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Kids Ministry

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

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Happy 4th from LifeWay Kids!

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We’re so thankful for America, but we’re even more thankful for the freedom we have in Christ.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. Galatians 5:13

Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom. For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:11-13

Thank you, Lord, for freedom!

Kids Ministry, kids101

5 Reasons to Go Back to the Beginning with The Gospel Project for Kids

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briandby Brian Dembowczyk

So you’re about to wrap up your three-year journey through the Bible using The Gospel Project® for Kids and are wondering if you should roll into the new three-year cycle or not. Here are five reasons to go back to the beginning and start on another three-year journey through the Bible using The Gospel Project:

  1. Repetition aids in learning. That is why athletes and musicians practice over and over again. You cannot pick up a golf club or violin and master it in an afternoon. It takes hours, weeks, and years of repetition. It’s the same way for the Bible. It takes reading and studying stories many times to fully understand them.
  2. Your kids are now at different developmental stages. Let’s say that you have a third grader who was a kindergartener when she began the first journey through the Bible. That means she learned about creation and covenants when she was still learning how to read. Studying them again now as a 3rd grader will be a completely different experience for her.
  3. There are new stories to learn. While many of the same stories will be covered in the new three-year plan, many others will be brand new—especially when we get to the New Testament letters. But even the stories that we covered the first time will include all new activities, videos, and music making them fresh for the kids and your leaders.
  4. The Gospel Project is better than ever. The new Babies and Toddlers leader guide will get your smallest ones learning, and the new-look preschool videos will really help preschoolers connect with the Bible stories and songs. Family discussion and activity ideas on the activity pages, a new missions emphasis in the worship hour, and so many other improvements should help you point your kids to Christ even better than you did the first time.
  5. The Gospel transforms. I saved the best reason for last. Rolling into the new three-year cycle of The Gospel Project means that your kids once again will hear the gospel message every week for the next three years. And that is precisely what they need to hear. The gospel is what saves and transforms. There is no better way that you can equip your kids for a lifetime of following Jesus than to implant the gospel deep, deep within their hearts.

Brian Dembowczyk is the team leader for The Gospel Project for Kids. He served in local church ministry before coming to LifeWay in 2014. He and his wife, Tara, and their three children live in Murfreesboro, TN, where Brian enjoys drinking coffee and teaching 1st-3rd graders at City Church.

Encouragement, Encouraging, Events, Fun, Kids Ministry, kids101, Leadership, Networking, Training

The Theme for KMC 2015 Is…

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How do you make a difference in the world around you? How do you stand for your convictions in the midst of moral turmoil? More than that, how do you influence a generation to grow up as culture shapers rather than simply conforming to the world? These are some of the questions we will explore at LifeWay’s Kids Ministry Conference (KMC) this October 19-21.
The theme for our conference this year is RADIATE. Matthew 5:13-16 says:
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
 

In this passage, Jesus shares with His disciples the importance of influencing the world around them. One emphasis in these verses is on maintaining saltiness. Jesus says that if salt loses its taste, it is good for nothing more than being “thrown out and trampled on.” We cannot simply blend in with the rest of the world. In order to shape the culture, first and foremost we must ask the Holy Spirit to empower us to live holy lives.

In addition, Matthew 5 tells us that we should “let our light shine before men.” The idea here is that as we strive for holiness and live for Christ, people will see our good works and recognize Jesus living through us. We must allow His light to shine through us and radiate out into the world. He is the only true light and also our only hope for making a spiritual difference in the world.
We hope you’ll join us at KMC this October 19-21 at Nashville’s Music City Center! Together we will further explore this idea of making a difference, shaping the culture, and radiating the light of Christ. Visit kidsministryconference.com for more details about the conference such as a list of speakers, a complete schedule, hotel information, and even media from previous conferences.
This Fall, don’t simply shine your light in a dark world—RADIATE!
Bible Study, CentriKid, Fun, Games, Kids Ministry

Easy Games for Your Kids Ministry

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by Collin Spindle

As a CentriKid director, I’ve learned to be prepared for lag time with kids. Whether a lesson takes less time than expected or a storm ruins plans for outside play, it’s important to have a back-up plan. Here are a few of my favorite games to use when these situations come up:

Indoor Game
Tribble King Hunt
Set Up: Hide at least 100 balls of paper around the room. Hide one balloon especially well.
Play: Tell the kids this room has been taken over by King Tribble and his army. We need to collect all the Tribbles and find the Tribble King. Split the kids into 3 – 4 teams and let them put the “Tribbles” in their team bucket getting one point for every “Tribble”. 10 points are awarded to the group that finds King Tribble the balloon.

No Equipment Game
Crazy Counting
Set Up: Get in a circle
Play: Someone starts and can say 1 or 1, 2…the next player picks up where the previous left off and can count the next number or the next two numbers. Each player can only count up to two numbers. When a player has to count to 10 they are out. This game takes critical thinking and some strategy. It is great as a lead in game.

Tag game
Mosquito Tag
Set Up: 3 or 4 pool half sized pool noodles
Play: The designated players will put the pool noodles on their heads as mosquitoes tagging other players with the noodle. This game works like freeze tag and if someone gets tagged they must stop and itch their body. Two players can untag someone by linking hands around them saying “BUG SPRAY”

Always remember to connect the games back to the lesson you are teaching. For example, if you are teaching on Abraham you may use Tribble King Hunt to talk about how God promised Abraham how he would spread his descendants and they would be as numerous as the stars. It might have taken some time to find 100 tribbles but imagine how long it would take to count all of Abraham’s descendants.

Kids Ministry, kids101, Leadership
Kids Ministry

What is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism?

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unnamedby Karen Jones

The term moralistic therapeutic deism (MTD for short) has been tossed around the Christian blogosphere for a few years now, but what is it? Where did it come from? And why do you need to know it as a kids ministry leader?

In 2005, Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton released a book called Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. In their book, Smith and Denton coined the term moralistic therapeutic deism to describe the “defacto dominate religion among contemporary teenagers.” MTD is a heretical system of thought that has infiltrated evangelicalism and Christianity as a whole. It is subtle and dangerous.

Let’s break it down:

Moralistic – God wants people to behave.

Therapeutic – God wants people to be happy and well-adjusted.

Deism – There is a God, but He made the world and then left it alone. God isn’t personally involved in the everyday lives of people.

On the surface, MTD doesn’t sound all that bad, right? Producing happy moral people sounds like a worthy goal. But is this the kind of Christianity the Bible teaches? Did Christ die so we could be good and well-adjusted?

In the words of the apostle Paul, “May it never be!”

God desires far more from us and for us than our good behavior and temporal happiness. Jesus Christ came into the world to redeem creation from the curse of sin. Well-behaved and well-adjusted people are not His goal. God’s plan is complete and utter transformation–not just of humanity, but creation as a whole.

When did moralistic therapeutic deism replace biblical Christianity in kids’ hearts and minds? When well-intentioned churches started spending more time telling kids what they need to do instead of telling them what Jesus Christ has already done.

We told kids they need to obey right away otherwise bad things could happen to them, like being swallowed by a great fish like Jonah. We told kids they need to be brave like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and God will protect them. We made kids memorize the Ten Commandments and then told them to work hard to keep them.

We forgot to show kids that God still used Jonah after He disobeyed and that an entire city repented of their sin and turned to God. We neglected to point kids to that fourth figure in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The one “like a son of the gods.” We forgot to tell kids that Jesus Christ kept every one of the commandments perfectly on their behalf.

Morals only go after the behavior. The gospel gets to the root of the behavior by addressing the heart. For kids to be transformed, they need to know that they are sinners. They need to know that they are far from God, but that in His love and grace, God took on human flesh to rescue them. Teach them that Jesus Christ lived the perfect, sinless life they could never live on their own. Tell them how Jesus took the punishment their sins deserve by dying on the cross in their place. Assure them that Jesus rose from the dead, defeating sin and death forever. Help kids discover that they are part of a kingdom far greater than the world they can see.

God wants more for your kids. Don’t give your kids moralistic therapeutic deism. Give them the only thing that can transform their heart. Give them the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Bible Study, Bibles, Kids Ministry, Preschool

Just Because You Know Your ABC’s Doesn’t Mean You Can Read

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By Kim Harris, Leadership Strategist
West Cobb Church, Marietta, GA

Three-year-old Bain stands up, grinning from ear to ear, and proudly sings the ABC song. His family is so proud! Our little great nephew is learning so much and is quickly on his way to learning how to read.

Should we pull him out of school, quit reading books to him, and stop encouraging him in his language development? … of course not! This is just the beginning for Bain and his life long journey of reading and learning.

Bain can also quote a portion of John 13:34, “Love one another.” He learned this simple Bible thought in his preschool Sunday School class. His family is equally as proud of this accomplishment. But, is this the end of his spiritual development? Of course, not! It is just the beginning.

All too often we confuse a child’s ability to quote Bible verses and facts as the goal. We figuratively dust our hands off, pat ourselves on the back, and skip to the next verse or chapter, when in fact, those learned skills are just the beginning of a child’s journey toward understanding.

Now that Bain can quote “Love one another,” the next step is for him to understand what it means to love one another. That takes it to a whole new level.

Two simple action steps will help a child to really understand:

1. Kids need to EXPERIENCE love. They need to be able to know what it feels like to love and be loved. This is best accomplished when those around care for them, speak to them with kind words, treat them with love and respect, and respond to their needs in a kind and loving manner.
2. Kids need to PRACTICE loving one another. Not until a child begins to show others love will they truly understand and know what it means to love one another.

So, we are loving on Bain and providing him opportunities to “love one another” in ways that are appropriate to him. In time Bain will figure it all out and understand the rest of John 13:34… “as I have loved you!” Then we’ll be ready to help him reach the real goal … saving knowledge.

But for now, we are content with singing “Jesus Loves Me” and the ABC song and watching him mature into the man God intends him to be.

Thanksgiving
Evangelism, Kids Ministry, Training

How to Explain Salvation and Baptism to Kids

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maryWithin a children’s ministry (and the church body as the whole), there is nothing quite as important as responsible evangelism. As we have opportunities to share the lavish grace of the Gospel with those we come in contact with, we want to be very careful to teach Truth and develop disciples who love and follow Jesus.

 

Sometimes, it can be challenging to know exactly how to talk about salvation and baptism — especially when you need to do so in kid language! I would encourage you to learn to share your faith in simple terms even if you do not work directly with kids. Those who have not grown up in the church might not be familiar with our “churchy” words, and will benefit from simple explanations.
Check out this video to hear more about explaining salvation and baptism in simple terms. 

 

Still want more information?
Download this free poster to use as a tool:
Check out these great articles about teaching about salvation and baptism with responsibility: 

 

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