Administration Zone

Ministry is hard.  If you’re in a pastoral-type position, you know it’s hard, and studies have proven it.  Aside from the senior level (Senior/Lead/Executive Pastor type positions), I believe leading in Children’s Ministry is the most difficult pastoral position to serve in.

You. Me. Every Christian. We are all called to make disciples. Most of us can look back on our lives and name at least several Christians who either discipled us or had a significant impact on us. How many children do you know who are being intentionally discipled by a mature Christian? The children in our ministries need to be discipled, and they need to have several different “disciplers” in their lives.

The Answer Guys bring you another excellent children's puppet script to help children learn about names of people in the Bible!

Since when are goals only for January? You can set goals any time of year... like now!

Do you feel tired and frustrated by the lack of support and excitement for your ministry? Here are strategic questions to ask to help you examine why.

Just how important is Sunday School? Read this article and you will understand the importance of Sunday School Ministry!

Why does your church need a children's check-in solution? Here are the main reasons.

Suggestions on how to handle ministry turf wars and deal with known ministry priorities.

It’s really scary to be in over your head, in rough and deep uncharted waters. The frantic efforts to preserve life when taking in water, thrashing about, scared and panicked about what’s next. Managing to gasp for breath, while trying to stay afloat, is overwhelming.

So you have decided to leave your position as Children’s Leader at your church. Perhaps “going for the door” was not an easy decision to make. On the other hand, it just might have been the obvious choice. God has been speaking to you and you have agreed, it's time to turn in your resignation.

How kid-friendly is your church? 

A Life Verse can be your favorite verse from the Bible—you know, a verse that you really like or want to model. How does your Life Verse relate to your Children’s Ministry?

What goals are you setting for the new year?  

Use these guidelines, along with the downloadable template, to create your next job descriptions. 

When you allow your children’s ministry to be designated as a “child-care” program, you succumb to secularizing your ministry, which makes it more conducive to a “baby-sitting” service, than a legitimate ministry function that is complimentary to a church.

Many a leader sabotaged his or her ministry simply because they were not teachable. How and why you should SEEK out feedback.

Ideas for group names

I have 3 steps to help recruit in children's ministry. Know where you are going, know who you are recruiting, and know what's next.  

I shared this with my workers at are monthly get together. The information is pulled from different sources noted in the notes. Enjoy

If you want your application to stand out from the rest of the pack, the key may be found in writing a great cover letter. This article examines what people are looking for and how to best write a letter that reflects the real you.

Karl's Workshop Notes and Audio for "Ministry Outside the Walls of the Church"

Here is where to go for craft supplies.

Here is where to go for prizes for your ministry.

Here are some places I have found that have great stories for children's ministry.

Here are some great ideas and sources for videos to use in your ministry.

25 ways to build up a child verbally. Don't always say it the same way. Be creative and vary the ways you build kids up!

Ideas for promoting camp in your children's ministry.

Honest evaluation, although at times painful, maintains the cutting edge on your ministry and your leadership.

Jesus and Technology

A great system for kids picking up name tags.

A great way for teachers to let you know when they need help in the classroom without having to leave the room.

We approached an age old problem, "too few workers so let's draft the parents" with a fresh perspective and got "more than we could ask for" results.

Mark it well, if you are trying to accomplish anything great for God, you will be criticized by those that are doing nothing. Your motives will be questioned; your character may be assaulted. But as leaders, we need to develop the self-confidence and thick skin so to manage criticism constructively.

This is a sample Incident / Accident Report from the Village Church of Barrington

We have a responsibility to invest in those who desire to go into children's ministry. A well thought out internship is a great place to start. Here are some pointers to help you have a wonderful experience.

This is the kids, church crew application and references form for the Kidologist's K.C. Krew. Often requested after the CPC workshop entitled: The K.C. Krew, developing a Team of 5-6th graders to Lead in Children's Church.

These are the handout notes from the Kidologist's workshop "Kidology 101"

Need a starting point for a ministry leader job description.

What about permission slips? A little advice and a sample.

Use the church bulletin to keep the church informed on what the kids are learning.

Somebody's always suggesting new ideas around the church, like adding on to the building, or switching Sunday school to after worship, or changing the times of services. No sooner than such ideas surface, objections swarm up like spring mosquitoes.

Understanding what it is to be in God's family and why Baptism is important.

It is a lot easier to criticize than to be criticized. Most of us think it is bad for people under us to criticize, but we think the people over us deserve a bit of it.

This is the application I use with all my volunteers in my Children's ministry.

To show our appreciation for our teachers and volunteers in ministry we used the theme VOTE YES! (since it is election year). Use red, white and blue for all decorations.

Worker screening resources

Struggling for an idea to thank your volunteers? Read on....

This is a daily Bible Reading Plan with several options for kids to follow.

If we're really going to make a lasting impact on children, we need to do more than just create programs for them. We need to make a connection with them that transcends the things that we teach them.

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it’s the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise or maybe it’s the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable..... (prepare your heart for a powerful lesson)