Who Should Lead Your Children's Ministry?

I have been involved in Children's Ministry for nearly 50 years. Over these years I have led several Children's Ministries, so I do believe there absolutely is a place for women to serve and lead, but I also do believe if a church has the option of putting a man in as their Children's Ministry Head, if he is as qualified as a woman, they should hire the man. Why do I write this? Consider the following . . .

Use Anchored to Teach the "Whys" So Teaching the "Whats" "Sticks"

Your church puts a lot of time and money into teaching children the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe, but as Barna's studies and Gallup's Poll shows us more and more of the children in our ministries are growing up and turning away from their faith. How are you able to change this? By teaching the children in your ministry the "whys" - why they are able to believe God is real, the Bible is true, God and science DO go together, and God is good. When children know the "whys", they are much more likely to hold on to the "whats" throughout their lives.

Use Anchored to Hand Down Confident Faith Which Lasts

If you have been reading my posts about Anchored, you know about the Barna studies which show how so many of our children and grandchildren are turning away from their faith and to atheism and the most recent Gallup Poll which shows only 20% of Americans believe the Bible is true. We do not have to just sit back and accept these things - especially as they impact our children. We are able to do something about it. We are able to hand down confident faith - doing this involves teaching the children we love both the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe - and teaching them the "whys" - why we are able to believe what we believe.

Why Use Anchored to Teach the "Whys"?

Why should your church use Anchored to help you teach the "whys"? Consider the following reasons . . . 

Anchored Provides the "Tools" to Teach the "Whys"

With growing numbers of people in our country turning away from faith in God and belief in His Word, we must be ever more careful to not only teach what we believe, but to also teach the children we love why they are able to believe. We would never consider offering a Children's Ministry which did not teach the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe - and yet few Children's Ministries teach the "whys" - why we are able to believe God is real, the Bible is true, God and science DO go together, and God is good. 

Of Course We Need to Teach the "Whys" - Do So With Anchored

Why do you use traditional curriculum in your Children's Ministry? Clearly the answer is obvious . . . because teaching children the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe - is one of the main purposes for your Children's Ministry. Of course you want to teach children about what the Bible says - so, you carefully select a curriculum which will help you do this in the most engaging and effective way.

How Does Anchored "Work"?

Anchored is a supplemental curriculum which teaches the "whys" - it is designed to be used alongside whatever curriculum you are currently using in your Children's Ministry - it is not intended to replace your curriculum which teaches the "whats". So, how does Anchored "work"?

Why Teach the "Whys"?

We know we want our Children's Ministry to teach the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe because we want the children we love to know and believe. Ever since Sunday school began we have been teaching children the "whats" and children have been learning the "whats". God promises His Word will not return empty to Him, so when children learn the "whats", God is able to use His Word to work in their lives. Yet, while many of the children we love hold on to the faith they began as a child, more and more of them are not.

Teach the "Whys" with Anchored - it Matters for Today & Throughout the Lives of the Children in Your Ministry

Why did you choose the curriculum you are using this Fall in your Children's Ministry? Did you evaluate several curriculum lines, talk to publishers, ask other Children's Ministry leaders what they use and why? Did you think about the goals and mission of your Children's Ministry and then select the one which best matched what you want to do and engages children the most so they will remember what you teach? Did you choose the resource you believe will best help you teach the "whats" - what the Bible teaches and therefore what we believe?

Yes! illustrate my own Books ARE for You & the Children You Love

 

Over the past couple weeks I have shared with you the titles in the illustrate my own series. All of them are fun books which will uniquely engage the children you love in ways they have never engaged before with the accounts of Bible heroes. As they (and you) illustrate their books, they will think about what is happening, the things the Bible people said, and how God showed His love and grace to the Bible people . . . which will help the children you love better understand how God shows His love and grace to them as well! 

Let Anchored Help You Teach the "Whys" Because Teaching the "Whys" Matters as Much as Teaching the "Whats"

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

illustrate my own - Known Bible Heroes - Joshua, Caleb, & Hadassah

For the past few weeks I have been letting you know about my illustrate my own Bible Hero books - today I am happy to let you know about the last three Known Bible Hero books - Joshua, Caleb, and Hadassah (you know her as Esther.)

We Need to Teach the "Whys" - Do So With Anchored

Today as you may be thinking about getting Anchored to teach the "whys" to the children in your church, I want to share with you a few quotes about the very real need for apologetics.

illustrate my own - Known Bible Heroes - Noah, Hananiah, Mishael & Azariah, and Ruth

You are likely familiar with the three Bible people I am highlighting today from my illustrate my own - Known Bible Hero book series - Noah, Hananiah, Mishael & Azariah (otherwise known as Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego), and Ruth, so just think how much fun it would be to illustrate these familiar accounts . . . whether you are an artist or draw your illustrations with stick people. As much fun as it would be for you to illustrate these Bible adventures for your grandchildren, think how much more fun it would be to illustrate them together . . . and most importantly, think about the fantastic conversations you would be able to have as you work together to illustrate your books!

Use Anchored with the Children You Love So They, "Have Certainty Concerning the Things (They) Have Been Taught"

I have been writing about some of the reasons why we need to teach the "whys" - and we certainly find another reason in Luke 1:1-4 -

illustrate my own - Known Bible Heroes - Jonah, Elijah, & Joseph

The Bible is filled with true accounts of real people - when we learn about them, and the things which happened to and with them, we are better able to see how God works in our lives - just as He worked in their lives. This is certainly true with Jonah, Elijah, and Joseph!

Use Anchored So the Children You Love Are "Always Prepared to Make a Defense"

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

illustrate my own - Known Bible Heroes - Gideon, David & Daniel

Over the past few days I have shared with you the titles of the illustrate my own Unknown Bible Hero books with you - today I am happy to let you know about some of the illustrate my own Known Bible Hero books . . .

Anchored Will Help You Teach Why the Word is Trustworthy

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

illustrate my own - Unknown Bible Heroes - Hezekiah, Abel & Seth, and Abigail

 

I have one more group of three books in the illustrate my own - Unknown Bible Hero series to share with you today - are you familiar with any of these Bible people?

Teach the "Whys" with Anchored

Over the many, many years where churches have had intentional Children's Ministries, we have done a good job when it comes to teaching the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe. But for some reason we never focused on teaching the "whys" - why we are able to believe what we believe. While we absolutely must teach the "whats" we also must teach the "whys" - when we do not, we end up with the results we are seeing in families throughout our churches - where young people are turning away from their faith and many of them are turning to atheism (as Barna's research shows), and growing numbers of people are saying they do not believe the Bible is true (as Gallup's research shows.) If we are going to stop these trends, we must start teaching the "whys" with as much intentionality as we show when we teach the "whats".

illustrate my own - Unknown Bible Heroes - Deborah & Jael, Jeremiah, and Joshua

 

Please share with the families in your church - 

Over the past two days I have let you know about half of the illustrate my own - Unknown Bible Heroes - today I want to let you know about three more . . .

Check Out Sample Anchored Lessons - Help Children "Own & Solidify their Faith"

Anchored is now available for you to use in your church - it is just $26.00 for an entire year of resources for you to use in your church and for families to use at home - a terrific buy for sure!

You may be wondering what it looks like, well, I have two sample lessons on the website which you are able to see (and try) if you like. You will find them at this link. 

illustrate my own - Unknown Bible Heroes - Josiah, Job, & a Donkey which Talked

 Please share with the families in your church - 

Do you know about Josiah, Job, and the Donkey which Talked? Well, there are now illustrate my own - Unknown Hero books for each of these which will help you and the ones you love not only learn about them, but also learn the important lessons we are able to learn from them . . . 

Anchored is Now Available - Get Your Copy Today!

Today is the day Anchored is finally available! You will find it in our bookstore at this link. For just the price of $26.00 you will receive an entire year of resources to use in your church and to equip parents and grandparents so they are able to team with you to hand down confident faith as they teach the "whys" at home.

illustrate my own - Unknown Bible Heroes - Enoch, Jehoshaphat, and Moses

Please share with the families in your church - 

Today I want to share with you some information about three of the illustrate my own - Unknown Bible Hero books . . . Enoch, Jehoshaphat, and Moses. Each of these books shares the true account of how God worked in the lives of these real people - and will help readers learn how God will work in their real lives, too!

Anchored will Help You Teach the "Whys" - More Important Now than Ever

Yesterday I read an article about new Gallup Poll results regarding how fewer people in the USA now see the Bible as the literal Word of God. The new poll showed, what was to me, a shocking result - only 20% of people believe the Bible is the literal Word of God - only 20%. This is the lowest percentage since they began taking this poll in 1976. Even more shocking to me, this is the first time more people - 29% - "say the Bible is a collection of 'fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.'" They went on to say, "This marks the first time significantly more Americans have viewed the Bible as not divinely inspired than as the literal word of God."

illustrate my own Books ARE for You!

Please share this with the parents/ grandparents in your ministry -

If you are not an artist, or artistic person, when you see a book which you need to provide the illustrations for, you may think it is not the book for you. But, in this case with the illustrate my own Known Bible Hero and illustrate my own Unknown Bible Hero books, nothing could be farther from the truth! These books give you the unique opportunity to engage with the children you love in ways you never have when you read a book about a real Bible person, as since you and/or they will be providing the illustrations, you get to talk about what is happening, think through what the Bible person is saying, and basically really pay attention to the details so you are able to provide the illustrations! Just think about the fantastic conversations you will be able to have about the Bible people and how what they learned applies to you as well!

"Anchored Helps Kids Uncover 'Why' We Believe, Not Just 'What' We Believe"

I have been sharing with you about the new supplemental curriculum - Anchored. It will be releasing on Friday - July 8, 2022, but today I want to share with you what Joani Schultz (from Group Publishing) says about it . . . 

illustrate my own - Check Out this New Series

Please share this with the parents and grandparents in your ministry - 

Quite a few years ago I wrote a series of books for children about Bible people. I was motivated to do so because when you see books about Bible people, they are usually about the same people and there are so many more people in the Bible with fantastic accounts of how they were able to know and walk with God. I enjoyed writing the Bible stories, but am not an artist, so I thought maybe it would be fun to write a series of books with an "illustrate my own" "twist" - the children - and/or families - could illustrate their own books!

How Does Anchored Work?

There are four main areas we need to cover when teaching the “whys” –

1.    is God real?

2.    is the Bible true?

3.    do God and science go together?

4.    is God good?

Each quarter we will focus on one area with weekly teaching, questions, and activities. Since this is a supplemental curriculum, you will use this with the curriculum you are already using in the following way –

Make Your Summer Count - Get the little answer book & the little answer book for children

Please share this with the parents/grandparents in your church - 

The summer is a time when we typically are able to spend time with the ones we love and build memories as we do things we may not typically do throughout the year - such as have the grandchildren over for extra sleepovers, go on family vacations, try new things, bike, camp, swim, gather to celebrate special times, go on picnics, etc. All of these things are excellent things to do in the summer and help build strong ties with our family. They are able to help make a difference as you build strong relationships with your family.

Teach the Children in Your Church the "Whys" with Anchored - Releasing this Week!

Churches – more specifically, the Children’s Ministries in churches - are one of the primary places where children learn the “whats” – what the Bible says and therefore, what we, as Christians, believe. This is why churches invest so much time and money in choosing and using curriculum resources with the children in their churches – to teach them the “whats”.

There are solid reasons churches teach the “whats” – we want children to know what the Bible says, and therefore what we, as Christians, believe. Teaching the “whats” is a fully appropriate and necessary part of a strong and effective Children’s Ministry. But, along with teaching the “whats”, we also need to teach the “whys” – why we are able to believe the “whats”.

Anchored is Releasing This Week!

In your Children's Ministry you likely do at least a decent job of teaching the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe. There are significant reasons why it matters for you to teach the "whats" - but if you are not also teaching the "whys" - why we are able to believe God is real, the Bible is true, God and science DO go together, and God is good - then we are leaving the children in our ministries at risk of turning away from their faith to atheism as they grow older. Barna's research shows this is happening at double the rate of any previous generation - and they expect it to triple by 2030.

So . . . What Is Your Real Focus?

When it comes to Children's Ministry there is often more than one thing to focus on . . . the vision for the ministry, selecting the resources to best help you accomplish your vision, sharing your vision with others, finding, training, supporting volunteers, communicating effectively with parents and grandparents . . . the list could, and often does, go on and on. but what is your real focus? What is the one thing you really need to keep at the top of your list?