Are You Certain Your Children's Ministry Communicates the Message You Think It Does?

When you are a children's ministry director or pastor, you practically "live and breathe" children's ministry. It is your focus, your passion. It is what you think about. While you may have designed a children's ministry which is very effective, because you are so "close" to your ministry, there could be things you "miss", or just do not "see". Consider the following ideas for how you could be certain your children's ministry communicates the message you think it does -

Deeper In For Children - Almost Ready for Your Church!

We are only a few days from being able to release Deeper In for Children! When your church decides to use Deeper In for Children as your curriculum you will find you have the tools to truly engage children in each Bible event so they remember, understand, and are able to live God's Word and develop a confident faith!

Take the Blinders Off!

Okay - today I'm writing about something I care so very much about . . . Children's Ministry. Some of you who read this need to know, what I'm writing doesn't really apply to your Children's Ministry . . . but before you read a bit further and decide your ministry isn't the ministry I'm talking about, read the whole post and ask God to remove your "blinders" and help you honestly evaluate to see if there might be at least some of what I say which applies to your ministry.

New Sample Lessons for Deeper In for Children!

I have been working on getting Deeper In for Children ready for you to use in your church - just some tweaking and finishing to go! So today I am very happy to share with you a new sample lesson for both Elementary and Preschool children! Both age levels engage and involve children actively in each Bible event so the children will remember what they did, and what it all means as there is a strong focus on helping children understand what difference it makes in their lives for them to know the Bible events. You will find the sample Elementary lesson at this link and the Preschool sample lesson at this link.

Learn, Be Prepared, Hand Down Confident Faith with the little answer book

 

Please share with the parents and grandparents in your ministry - 

There are people I know and love who have turned from the faith they once had, so I researched to find answers to the question - why should I believe? I discovered there are solid answers and compiled them into a simple book - the little answer book.

Why might you want this book? consider the following . . . 

Why Another Curriculum? Why Deeper In for Children?

Yes, I agree there are a number of excellent curriculum resources currently available for churches to use in their Children's Ministries, so why am I releasing Deeper In for Children? There are several reasons, but the biggest one is because Deeper In for Children does several unique things -

Notice the Children Who Are Only There IF They Want to Be There

I recently wrote about how to know if you are actually really effective in your ministry to children - by keeping track of the children who are part of your ministry - only IF they choose to be there. (You will find my post at this link.) Today I want to share why it matters so much for us to have a ministry which pays attention to the children who are only part of your ministry IF they choose to be there.

Update on Deeper In for Children

Deeper In for Children is coming along and I'm still making "tweaks" to make the curriculum better, more effective, and more affordable. So, today I'm writing just to let you know I will have new sample lessons for both the elementary and preschool levels by the end of the week - if you checked out the first samples, you will notice some of the differences in the new samples.

Deeper In for Children - Get Both Preschool & Elementary Curriculum for Only $50.00 each Quarter!

I'm going to push back the date when you will be able to get Deeper In for Children because I've decided to include the Preschool AND the Elementary curriculum in one package - you will get everything you need for a full quarter of digital curriculum for both age levels priced at only $50.00! And, if you decide to order a full year of Deeper In for Children you will be able to get both age levels included at a special price of $150.00.

Escape: The Traps of Christianity - Excellent Book - I Highly Recommend It

Today I am very happy to share with you about another book from Michael Chanley -  Escape: The Traps of Christianity

How Do You Know if You are Actually Truly Effective?

How do you know if your ministry is being truly effective? How do you know if you are actually accomplishing what you set out to do - create a place where children are able to genuinely learn how to know God, walk with Him, and a place where they really want to spend their time?

Chasing WHALES by Michael Chanley - Put at the top of your "must read" list.

Are you looking for a book to read which will encourage and challenge you? If so, Chasing WHALES by Michael Chanley is one to put at the top of your "must read" list.

Some of you who have been serving in Children's Ministry for awhile may recognize Michael Chanley and the ministry CM Connect. If so you know Michael is someone who has an absolute heart for Children's Ministry. He is the founder of CM Connect and has traveled around the world to help people serve the children and families in their ministries as effectively as possible. I have had the honor of meeting Michael in person and he is someone with a true servant's heart who clearly loves God with his all. (I spoke at one of his Children's Ministry conferences a few years ago. When I arrived it was pouring rain - by the bucketful's. Michael met me at our car with an umbrella so I would not be soaked - he got soaked by the rain instead. He did not have to do this. Just one example of many of how this author lives what he writes.)

Happily, whether you are familiar with Michael and his ministry or not, you are able to read his new book - Chasing WHALES: a spiritual dive with Jonah -

VBS 2023 - Pets Unleashed from Group Publishing

I'm delighted for the opportunity to once again share Group's weekend VBS with you . . . Pets Unleashed. The idea with this resource is to provide two  affordable two and a half hour sessions, plus a one hour celebration which churches could use over one weekend . . . or over three weekends . . . or they might be able to spread it out for one Saturday a month for a Summer of fun! And, if you do not mind repeating games and focusing more on the same Bible Adventure, you could stretch it for a week of VBS.

Deeper In for Children includes Anchored - How Do they Make a Difference?

Sunday school originally began in 1780 because people wanted to teach poor children to read as they typically worked in factories all week. Nearly all children went to Sunday school - even if their parents did not go to church - and along with learning to read, they were taught the Bible - as it was the main book they learned to read. These children also learned to write as they copied verses from the Bible. 

Deeper In for Children AND Anchored will Provide the Tools You Need to Equip Children with a Confident Faith!

Those who serve in Children's Ministry do so because they want to help children learn what the Bible says and how they are able to know and walk with Jesus. Most churches tend to do an acceptable job of teaching children the Bible accounts, but do not always do a strong job of teaching children what difference it makes in their lives to know what the Bible says.  It is essential for children to learn what the Bible says AND learn what the difference is it makes in their lives to know these things. We must teach both.

Bible Memory with Deeper In for Children

Along with providing a unified scope and sequence for all ages, free lessons for Christmas and Resurrection Sunday, free resources to help you teach the "whys" (Anchored), an extra lesson each week which you are able to use for Children's church, a longer Sunday School, or mid-week, and lessons which engage children so they help teach each week, Deeper In for Children also encourages children to learn Bible verses, but does so in a way focused upon learning, understanding, and living God's Word.

More Info About Deeper In for Children

The Grace year of Deeper In for Children curriculum for elementary age children will be available the beginning of March and the Preschool/Early Elementary Grace year of Deeper In for Children will be available by the end of March. Each quarter of Deeper In for Children will include thirteen weekly Bible events for Sunday School, thirteen weekly Bible events for a Second Service/longer Sunday School/Mid Week, optional Bible event for Christmas, optional Bible event for Resurrection Sunday, AND Anchored supplemental curriculum to help you teach the "whys".

Why Deeper In for Children has a Unified Scope and Sequence

A few days ago I shared the scope and sequence for the Grace year of Deeper In for Children - you will find it at this link. I also shared a sample lesson and student flyer which you will find at this link. Today I want to write about why Deeper In for Children has a unified scope and sequence.

What does Deeper In for Children Cost?

Yesterday I wrote about the pricing for Deeper In for Children and the items which are included for free. Today I want to write a bit more about these things.

Deeper In for Children - Sample Lesson & Flyer

I have been writing about Deeper In for Children and today I am happy to share with you a sample lesson - which you will find at this link! Each lesson engages children in researching a portion of the day's Bible event and preparing props/posters which they will share during Large Group. Then they return to their Small Groups where they work through a flyer - which you will find a sample flyer at this link.

VBS 2023 - Stellar from Group

Today I'm happy to share with you Group's 2023  VBS;  Stellar! Space has been in the news quite a bit lately with the appearance of the rare green comment, the discovery of 12 new moons around Jupiter and the "spokes" in the rings around Saturn, and the launch of Artemis - some of the children in your ministry may even have had their names added to the list on Artemis! So, a VBS with a space setting is timely and one which will likely capture the attention of the children in your church and community. An excellent theme/setting is great fun, but most importantly, as I would expect from Group, Stellar has solid Bible teaching and  learning!

Deeper In for Children Scope & Sequence for the First Year - Grace!

I've been writing about Deeper In for Children for a few days, so today I am going to share the scope and sequence for the first year - Grace - to help you see what it is all about. With  Deeper In for Children your church will spend a year focusing on the very important truths of what God's Word - from cover to cover - has to say about Grace. Each quarter has an intentional focus - the first quarter the focus is on our need for Grace. Second Quarter we learn about our challenge to choose Grace. Third quarter we look at how Grace changes us. The fourth quarter we focus on what Jesus wants us to know about Grace by first of all reviewing what we learned about Grace the first month (parents/grandparents are invited to join their children) and then how Jesus shows HIs great love and Grace!

Deeper In for Children and the Purpose of Sunday School

What is the purpose of Sunday School? Clearly it is about far more than providing "child care". While it is about introducing children to the people in the Bible, it is about more than this as we want the children in our ministries to gain more than "head knowledge" from their time in our care. Sunday School is an opportunity for us to help children learn what the Bible says AND understand how knowing these things makes a real difference in their lives. This is why Deeper In for Children is focused upon helping children think through and answer the question, "How does knowing this make a difference in your life?"

Help Children go Deeper Into God's Word with Deeper In for Children

Deeper In for Children is written to engage children in the learning process from start to finish by getting children to open Bibles, research the Bible event for the day, and prepare props which they use during the Large Group time. We do these things so the children go deeper into God's Word and will remember what they did in class and will be able to understand and live God’s Word in their everyday lives! 

Babylon VBS - A Must Have for Your Ministry!

It is the time of year when I share a couple VBS reviews with you. There used to be more than a dozen VBS resources available for churches - now there are far fewer. I used to review everything, but now I am only reviewing those VBS resources I believe to be the best. Today I am very happy to let you know about a fantastic resource from Group Publishing - Babylon - Daniel's Courage in Captivity!

Deeper In for Children is a Great Fit for Your Church Because . . .

Why is Deeper In for Children an excellent choice for your Children's Ministry? There are several reasons why, but one is certainly because of its focus on helping children truly understand the message of God's Word. Most curriculum resources tend to take children on a survey through the Bible with a focus upon Bible people, what they said and what they did. Deeper In for Children takes a different approach. While children will have the opportunity to "meet" Bible people, the focus is on a topic for an entire year and guides children in learning what the entire Bible has to say about the topic for the year.

Why is Deeper In for Children a Great Fit for Your Children's Ministry?

There is no shortage of curriculum resources available for churches to choose from for their Children's Ministries - many of which are well written, so what makes Deeper In for Children the curriculum for your church? It is designed to do some unique things . . .

Deeper In for Children will Equip You to Help Children Become People Who Pray

In our Children's Ministries children hear us pray during the times we offer Sunday School and Mid-Week Ministry opportunities. We tell children they need to be people who pray, but, do we really help equip them so they are able to be people who pray? With Deeper In for Children you will be able to do exactly this - equip them so they are able to be people who pray!

Go Deeper in Your Children's Ministry with Deeper In for Children Curriculum

Teaching children about the Bible so they know who God is and how they are able to know Him is one of the most important things we will ever do, and is why most churches invest in Sunday School curriculum. While they are many excellent curriculum resources on the market, we are watching as more and more children turn away from their faith and even to atheism as they grow older. It does not have to be this way.

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

I'm sure you teach the "whats" in your Children's Ministry - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe, but do you also teach the "whys" to the children in your church - why we are able to believe God is real, the Bible is true, God and science DO go together, and God is good? Have you ever stopped to think about teaching the "whys"? I want to share with you a few quotes about the very real need for apologetics for children.

Make a Difference in the Lives of the Families in Your Church with The Best Gift, Real Love, Prayer Bible Maze Journe

Last week I asked how has Covid impacted your church and Children's Ministry? I also quoted from an article in  Christianity Today  which said; "Before COVID-19 shut things down in March 2020, the independent evangelical church averaged about 220 people a week. Almost two years after the church briefly suspended in-person services because of COVID-19, he says they are averaging about 150 people a week." 

Make a Difference with New Year New You, He is Alive!, Trusting God Bible Maze Journey

How has Covid impacted your church and Children's Ministry? An article in Christianity Today said; "Before COVID-19 shut things down in March 2020, the independent evangelical church averaged about 220 people a week. Almost two years after the church briefly suspended in-person services because of COVID-19, he says they are averaging about 150 people a week."