Kids Ministry

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

Family, Family Ministry, Kids Ministry, Reaching

Parents and Kids Ministry

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What about parents? Should I try to minister directly to parents? Is there value in building relationships with the parents of the kids I serve? Is that really part of my responsibility? 

As a kids ministry leader, these questions may have crossed your mind at some point in your ministry. We would answer “Yes, there is great value to parents, their kids, our ministries, and our churches when we include ministering to and equipping parents as part of our strategy.”

Parents of the kids in our ministries need us to be strategic because they are often too busy to stop and think about parenting strategies. With bloated school, extracurricular, and church schedules, along with the rapid influx of technology threats and an ever-changing social culture, many parents are overly-stressed with their day-to-day responsibilities. This stress can lead to a fear that they are wandering through a completely unknown territory of family life. Too often this fear leads to frustration and spiritual stagnation in parents.

Parents are busy and stressed to the point of spiritual paralysis. We would be wise to come alongside them to help evaluate their role and responsibilities, being extra careful to take a “by your side” posture as we interact with parents. We have the opportunity to remind them of the Bible’s strategic commands related to parenting. For example, the Bible guides us to know that performance is not as important as a transformed heart. In the home, both discipline and teaching should aim at developing a child’s heart to honor both God and the parent. It’s not enough to teach kids to obey and simply feed them biblical facts. Merely gaining more information often only leads to arrogance. Our kids need gospel-transformed hearts to apply knowledge and biblical understanding to their lives through godly wisdom. 

Some parents may not realize they are in the middle of these challenges, but many do. The success of parents living out their God-ordained role should motivate us to help parents pause and evaluate their parenting responsibilities.

What might a strategy for parent ministry look like for kids leaders?

  1. Build relationships with parents.
    1. Create specific opportunities to meet and build relationships with parents.
    2. Invite parents to serve alongside you in ministry, so they can get to know you and see your heart for their kids, not just because you need to “fill a volunteer hole.”
  2. Train yourself to be a source of Biblical wisdom related to parenting.
    1. Research and study the Scriptures for specific parenting instructions. 
  3. Train parents to evaluate and lead in their homes.
    1. Research and provide parent training opportunities for parents to be discipled and to equip them with the skills they need to lead their families well. 

You may have heard it said that if we are going to effectively reach kids with the gospel, we must also reach their parents. There is great truth to this, especially thinking about long term impact. Parents will benefit and appreciate when others come alongside them to help chart the course and navigate family challenges. As church leaders, we are positioned to do just that, so that both parents and kids can hear and experience the transforming power of the gospel. 

For more of this conversation, check out the Kids Ministry 101 podcast: Parent Ministry.

Ministry, Reaching, Vacation Bible School

The Most Critical Event on Your Church’s Calendar This Year

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By Sam Luce

This past year has been one of the more difficult of our lifetimes. There has been much loss and much difficulty, but there have been some unexpected blessings as well. One of those blessings in disguise is the killing of church-as-usual and programs-as-tradition. It has caused us to think about why we do what we do.

This was a fruitful exercise because it can lay the groundwork for starting something new or evaluating something old and create a plan to start again. Twenty years ago, I led VBS because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do as a new kids pastor. I did it for about five years but didn’t get the buy-in or the traction that the effort required of me, my team, and our volunteers.

I’m also ashamed to admit that I fell into the school of thought that VBS was outdated; I was wrong! After a 12-year break, we started to do VBS again. Regardless of our opinions, most Americans are quite pro-VBS. Findings from Lifeway Research show that most (95%) American parents—regardless of how often they attend church—say their kids had a favorable experience at VBS.

What’s more, a similar number (94%) said VBS helped their child better understand the Bible, and 95% agreed VBS was one of the most meaningful church experiences for their child.

Here are a few reasons we started again and why it could be the most important item on your church calendar.

Your unchurched neighbors are open to it.

We live in a very pluralistic society that doesn’t value church but values traditions. Many parents have young kids who either don’t go to church or infrequently attend church but have great VBS memories. They want their kids to have those memories and put their kids in VBS before taking them to a church service on the weekend.

It’s an effective way to partner with parents.

Having 15 hours in the VBS week to speak new truths or reinforce what is being taught at home is invaluable. The new “regular attendees” standard is now 12 to 24 Sundays a year. VBS gives you a nice chunk of time to drill down into core truths kids need in the world we now live in.

Partnering with parents starts with equipping parents. Doing VBS with this in mind makes VBS more valuable than a simple stand-alone program.

It brings the church together.

VBS has to be a whole-church focus. It can’t be something only your department does, or an execution of the same handful of volunteers who do everything else in the church. I did a kids department-focused VBS years ago and just finished a church-driven VBS. The difference is night and day.

It’s a discipleship tool for the families in your church.

Reaching new families has to be a focus but not the whole focus. We want to reach new families, but we also need to build foundations for our families. Picking the right curriculum is essential. VBS is more than an outreach tool; it’s a gospel-shaping delivery device for the whole family.

Our church has changed. We still care about the weekend service, but we care more about intentional ways to help with spiritual formation and discipleship. The stats back this up. According to Lifeway’s research, a staggering 88% of respondents said VBS positively affected their spiritual growth as a child, and 96% feel it has positively affected their child’s spiritual growth.

If how and why we do VBS changes, it can be an effective tool to reinforce your entire church’s framework. I hope you pray about how you should do VBS.

Some ideas on how to rethink VBS in our current COVID world:

Backyard Bible School

This is a great option because it allows you to reach neighborhoods and kids you wouldn’t normally reach. It also allows you to be more flexible and keep groups smaller, which may be important depending on your state’s rules or the rate of infections in your area.

Regional Bible School

This is again a way to have a smaller setting in the communities that may attend your church but would be able to invite more neighbors. One of the things we have to look at in regard to our VBS being an outreach is how far people who don’t attend our church are willing to drive. 

VBS Tent Edition

Rent tents and use them for more spacing or for complete outdoor VBS if indoor meeting is shut down again this year.

My encouragement for you is to do VBS this year. The kids in your church and community need connection, discipleship, and hope more than ever. Do VBS even if you don’t usually do it. Our world post-COVID has changed because people have changed.

We’re going to have to think smaller, be more intentional, and demonstrate more flexibility, not just now, but on the other side of the COVID crisis.

Sam lives in upstate New York with his wife and four children. He has served as the pastor of families at Redeemer Church for the past 23 years. Read more at his blog SamLuce.com.

This post originally appeared on lifewayresearch.com.

Reaching, Uncategorized, Vacation Bible School

Yes to VBS

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2020 was a challenging season for ministry—and 2021 is (so far) proving no less difficult! But that doesn’t mean we can continue to delay or postpone strategic ministry opportunities until a time that is (hopefully) more convenient. Ministry to children cannot be deterred or deferred. It’s simply too important! For most churches, 2020 meant that they couldn’t conduct regular church programming and special events in the same ways as usual. Sunday School went virtual. Worship was livestreamed. There was certainly a learning curve, but many churches saw that once they broke out of the same old mold they’ve been using for years, their creativity kicked in and the work of ministry continued in new, fresh, and exciting ways. 

It’s time to do the same thing for Vacation Bible School! VBS is one of the largest evangelistic outreaches of the year for many churches. It consistently accounts for one-quarter of ALL baptisms in a given year. It has the potential to open more doors in your community than any other single week on the church calendar. That’s why it’s so important to say YES to VBS this summer—no matter what it looks like! You can have a VBS in-person, in the park, in the home, or any way in between. Where and how doesn’t matter … it’s the WHY that counts. It’s worth it to your kids to say yes to VBS this summer! It’s worth it to your community to say yes to VBS! It’s worth it to the kingdom to say yes to VBS!

This summer, whether you’re in person, online, or somewhere in between, Lifeway wants to help you say yes to VBS! We’ve identified four creative (and safe) ways VBS can happen in 2021 and a whole set of resources to help you be successful, no matter which option you choose. I’m particularly excited about the new resources designed especially for virtual VBS, which include:

  • Daily Bible story videos (5 for preschoolers, 5 for kids)
  • Virtual VBS Directors Guide (with activity adaptations for Bible study, rec, and crafts)
  • Family Connection Bundle (take home resources for families to do together)
  • Kids Craft Bundle (individual, pre-packaged crafts for each day)
  • VBS at Home on Ministry Grid (videos and written prompts to equip parents to lead a VBS experience at home)

The time to say yes to VBS is now. Pick a format and commit to it. Begin preparing now so that you are well positioned to pivot as needed. Remember, no matter how you say yes to VBS this summer—Lifeway’s got you covered! Learn more at https://vbs.lifeway.com/yes-to-vbs/

Evangelism, Kids Ministry, Reaching

6 Questions to Ask Before Doing Community Outreach

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Years ago, many churches operated with a Field of Dreams mentality: “If you build it, they will come.” (I was in a church business meeting one time when the topic of building a new sanctuary was being discussed and that line was quoted!) The problem is that this attractional ministry imagination proved flawed. People are not standing by waiting for a reason to come to our churches. Rather, we need to have a missional, or incarnational, ministry imagination—one that drives us into our communities to love our neighbors and serve them. 

Many times, we as kids ministry leaders are asked to spearhead community outreach. Perhaps because we tend to be the uber-creatives on a staff team. Perhaps because the pastor thinks we have tons of free time on our hands. Whatever the reason, if you have been asked to plan a community outreach, here are six questions you need to ask before you do anything else: 

  1. Why are we doing an outreach? 

This question will require you to pursue honesty—perhaps brutal honesty—from your fellow staff team and church. Why do you want to do an outreach? Really? The knee-jerk answer will be to love the community. But sometimes that isn’t the real reason. Sometimes we do outreach for ourselves. We do outreach to grow the church, not for God’s glory, but for our own. We want to be in that church—the one the other churches talk about and are jealous of. Or we want more people so our budgets can increase so we can in turn have nicer things. It isn’t hard to see how God will likely not honor whatever outreach we do if this is what drives it. If you really want to get to the heart motivation of an outreach, ask this: “What if we are successful and we have tons of new families start attending. But all of these families have little money to tithe. And all these families would be of a different socioeconomic, political, ethnic, etc. background than the core of the church. How would we feel about that?” If that thought excites your church, you are ready to proceed. 

  1. What does our community need?

At the risk of asking the obvious, if your outreach event doesn’t meet a need, why do it? If your church cannot answer this question, it also might reveal that you don’t know your community well enough. Maybe the step you need to take is getting to know the community more by being a bigger part of it. Or perhaps, that leads you to the type of outreach event you need, one that gives you an opportunity to foster meaningful relationships. 

  1. What kind of impact are we looking to make?

Are you looking to “wow” your community? Are you looking to show your community that you care? Are you targeting one part of your community or all of it? Answering this question will help you determine what resources you might need (I served at churches in central Florida where “wowing” required a whole new level with a little place called Disney up the road) and what type of outreach event to do. 

  1. Are we looking for one-time or recurring outreach? 

Related to the previous question, are you looking for a one-time, stand-alone outreach or a recurring one? You would want to be very careful about setting expectations for a recurring outreach if you are not committed and able to meet them. Helping a school one time is great, but not if you promise to come regularly and never show up again. Your outreach to those kids, teachers, and families likely just made them out of reach.

  1. What win are we going after? 

This question might feel crass and utilitarian, but it is important. You need to have a win, or a goal, in mind to give the outreach event purpose and help you evaluate its effectiveness to consider for future outreaches. Is the win the number of people who participate? The number of gift cards given away? The depth of relationships developed? The different way the community sees your church or Christ?

  1. What lead and lag measures will we use? 

A lead measure is an action we take that we can control. A lag measure is a result of the lead measures we take. So for example, if your outreach event is a sports day camp for kids, the lag measure—your win—might be having 100 kids from the community participate. (By the way, you would want to exclude your church kids from that count to be true to your goal.) But you cannot control that number. You cannot make anyone attend. So what can you control to help reach that goal? Perhaps the number of personal invitations, the number of ads you run on a local radio station, and the number of fliers you hang. These would all be lead measures you can control and evaluate to determine why you reached your goal or why you did not and what you can do better for the next 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, Reaching

Loving Your Neighbor While Distancing

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By Bekah Stoneking

COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of our lives. The ways we connect with our church families, pursue education, and even the ways we grocery shop has been affected by this virus and the safety protocols surrounding it. Another significant part of our lives that has been altered is our obedience to the Great Commandments—particularly the one about loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Arguably, one of the most loving things we can do for our neighbors during this time is to practice social distancing. But social distancing doesn’t have to mean sacrificing relationships. Here are some ideas for ways you can harness time, technology, and a little tenacity to build relationships and share the joy of Christ with your neighbors.

TIME

Vulnerability manifests in many ways. Consider ways you can give your time to care for your more vulnerable neighbors. Providing yard work, car washes, or grocery delivery are practical ways to use your time to love the vulnerable around you—including the elderly, single parents, the immunocompromised, and families who may be missing a parent who is an essential worker. Single people or others who are living alone would also be blessed to have someone help carry some of these tasks.

Or, if you don’t have an abundance of extra time, remember that little things can  go a long way. Picking up an extra pack of toilet paper or can of Lysol and leaving it with a neighbor can be a significant act of service!

You can also use your time to intentionally pray for your neighbors. The next time you go outside for some sunshine and exercise, go on a prayerwalk around your neighborhood. Pray for your neighbors by name as you pass their homes. Pray for the essential and frontline workers in your community. Ask God to help you see the needs around you and to help you think of ways you might meet those needs.

TECHNOLOGY 

As our churches gather online or in other creative ways, invite others to join in. Then, invite your neighbors to grab a snack and have a casual conversation over Zoom. Talk about the sermon, action points, or any questions people may have. Ask God to work through you to build a connection between your unchurched neighbors and your local congregation. And, as you do this, involve your church and the resources you have access to in helping to meet the physical, relational, and spiritual needs in your community.

Another way to harness technology to love God and others is to share encouraging Bible verses online. Consider including pictures of activities your kids are doing to learn the verse or pictures of your family putting the verse into action this week. Build community by inviting others to share photos of their own. Create a neighborhood hashtag for your neighbors to use when sharing content online.

Use this hashtag to gather neighbors together for other online activities, like read-alouds of your children’s favorite books. Older children can practice their reading fluency by leading read-alouds of their own. Or, coordinate with other parents to purchase several copies of a book and create online book clubs for teens, kids, or entire families to participate in together.

Hosting an online talent show is another way to gather your neighbors. Invite the kids who have missed dance recitals, band concerts, or other performances to don their uniforms and costumes and show off their talents. Use Zoom or have parents upload short videos to your neighborhood’s secure Facebook group. Use this space to cheer on the talented youngsters in your community.

Some other fun ways to connect with your neighbors online include:

  • Posting a silly, serious, or thought-provoking Question of the Day on your neighborhood Facebook page to spark new conversations and connections
  • Creating an editable Google spreadsheet for local business owners to share details about their products and services
  • Setting up a secure Google Doc for your child and her friends to write stories or keep a journal together 
  • Have theme days and encourage neighbors to dress-up and share family photos in a central location

CREATIVITY
Get creative with sidewalk chalk. Draw pictures and create beauty for others to enjoy. Write Bible verses and encouraging words on your driveway. Take your kids to their friends’ houses to leave fun notes on their driveways or sidewalks. 

If you live in a cul-de-sac or on a quiet street, use sidewalk chalk to create a giant hopscotch game or a fitness path including differently-shaped lines to follow, circles to jump in, and blocks with challenges like, “10 jumping jacks” or “20 squats.” Invite your neighbors to add on to the courses you create. Enjoy hanging out in your yard and watching others as they play on your paths.

Play in your windows. Dress them up with window chalk paint. Have theme weeks where everyone decorates their windows with a similar motif. And, if you have really fun neighbors, celebrate Christmas in spring! Put up your lights and lawn decorations and enjoy a walk or car ride with your family to admire all the lights.

Another way to use creativity to bond with your community is to work together to encourage essential workers. Hang posters and banners thanking frontline workers in your neighborhood or provide a basket of treats and essentials for delivery workers. Work together to collect supplies for these baskets, or food and supplies to share with your church’s food pantry.

Also, be on the lookout for ways to encourage your neighbors who are reaching milestones. For example, you can honor graduating seniors by creating door hangings, mailbox decorations, or yard signs for them to display. As your neighbors miss out on important celebrations during this season, show them that they are remembered, celebrated, and loved.

RELATIONSHIPS

Social distancing doesn’t mean our relationships outside of our homes cease to exist. Encourage your family members of all ages to send snail mail to neighbors, friends, and extended family. Beyond cards and letters, you might especially brighten someone’s day by mailing pictures to color or beautifully illustrated Bible verses.

Also, make sure to get some face-time. And beyond regularly connecting with others on video chat, have a little fun by having a theme night with another family. Select a theme, encourage everyone to create their own costume to match the theme, then sit down to dinner with your friends (via your phones, tablets, or computers) and enjoy everyone’s goofy outfits. 

Then, take the fun outside. With your porch, balcony, or driveway as your stage, play music, perform skits, host read-alouds, or simply enjoy your own, personal activities outside at the same time someone else is. Sometimes, simply seeing another person is just the mental and emotional boost someone may need. Scheduling some driveway hangouts where everyone interacts from a distance or even sings worship songs together can be a great display of how the love of Christ reaches us and extends beyond the walls of a church building.

Whether you are overflowing with love and hope, itching to release some pent up creativity, or you’re in need of a dose of goodness, yourself, this season is ripe with opportunities to think outside the box and love your neighbors, create joy, serve others, and cultivate connections while social distancing. 

Kids Ministry, Leadership, Reaching

The ABCs of Salvation is not the Gospel

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Kids Ministry 101 welcomes guest blogger Aaron Wilson. This article was originally published in Facts & Trends.

School may be out for the summer, but many kids will still be learning their ABCs over the break.

The ABCs of salvation, that is.

This popular children’s ministry acronym stands for admit, believe, and confess. It’s a simple way churches teach parents and volunteers to share the gospel with kids—especially during the week of Vacation Bible School.

A quick Google search of the ABCs of salvation reveals the phrase has become established church jargon. Numerous Christian websites, YouTube videos, and Pinterest boards strive to teach kids the gospel through this simple structure.

But as ministry leaders and parents prepare to use this evangelistic framework, they should be aware of the propensity to confuse the ABCs of salvation with the gospel itself.

AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION

In its simplest form, the ABCs of salvation is not the gospel; rather, the acts of admitting, believing, and confessing (and you might tack on, repenting) are all biblical responses to the gospel.

This distinction is important. As essential as it is for kids to learn how to glorify God in responding to the gospel, they cannot do so unless they first rightly hear the message that prompts a response.

For this reason, Lifeway includes the following in its VBS gospel presentation tools to supplement the ABCs of salvation:

  • God rules—The Bible tells us God created everything, including you and me, and He is in charge of everything. (Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11; Colossians 1:16-17)
  • We sinned—We all choose to disobey God. The Bible calls this sin. Sin separates us from God and deserves God’s punishment of death. (Romans 3:23; 6:23)
  • God provided—God sent Jesus, the perfect solution to our sin problem, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. It’s something we, as sinners, could never earn on our own. Jesus alone saves us. (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9)
  • Jesus gives—Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Because Jesus gave up His life for us, we can be welcomed into God’s family for eternity. This is the best gift ever! (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18)
  • We respond—We can respond to Jesus. The ABCs of Becoming a Christian is a simple tool that helps us remember how to respond when prompted by the Holy Spirit to receive the gift Jesus offers.

NOT RUSHING THE GOSPEL

When children’s ministry leaders are presenting the gospel, it can be tempting to rush to the last point and seek what may be a premature response from kids by inviting them to admit, believe, and confess before kids have an adequate understanding of what the gospel really is.

This can be especially true during VBS when leaders are understandably eager to share how many decisions were made that week for Christ.

But it serves children best when adults slow down the pace of gospel presentations to ensure that kids clearly understand the full message of God’s redemption—which includes the story of creation, the Fall, and God’s restoration through Jesus Christ.

Elaborating on the full gospel helps protect children from growing up to trust in an experience in which they prayed a prayer, walked an aisle, or signed a card. It shifts their spiritual security from a one-time personal event to the actual substance of the gospel, which is centered on Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection.

So how can churches help prepare leaders and parents to share the full gospel with kids during VBS? Here are four suggestions:

PROVIDE TRAINING

It’s easy to fill VBS training sessions with information about crafts, snacks, and bathroom policies. While all of these things are important, churches should also make sure to reserve time to train volunteers on how to share the gospel with kids.

Crafts made at VBS won’t likely make it through the week. However, a proper presentation of the gospel can have an eternal impact on a child’s life. You can help make sure your training majors on what’s most important with resources like “Leading a Child to Christ” and the booklet “The Gospel: God’s Plan for Me.”

TELL A STORY, NOT A FORMULA

At its core, the gospel is a story about good news. Children are captivated by stories, but for the sake of time, it can be tempting to shorten gospel presentations into a formula in which A+B+C=salvation.

While it’s true salvation is by grace through faith, that formula won’t lead to conversions if children don’t understand why grace is needed in the first place and how it is provided through the cross. As you train your VBS volunteers, encourage them to present the gospel as a story rather than as an evangelistic equation.

STRIKE THIS PHRASE

Well-meaning Christians sometimes try to seal the deal of a gospel presentation with the following phrase: “Now, all you have to do to become a Christian is…”

The problem is, Jesus never talked like this. Salvation is a free gift of grace that is not given on the merit of works. However, Christ often challenged people who brought a casual attitude to discipleship (Matthew 8:18-22).

Jesus encouraged people to count the cost before they decided to follow Him said anyone wanting to come after Him must be willing to die daily to his or her sinful life (Luke 14:25-33; Luke 9:23). He also told the parable of a man who was willing to give up everything he had for the sake of gaining a treasure that represents the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:44).

Have your volunteers teach free grace as they go through the ABCs of salvation, but encourage them to guard against using phrases that might understate the significance of what it means to follow Christ.

ESTABLISH AN ONGOING GOSPEL CULTURE

Some parents sweat over the idea of having “the gospel talk” with their kid.

These parents—who might be serving as VBS volunteers at your church—tend to view the act of sharing the gospel as a one-time event. With only one chance to get it right, it’s no wonder they’re nervous!

You can alleviate this pressure by helping parents and leaders grow comfortable sharing the gospel every week. This happens by helping kids make connections between individual Bible stories and Scripture’s overarching redemptive narrative.

For more practical suggestions on how to establish this kind of culture in your children’s ministry, check out the eight-week activity book What is a Christian, releasing this July, and the book Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry by Brian Dembowczyk

THE GOAL OF VBS: PREACHING THE GOSPEL

Even if they don’t go to church, most Americans recall attending VBS and report positive memories of the event. Your church can help attendees remember that VBS wasn’t a just fun summer distraction, but that it was also a setting in which they clearly heard the gospel proclaimed.

Take time to train your volunteers on how to point kids to Christ. But instead of starting with the ABCs of salvation—the response to the gospel—you might consider ending with it.

Aaron Wilson is husband to Jennifer, father to Abel and Belle (7-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. Follow him on Twitter at @AaronBWilson26 and at FactsAndTrends.net.

Leadership, Parenting, Preschool, Reaching

Creating a New and Expectant Parent Ministry, Part 2

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Creating a new and expectant parent ministry is an effective way to reach new families in the community and build relationships with parents. In an earlier article, I shared ways to begin building relationships with families prior to the birth of a baby or adoption. Use the steps listed below to continue building relationships with families after the baby arrives.

  • Visit the Family When Baby Arrives. Schedule a time to visit the family. Depending on their schedule and situation, you may visit the hospital or at their home. Take small gifts for the parents such as BabyLife or ParentLife. Possible gifts for the baby include baby care items, a blanket, or small remembrance. Don’t forget to include the siblings. Bubbles or play-doh make show you care about the brothers and sisters, too
  • Celebrate the Baby’s Arrival. Consider ordering reusable yard signs to place in the family’s yard for a couple of weeks after the baby’s birth. Make sure to get permission from the family before placing the sign in the yard.
  • Other Aspects of the Expectant Parent Ministry. Be prepared to minister to families in all situations. Include an encourager on your ministry team to serve families who have babies with special needs. Also, add an encourager who can minister to families who experience a miscarriage or stillbirth.
  • Follow-up with Parents. A few weeks after the birth of the baby, the assigned encourager visits the new parents. She uses this opportunity to check with the parents to learn of any new ways the church can minister to them, pray for them, and answer any questions the parents may have about the preschool ministry.

Other Steps to Remember:

  • Prepare a Calendar for the Year. During the year, plan events such as mom’s brunch, parents’ dinner, or an ice cream sundae party for expectant and new parents (mom and dad) to attend. At these events, include a time of fellowship, relevant information for parents, and information about the church and preschool ministry. Ask teachers from the babies’ classes to share their testimony with the families. Explain what the babies experience in their classes on Sunday morning and how they are taught biblical truths in age appropriate ways.
  • Prepare a budget. When preparing a budget, remember to include gifts for parents, babies, and siblings. In addition, estimate the costs of events and socials.

Creating a new and expectant ministry in your church helps build trust with new and expectant parents. What steps do you need to take to begin this meaningful ministry?

Delanee Williams serves as a Ministry Specialist with Lifeway Kids. She is a graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Delanee has served in kids ministry for over twenty years and is passionate about developing, equipping and encouraging leaders.

Kids Ministry, Leadership, Reaching

Shepherd your Flock: Hospitality Matters in Kids Ministry

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I recently returned from a trip to China. I was amazed at the hospitality the local people offered our group in a variety of contexts. Whether we were visiting area schools or village homes, there was always an ever-present anticipation of our needs that exceeded our expectations. As I’ve pondered this experience, it’s made me realize the importance of hospitality in the work we do as KidMin leaders. I’d like to challenge us all to heavily lean in when it comes to making the families we serve feel welcome, safe, and comfortable while they are under our care. Here are a few ideas that come to mind:

  1. Implement a Welcome Team: Recruit people who have the gift of hospitality to serve on your welcome team. Encourage them to know the names of the parents and children who attend your church. Charge them with the task of seeking out new people who may be a little nervous or uncomfortable with where to go, what to do, or even who to talk to in a sea of church folk who all know each other. Look for these visitors and make them feel like family.
  2. Over-communicate with Parents: As a leader, be sure you know the parents of the kids in your ministry. Make sure they feel like they know you. This can be done in a variety of ways through weekly newsletters, Facebook groups, and generally making yourself available. However, don’t make your communication one-sided. Offer ways for parents and caregivers to talk back to you. Ask about their kids, be ready to help if you hear of needs in families, and most of all—make yourself accessible through email, phone, or in person.
  3. Follow Up Often: When you haven’t seen a child in a while, write to the parents either on a postcard (yes, many of us still do this) or in an email. You might even consider giving them a call or text if appropriate. Let people know they are missed.
  4. Be Aware of Needs: If there is an expectant mother in your ministry, ask if there are ways you can serve her. When the child is born, celebrate by writing a card or sending a small gift. If there is a family who has fallen on hard times, be ready to involve a deacon or elder to check in with them in a deeper way. You may be the first to know and need to let the broader church community help in different ways. Examples of this would be illness or injury in the family, financial difficulty, or signs of abuse or neglect.  Be watchful and shepherd your flock well.

There are many ways to implement hospitality in your ministry. You alone cannot care for all the needs that arise in the families you serve; but, you can build a team to serve alongside you so that all the sheep in your midst are tended to with love and care. Most of all, let them know they matter each time you see them. Call them by name. Care for their needs. Cherish your time with them.

Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2 (CSB)

Jana Magruder serves as the Director of Lifeway Kids. She is a Baylor graduate and offers a wealth of experience and passion for kids ministry, education, and publishing. She is the author of Kids Ministry that Nourishes and Life Verse Creative Journal, which she co-authored with her teenage daughter. She and her husband, Michael, along with their three children reside in Nashville.

Evangelism, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Reaching

Tips for Kids on Sharing Their Faith

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pollard-blueHey leaders, parents, and anybody else who happens to be reading this post, here is some helpful information you can pass along to the kids in your sphere of influence with tips on how they can share their faith. Wait, what? Kids sharing their faith? We grownups sometimes don’t do a good job of sharing our faith with others so how can we encourage kids to do it? If you fall into this category then these tips might be helpful to you as well. Get REAL!

  1. Relationships. Get to know people. Getting to know people is the easiest way for you to start a conversation about your faith. Developing relationships with others is pretty easy if you treat them as the Bible tells us to—the way you want to be treated. For kids, this is usually a lot easier than it is for adults. Get to know someone and find some common ground to begin your spiritual discussions.
  2. Experience. Your experience with Christ is your very own, you don’t need to make up the story of what happened to you, nor do you need to worry about what others think. The story of your experience with Christ can be shared with confidence.
  3. Ask. Ask questions not just to get to know the person you are talking to, but ask questions to elicit understanding from the person you are talking to. See if the story you shared made sense to them and ask if your friend has any questions of their own.
  4. Laugh. I’m a big believer in laughter; I love to do it! Laughter opens up many doors and brings ease and comfort in sometimes uncomfortable situations. Now, you don’t have to start with a joke, but laughter helps a conversation move naturally from place to place. If you are having fun and enjoying each others company it will be easier to share about your faith in a way that is more natural and comfortable.

If we get REAL with our faith sharing and encourage kids to do the same, they will be more comfortable sharing the message of Jesus with others as they grow and mature. Remember, the story you are sharing is the greatest story every told and you should be excited and honored to be able to share it with others. God bless you as you tell others about His love!

Tim Pollard teaches 3rd-6th graders Explore the Bible: Kids Worship on Sunday nights at Tulip Grove Baptist Church. He’s passionate about helping kids dig deep into Scripture, which he pursues through his daily work as leader of the Explore the Bible: Kids team. Tim lives with his wife and daughters in Mount Juliet, TN.

Evangelism, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Reaching

Free Resources for Sharing Jesus with Kids

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peters-blueLeading kids to Christ is at the center of everything we do in children’s ministry. But, many adult leaders lack confidence when it comes to communicating the gospel to kids with clarity. It is essential that we include the key concepts of sin and salvation, but we need to do so in language that kids understand. This is such an important conversation to have that we decided to create and share some free resources to help you specifically equip your volunteers for success in communicating God’s plan of salvation to the kids in your ministry.

The Gospel God’s Plan for Me

The first resource to download is this simple icon-driven gospel outline. You can print it to hang on your classroom walls so it’s always accessible, make copies for each of your leaders to review at home, even share with parents to equip them to have this conversation at home. The simple outline uses 5 icons: a crown, an X, the cross, a gift, and raised hands as visual memory hooks to help leaders and kids recollections. We invite you to share these resources freely as widely as you like. If you are interested, you can find 4-color printed pocket-sized booklets with The Gospel God’s Plan for Me at lifeway.com.

The Gospel God’s Plan for Me is a document that our content editors and kids ministry experts have developed to get the conversation going. It is intended to be used as a clear and concise gospel presentation that helps lead a child who is interested in a personal faith in Jesus up to the point of decision. We leave a time of prayer and commitment to you.  

Unpacking the Story

The outline goes like this:

God Rules: The Bible tells us that God created everything, including you and me, and He is in charge of everything. Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11; Colossians 1:16-17

We Sinned: We all choose to disobey God. The Bible calls this sin. Sin separates us from God and deserves God’s punishment of death. That’s bad news. Romans 3:23, 6:23

God Provided: But wait. There’s also good news! God sent His Son Jesus, the perfect solution to our sin problem, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. That’s something that we, as sinners, could never earn on our own. Jesus alone saves us. John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9

Jesus Gives: Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Because Jesus gave up His life for us, we can be welcomed into God’s family now, and for all eternity. That’s the best gift ever! Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 2:8-9

We Respond: How can you respond to this gift? Believe in your heart that Jesus alone saves you through what He has already done on the cross. Repent, turning from self and sin to Jesus. Tell God and others that your faith is in Jesus. John 14:6; Romans 10:9-10, 13

The ABCs help us remember how to respond to the gospel.

A: Admit that you are a sinner and repent. Repent means to turn around or to change direction. We turn away from our sin and turn towards God.

B: Believe that Jesus is God’s Son and receive His gift of forgiveness from sin.

C: Confess to God, and other people, that Jesus is your savior and that He is Lord of your life.

Kids Gospel Presentation Videos

To make sharing the gospel easier, we have also created free gospel presentation videos that you can use. Visit lifeway.com/kidsgospelpresentation. There you will find seven different videos of a variety of men and women sharing the same gospel presentation. There’s even one in Spanish. Adults can play these videos for their kids and let our communicators share the Gospel God’s Plan for Me, or your team can use these videos as samples to help them learn to communicate the gospel with greater clarity and confidence themselves.

If you use Lifeway Kids resources like Bible Studies for Life Kids, Explore the Bible Kids, The Gospel Project for Kids, TeamKID, or Lifeway VBS, you will also find these videos on the DVDs included with your lesson resources. We have posted them to lifeway.com/kidsgospelpresentation to allow these videos to be shared more broadly by anyone, whether they use Lifeway Kids resources or not. Our prayer is God will expand the reach of the gospel as we equip you, the church, for ministry.

Remember, the gospel is always best communicated in the context of relationship, and decisions to follow Christ should always be followed up with relational discipleship in the local church. If you are interested in new believer resources, I highly recommend I’m a Christian Now. It had sessions for younger and older kids to help them as they begin their personal faith journey. You can find more info HERE.

May God add His blessing as you share the good news of salvation through Jesus with the kids in your community!

Chuck Peters is Director of Operations for Lifeway Kids. A graduate of Columbia Bible College, Chuck has served vocationally & voluntarily in Student and Children’s Ministry for many years.

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