Articles Zone

The power of the word of God will work for kids. We often quote Paul from 2 Timothy 3 about the power of God’s word. Rightfully so. We forgot, however, the context of Paul’s statement is in reference to Timothy having learned the word as a child.

8 Tips on Recruiting from Karl Bastian

Info and Tips for working with ADD / ADHD kids.

How can we slow kids and families down and bring them closer to a walk with God? Here are a few suggestions.

CLASSIC POST: These are the workshop notes and additional details from the workshop that the Kidologist taught at the Children's Pastor's Conference in Nashville and San Diego in 2001.

Many churches today use a Large Group / Small Group format. For small group leaders, here are FIVE TIPS to make your time as effective as possible.

How do you fire a volunteer? That's a tough question, but here are some guidelines you will find helpful as you approach this delicate duty!

Improve your volunteer retention by finding the right volunteers from the start!

Our goal isn’t to have a completely controlled classroom – it is to minister to each and every child according to their needs. And that includes every child!

Puppet Training on doing a puppet all by yourself - ventriloquism NOT required! (Although the AVC's of Ventriloquism are included!) Tips and Advice on how to do a puppet by yourself, how to develop a character, and things you can do to enhance your lesson with a solo puppet.

I love Minecraft. I play it with my son and other kids. It also teaches me things about children's ministry.

This is a masters level paper on the 'gradual historical return to Jesus' Theology of Children. Includes extensive footnotes and bibliography.

Karl talks about ways to Keep It S.I.M.P.L.E. in your ministry when you are starting to feel overwhelmed (Post includes an MP3)

This is a sermon on the passages of Jesus blessing the children that you can use to teach about the value of children.

Love is not something that can merely be taught; it must be caught.

Children expect you to be there in the classroom during the Sunday School hour, or whenever your club or ministry meets. But they DON'T expect you to touch their life during the week! So surprise them!

How to Release the CM from providing Child Care to other ministries.

No doubt about it! The kids of today are not the same as when YOU were a kid! Their interests are different, they grow up much faster, and even their 'toys' are amazing! SO HOW DO YOU REACH THEM?

Help kids understand their own attitudes through this easy activity with Name Tags. Plus, help build community as the kids get to know each other a little bit better.

While we may have valid concerns to many of the practices associated with inviting children to receive Jesus into their hearts, Jesus' imperative to bring kids to him must be a priority for children's ministry.

Have you every blown it? Here is some encouragement not to give up as you serve "On the Potter's Wheel"

Understanding ministry in progress.

Using People, not Programs

Learn a strategy that will give unique meaning and purpose to every event - rather than just planning events and tossing in some spiritual impact so it can be called ministry.

Learn how to naturally and safely invite kids to church.

Anything done in extremes isn't healthy, and parents should limit both the time and money invested in Pokémon, but like baseball cards, P.O.G.S, stickers, and anything else kids get into, it needs to be balanced, and they need to know what is real and what is make believe. God gave children incredible imaginations.... the creators of Pokémon have tapped into that in a way that baffles adults who aren't on the inside track.

If you want to be a more proactive leader – don't start your day by checking your e-mail, voice mail, or mail slot at the office. Here is what you do...

Kids and adults respond better to puppets than to almost any other creative teaching method.

Often the words Purpose, Mission and Vision are used interchangeably. What do they mean and what impact can they have on your children's ministry? A HUGE impact!

Pastor Karl addresses this critical issue that faces all of our ministries. Families visit our church, and don't return. Or, families that once were regular, fade away and we wonder what happened to them. How do we bring them back?

How can I lead relationally while maintaining respect for my position. 

I think because New Year’s Resolutions often don’t last or are forgotten after several months, some people give up even making them. Others even encourage people not to for this very reason. I disagree. I think they are fantastic!

A simple to plan event that both the kids and parents love.

Educators have long called it a Scope and Sequence. Every thoughtful Bible curriculum has one. If it doesn’t, you might want to re-evaluate the quality of the material or the intentionality of its creators. If there is no scope and sequence, then it is a haphazard approach to education, and that is dangerous.

Purpose, Mission and Vision are critical to a ministry's success, but without goals they are difficult to bring into reality. Evaluating your progress also becomes nearly impossible! Goals break down a grand vision into attainable action steps. Let us show you how to setup these goals.

You went into children's ministry because you wanted to be a shepherd of children – and all too soon you became more sheepherder than shepherd. What changed?

A Shepherd Guides, Provides, and Protects. We need to do the same for our children.

Encourage the kids in your ministry to repent from their sins.

Originally published in Groups CM Mag Professional Edition, Karl challenges your thinking about church communication from "How can I better get information out?" to "Why aren't they listening?"

So, did you watch the STATE of the UNION address by the President? Regardless of your political opinions, it is a good practice to stop once a year and consider the state of the union.

Helps the kids see the importance of how they represent the kingdom through a humorous object lesson.

Neat ideas on how to deal with stress.

The way we use our words can have a lasting impact on the people around us.

Preschoolers are at a strategic age to learn so much about life. Creativity, compassion, patience, confidence, and cooperation are just a few of the many new qualities that begin to develop during these years.

It is much easier to teach a child to trust in a loving God when all is well. However, our children need to learn that God is present and loving even when things are difficult.

They aren’t kids, but they aren’t adults yet either. 

Grow a collection of object lessons and other resources that will help young minds better understand God and His Word!

Someone once said that the definition of grace is: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Because of what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross, we have all of God’s richest blessings – most importantly – we are saved by His grace from all of our sin. By His grace, God has called us...

Here is everything you need to hold a Teen Training Volunteer Session to inspire, instruct and instill confidence in your youth volunteers.

Karl says "Thanks" while giving a rare glimpse at the history of Kidology.org