Results from Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research Show People Do Not Believe the Bible - Use Anchored to Help Children & Families have a Confident Faith

I often refer to the study from Barna which shows Gen Z is turning away from their faith to atheism at double the rate of any previous generation - you will find it at this link and a couple months ago I shared the new Gallup Poll which shows fewer people in the USA now see the Bible as the literal Word of God as only 20% of people believe the Bible is the literal Word of God - you will find it at this link.

Engage Children, Pay Attention & Help Children Connect

Forty plus years ago when I led Children's Ministries, most of the children were brought to church by their parents. There were few children who came because their grandparents brought them. However; times have changed. It is more likely than not you have children in your ministry who are there because their grandparents bring them. Where I used to be able to focus upon keeping parents updated on what we were doing with their children in the Children's Ministry and planning resources to equip parents, so they were able to continue the teaching at home, today it is very possible you have to expand your vision to include grandparents.

I'm Giving One Trio Game Away on February 2, 2024

 Last week on my other blog (grandmascookiejar.net) I wrote about a new card game - Trio. Today I wrote again and am sharing it with you - 

Last week I wrote about some happy news - Happy Camper is a new game company and their new game Trio is now available! I shared some of the things about Trio which initially impressed me - you are able to find these things at this link. I also shared the very happy news of how Happy Camper is making a Trio game available for me to give away! Yes, a giveaway!

Ask the Question - What About the Grandparents?

When we think about the questions we need to ask on a regular basis about our Children's Ministry, there are definitely several important questions to keep in mind. One you may not think about, but need to, is; what about the grandparents? This question, and it's answer, matters for the following reasons . . . 

Re-evaluate & Make Your Ministry More Effective

 

Sunday mornings have changed in many churches, quite a bit, from what they were when I was a child. In some ways this is a positive thing, but in others, not so much. When we make changes which result in making things more difficult for parents and grandparents, then we need to re-evaluate what we are doing.

The Other "Basket" - Let's Move Those "Eggs"!

Yesterday I wrote about how we tend to put all our "eggs" in one "basket" when it comes to Children's Ministry - we focus on ministry to children which means Sunday School - sometimes children's church, mid-week ministry, and typically some type of Summer ministry - a VBS-type opportunity. I'm not saying we should not do any or all of these things, but I do believe we need to "move some of our eggs" into a different "basket"; the "basket" of ministry which engages, equips, and encourages parents and grandparents to pass on a heritage of confident faith to their children and grandchildren.

Don't Miss the Mark!

I love Children's Ministry; I served happily in it for 44 years! I believe  Children's Ministry is important and it matters; every church should be focused on what they want to accomplish in and with their Children's Ministry and have a real plan to do so.

But, I am becoming more and more convinced we are missing the mark in our Children's Ministries. We put all our "eggs in one basket" - and invest all our budget for children in Children's Ministry. And, while this may seem like it makes sense, when we do this, we are missing the mark.

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.

"No Cookie-Cutter Children's Ministries" - Get Your Copy Today

In a day where the church is losing the next generation at double the rate of any previous generation, we must take a clear look at what we are doing, why we are doing it, and how we are able to make necessary changes to ensure our church's Children's Ministries are as effective as possible. In "No Cookie-Cutter Children's Ministries" Lynda Freeman, who has over fifty years of experience in Children's Ministry, shares how while one Children's Ministry is not able to be exactly like another, we are all able to be sure we have the right "ingredients" so our own, unique Children's Ministry knows its purpose and vision, is a safe place for children, is able to find volunteers and train them, "teach the whys", as well as how to team up with the parents and grandparents.

How does Using Deeper In for Children Make a Difference?

How will using Deeper In for Children  curriculum help the children in your ministry learn, remember, understand, and live God's Word? It does this in four specific ways . . . 

Do You Help or Make Things More Difficult?

When you read through the Bible it is clear to see God's plan for handing confident faith to the next generation is for grandparents and parents to work together to hand this faith to the children He has entrusted to them. When they work together as a team to do this, they are able to make a big impact on the children. And, when the church comes alongside the grandparents and parents to support and encourage them and reinforce what they are doing with the children, it makes this team even stronger.

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 -

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. 

Jesus was NOT Boring - Why are We?

Why is it so many of our Children's Ministries are committed to boring the socks off the children in their ministries? Well, they may not be "committed" to boring children, but they are not committed to engaging them. When we insist on teaching children by having them sit and listen as we "yak" at them, then we are boring them and we end up leaving them with these utterly false beliefs  - Jesus and the Bible are boring. This leads to children choosing to leave church as soon as they are possibly able to do so. Oh yes. We pay an extremely high price when we insist on teaching by talking and not by engaging.

Why Deeper In for Children has a Unified Scope and Sequence

Yesterday I shared the scope and sequence for the Grace year of Deeper In for Children - you will find it at this link.  Today I want to write about why  Deeper In for Children  has a unified scope and sequence.

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?"

Why Does Children's Ministry Matter?

As we begin our new year of ministry to children and families, take a moment to remember why what you are doing does matter. Children's ministry does matter, but why does it matter? Obviously it matters because children matter to Jesus . . . in Matthew 19:13-15 it says, "One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus intervened: "Let the children alone, don't prevent them from coming to me. God's kingdom is made up of people like these." (the Msg) If children mattered to Jesus, and they did, then they should matter to us!

Deeper In for Children will Equip You to Help Children Become People Who Pray - Make it Your Choice for 2024

 

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!

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 -

No Cookie-Cutter Children's Ministries will Make a Difference in Your Ministry

I am very happy to let you know about the release of my book - "No Cookie-Cutter Children's Ministries" - it is available in our bookstore at this  link and on Amazon at this link!

Two VERY BIG THINGS

For the past few weeks I've been writing about 14 things to be aware of which if they are part of your Children's Ministry, you are "blowing it". Today I want to write about one more. This one is a "biggie". This one is over-looked, discounted, and just not even cared about in far, far too many churches. What is this big thing? Well, it is actually two VERY BIG THINGS - a boring Children's Ministry and Grandparents who feel alone.

14 Ways to "Blow" Your Children's Ministry - Believe Your Own "PR"

It is far too easy to get in a situation in Children's Ministry where we believe our own "PR" and think it is up to us to "save" it, because we know what to do and the best way to do it. If we stop listening to others and ignore or belittle things and ideas which are important to others we are "blowing" our Children's Ministry.

This one is really pretty self-explanatory, but I'll give a few examples . . .