry, Leadership
Kids Ministry, Leadership
Family, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Parenting

Your Family’s Greatest Mission

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Guest blogger Kristen Welch appears courtesy of ParentLife magazine (lifeway.com/parentlife).

We always want to encourage our families to live on mission. Check out this encouraging message to families courtesy of ParentLife magazine about how our families can live missionally.

My kids love a good mystery. Give them a few clues and they are off to solve it.

Everybody loves a good mission. God created us with a deep desire to fulfill our life’s purpose. And that purpose isn’t some intangible, elusive destination that God dangles in front of us.

It’s simple really. God has called all of us — families included — to welcome others into His family. Living on mission doesn’t start with doing something for God. It begins with telling others or showing them what He has done for us.

The question isn’t “Is my family called to do something for God?” That question has already been answered.

Ann Dunagan said, “God’s mission for the family is expanding God’s family.” We are called to go … to live our life for His glory. I believe just as every person has a unique purpose in the world, so does every family.

Do you wonder what His will is for your family? It’s to go fulfill His mission: the Great Commission. We wonder where, what, when … and often get bogged down in the unknown details. But the answer is right in front of us.

Where are you going today? Maybe you’re headed to the grocery store or the school office. Perhaps you’re dropping off something at a neighbor’s house. Wherever you go, fulfill your mission and shine Jesus. Your small step of obedience might lead you to great destinations or it might just lead you to the dog food aisle.

Either way, going is half the victory because that is your family’s greatest mission when you commit your steps to God. He will lead you and use your obedience for His glory. God isn’t waiting for you to be perfect or to get your act together so you can change the world; He specializes in using the less-than-perfect places in your lives for His glory.

You just have to take the first step. It’s your mission if you choose to accept it.

Kristen Welch, her husband, and their three children founded a non-profit maternity home, The Mercy House, to help impoverished teen girls in Kenya.

Christmas, Kids Ministry
Parent Helps, Parenting, Thanksgiving

A Family Thanksgiving Plan

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Thanksgiving is one of the favorite family holidays. This blog features great ideas to get kids involved for the big Thanksgiving meal. Pass this along to families in your ministry!

Many of us mamas feel pressure to lay out a perfect Thanksgiving feast. Let your children deliver both good food and memorable camaraderie. It truly will take the focus off you.

IDENTIFY TASKS

First, think outside the box for ways kids can help.

Ideas:

  • Create place cards — Children who can’t yet write can draw portraits.
  • Squeeze oranges — Electric juicers seem custom-designed for children to press orange halves onto the rotating reamer and watch the liquid drip through.
  • Make a dish — Worry less about an even menu and more about praising the cook. Even preschoolers can become known for their green bean casserole.
  • Manage the list — Let a child take your list around for volunteers of all ages to pick their tasks and checkmark when completed.
  • Work the can-opener — Let Uncle Jorge set the cans for young Evan to spin.
  • Beautify the table — placing at least the non-breakable silverware.
  • Fold napkins — in shapes of the child’s choosing.

SET STATIONS

To keep your head while six hands clamor to help, do private prep. If your kitchen allows it, give each his own station.

  • Use the French cooking process, mise en place, to equip children to make a myriad of recipes. Substitute, for prep bowls, zipper bags filled with the right amount of flour, sugar, even that one teaspoon of baking soda. Then kids open, pour, and stir. Preschoolers will identify the starting letter in flour or sugar and can choose the right bag and the right time. So label each bag with what’s inside.
  • Place a towel or rug under each chair to catch spills.
  • Extra grownups who treasure children are often circulating in your home during Thanksgiving prep. Partner them with your children to feed the conversation and connections lauded by Proverbs 17:1.

If only one adult is available, have the children rotate helping. Even if everyone pushes up a chair, let one be the primary cook while the others watch and tell what the cook is doing well: “Wow! You didn’t spill at all!” or “I can’t wait to eat that!”

INVITE KIDS TO THE BIG TABLE

Children find it amazing that they can create food people enjoy. They enjoy interacting with adult guests.

Conspiratorially give a question to each child to ask during the meal:

  • What’s your specialty — that food you like to make on holidays?
  • What do you think is cool about being my age? What do you think is cool about being your age?
  • What food did you have to learn to like when younger?
  • What did my mom/grandma do when she was a little girl?
  • Who is a hero to you? Why?

This article appears courtesy of ParentLife magazine. Karen Dockrey wrote this article. She is a curriculum specialist and author or co-author of over 30 books.

Parent Helps, Parenting, Technology

3 Ways Social Media Can Help Parents Disciple Their Kids

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If you’re reading this, you are likely either a parent or a children’s ministry leader. You likely use social media, and it is probably how you found this blog post! But, you may not see social media as a tool in your efforts to disciple the children you love and with whom you share the gospel.

Here are three simple ways social media can be a tool for parents to use as they disciple their children:

  1. Use Facebook groups to connect with other parents and learn from each other. 

I am not yet a parent myself, but a lot of my friends are young parents, and I have heard about all kinds of “parenting” groups on Facebook. Sometimes Facebook groups like this can foster conflict or judgmental conversation if they aren’t monitored well, but they can also be a blessing in the lives of the parents who are a part of them.

In these groups, parents could share ideas about how to improve bedtime routines, thoughts about how to have more intentional conversations with children, or other aspects of parenting that can be difficult to do alone. Obviously, parents would be wise to first look for this community in their local churches, but hopping into a Facebook group with like-minded parents could be helpful, too.

  1. Find creative discussion questions or other resources to talk with your kids.

Parents are sharing parenting-related resources on social media all the time. Like I said, I’m not a parent yet, but I’m already bookmarking all kinds of resources I’ve seen my friends share that they use with their kids—resources to help them be interested in the Bible, to memorize Scripture, and more.

I would suggest the 22:6 Parenting ministry of Dr. Josh and Christi Straub for some of these resources because I am aware of the great work their doing. But, beyond that, using social media to find resources to help disciple children is a great idea.

  1. Start a parents’ prayer group on Facebook to come alongside other parents in your church or community.

Without a doubt, one of the most impactful actions parents can take in their efforts to disciple their children is praying for them. Going before the throne of God on behalf of our children and praying for them to come to know and love the Lord is vital to discipling kids well.

If you’re a children’s ministry leader in your church, consider setting up a Facebook group for the parents in your church to connect with one another and pray for each other. This would be a great service to the parents in your local church.

If you’re unsure of how social media and children’s ministry can work together for the good of kids, check out LifeWay Social. LifeWay Social is a new service from LifeWay that exists to help Christians better use social media for Kingdom good.

Chris Martin is Co-Creator of LifeWay Social and an Author Development Specialist at LifeWay. He loves helping Christian leaders use social media to serve the Church. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisMartin17.

Family, Kids Ministry

Fall Family Fun

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Family Scavenger Hunt:

The smell of crayons and freshly sharpened pencils. Orange falling leaves and yellow mums. Stadium lights and hayrides. Fall is my favorite. The autumn season is full of excitement, and it is a great opportunity to spend some extra-special time with the family.

One of my favorite events as a kid was the annual church scavenger hunt. We would pile up in cars and run crazy around town trying to check off our list. It was an excuse to be silly and competitive—all in good fun, of course.

Treat your family to a fall scavenger hunt or plan one with church families.

You will need enough people to divide up into three or more teams with at least one adult on each team. Each team will need a scavenger hunt list, a pen or pencil, and a camera or phone for taking pictures. Other helpful items to consider are water bottles for participants, a clipboard to hold the list, and a flashlight if needed.

Each team will travel around the neighborhood or city and take pictures of team members with the items on the list. Encourage teams to get creative with their photos. For example, don’t just take a picture of a scarecrow, but have your team get in the photo, pretending to be scarecrows as well. The goal is to have as much fun as possible.

Give everyone a certain time period to complete as many of the tasks as possible on the list. At the designated time, meet for a bonfire. Roast hot dogs and marshmallows and share your funny stories from the night. You can even download pictures and watch a slideshow of each team’s pics.

Scavenger Hunt List:

  •      A field with a hay bale
  •      A pumpkin
  •      A can of pumpkin
  •      A scarecrow
  •      A sunflower
  •      A produce stand
  •      A farmer
  •      Best fall front porch
  •      Jumping in a leaf pile
  •      Climbing a tree
  •      A football field
  •      A fall tree
  •      A school bus
  •      An acorn
  •      A barn
  •      Three orange leaves

Family Harvest Festival:

You can create an indoor festival for your kids to enjoy with normal household items you may already have.

* RING TOSS—Set up two-liter soda bottles (with soda still in them for weight) in varying distances. Use a glow-in-the-dark necklace as the rings. Try to toss the necklace onto the soda bottles.

* BOBBING FOR APPLES—Fill a large shallow bucket (or the bathtub) with water and add apples. Laugh ‘til you cry as everyone takes turns trying to snag an apple using only their mouths! (If you are uncomfortable with the germ-level of bobbing for apples, as an alternative you can tie the apple stem to one end of a string and tie the other end of the string onto a broomstick or other item that will suspend the apple. The participant can stand or kneel with hands behind his back and try to catch the dangling apple in his mouth.)

* BEAN BAG TOSS—Place three containers like bowls, boxes or even wastebaskets varying distances from the contestant. Try to toss beanbags into each container.

* TOILET PAPER TOSS—Stack rolls of toilet paper to make a pyramid. Contestant will use a pair of socks rolled into a ball to try and knock down the pyramid.

* FACE PAINTING—Use washable craft paint to create designs on your children’s faces. Go simple or elaborate. Search the Internet for examples.

* PILLOWCASE RACE—Everyone grabs their pillow case. Put your feet inside just like a sack race. First one to cross the finish line wins! (Not recommended for wood or tile floors.) Finish the night with a cakewalk where everyone’s a winner.

This article appears courtesy of ParentLife magazine and was written by Vanessa Dolberry. Vanessa  is a freelance writer who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a pastor’s wife and mom to three amazing kids.

Bible Study, Discipleship, Gospel-Centered, Kids Ministry Curriculum, Worship

The Big Picture Worship Hour

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Perhaps you have come in contact with The Gospel Project for Kids and seen value in its approach of teaching Jesus’ story throughout Scripture. Even though you see its value, you are not in a position to make a change from your primary children’s ministry curriculum. If you fall into this group, our new Big Picture Worship Hour resource may be for you!

The writing and creative team behind The Gospel Project for Preschool and The Gospel Project for Kids is excited to announce two brand new worship resources: The Big Picture Worship Hour for Preschool and The Big Picture Worship Hour for Kids. The Big Picture Worship Hour products are designed for churches who are looking to introduce The Gospel Project for Kids strategy without replacing their primary curriculum or whose weekly Kids Ministry schedule only allows for a “large group” format.

Each Big Picture Worship Hour is a Christ-centered worship resource that walks kids through the big picture of God’s story—the story of redemption through Jesus Christ. Each week, kids will follow a chronological timeline of Bible events through the Old and New Testaments, while learning how each story points to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each product provides an age-appropriate hour of content ideal for preschoolers/kids worship, mid-week gatherings, or other “large group” settings. For elementary age kids, each worship hour session features a worship guide, Bible story video, music videos, missions video, group game, group demonstration, and more. Our Preschool Hour features a worship guide, Bible story video, music videos, missions video, and activities using a variety of learning styles.

Current customers of The Gospel Project for Kids: If you are already part of The Gospel Project family and use our curriculum in your ministry, The Big Picture Worship Hour is available as the Worship Hour Add-On to our Leader Kit.

If you are looking for a worship resource to integrate into your ministry, we invite you consider The Big Picture Worship Hour from The Gospel Project for Kids team.

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