Articles Zone

It’s so easy to get caught up in all the details of pulling off a weekend service and totally miss out on the opportunity to get to know the children in your ministry.

Five ways you can better serve Special Needs children in your ministry.

In this essay I question whether we typically have appropriate age-level expectations for children whom we influence in the church.

Bible Character Museum is a simple way to bring Bible characters to life, using either adult/teen volunteers, or older children. This can be used for just about any context, so read on!

The Apostle Paul said when he became a man he put away childish things, but then Jesus said we are to come to Him as children. How do we connect with children, relationally, while maintaining the respect of adults? Pastor Karl - a self-identified "big kid" explains how to keep that tricky balance.

Ideas for communication with leaders and volunteers

By including bullying prevention, your organization will foster an environment that encourages transparency, prioritizes communication, and empowers kids and youth to respect and support each other.

By including bullying prevention, your organization will foster an environment that encourages transparency, prioritizes communication, and empowers kids and youth to respect and support each other.

By including bullying prevention, your organization will foster an environment that encourages transparency, prioritizes communication, and empowers kids and youth to respect and support each other.

What follows is a conversation between me and a group of children in January, 2008. This is one way that I engage them in theological topics. In this example, we discuss grace. This article originally appeared on my personal blog at glenwoods.wordpress.com.

A review of Ivy Beckwith's book, Formational Children's Ministry. My review is generally favorable, although I do challenge some of the assumptions set forth by the author.

Discover 3 ways to help your volunteers through burn-out. 

6 great communication tatics that will help get your message to every parent

Don't wait until you're asked to show your pastor your ministry plan!

What is worship? How do we worship on Sunday mornings? Should we show outward expressions to what we feel?

This review is considers the work of an Anglican writer, mining insights which might be helpful in other theological contexts, particularly in the evangelical setting.

A book review of Out of the Basement: A Holistic Approach to Children’s Ministry by Diane C. Olson.

Last year I began a new initiative in my church which developed into a form of parent coaching. It is very loosely based on Karl Bastian’s VIP strategy, which can be found in the Leadership Lab 4, Partnering with Parents. This post suggests one possible scenario which can lead a family toward participating in parent coaching. Although it is fictitious and the names are not meant to represent any real person, I believe it is a plausible situation. In future posts I will explore in more detail the possible opportunities of parent coaching, as well as potential pitfalls.

Follow-up ministry is so important for children's ministry. Whether it's camp ministry or church ministry, kids need to be discipled year round. Kendra shares her story about her own experience at camp and how follow-up plays a key role in her life now.

An active duty law enforcement officer, SWAT operator, and former pastor gives advice on how to best protect the kids in your ministry.  

Ensure the safety of your kids as they return to school. 

An essay highlighting the value of simplicity and depth of relationship in producing teachable moments.

Six ideas to build an engaged and motivated team.

This article warns about the dangers of relying more on a ministry formula for family ministry, than upon God's grace to change lives.

Help kids understand the 'problem of evil'

The world of kids is constantly changing and so it takes constant effort to keep current. Learn how to minister from within the context of the culture... and see your results drastically improve!

Learn how a Children's Pastor who calls himself "The Kidologist" came to Christ as a four year old, received his call to the ministry as an elementary age boy, and headed into children's ministry before founding Kidology.org.

Why do we need music? We use music to express our worship and love to God, our fears, dreams, hopes, and even our testimony to others.

The WORDLESS BOOK is one of the most effective ways to present the Gospel to children! WORDLESS BOOKS can be purchased, but are very simple to make yourself.

Do you know how to connect to today's device- and media-saturated kids?

An case for allowing boys to be boys in a Christ-honoring way, rather than a shadow of what God intended for them to be.

In his seminal book “Will Our Children Have Faith” John H. Westerhoff, III grapples with the state of Christian Education. Originally published in 1976 by Seabury Press and later revised, expanded and republished in 2000 by Morehouse Publishing, Westerhoff’s discourse deserves wider consideration from church leaders, children’s ministry leaders and educational thinkers beyond the scope of mainline denominations. While many evangelicals would quibble with some of his theological assumptions–he is Anglican, having been originally Church of Christ–they would be wise to listen to the heart of a man who has walked out the struggle of shifting educational tides, especially in the church context. He is a distinguished scholar to be sure. But more importantly he is a thoughtful practitioner of ministry.

Karl Bastian, founder of Kidology.org, reflects on the passing of Apple founder and CEO, Steve Jobs, October 2011.

Don't let the church suck you dry - that isn't God's Will for those in ministry. When the church is killing your joy, you are doing more than God is asking of you and it is time for drastic action. Now. Stop making excuses.

The biggest trick played on Halloween is Christian kids and adults being bottled up inside churches or homes all night.

What the Kidologist, Karl Bastian, suggests as the "Top Ten" books, websites, and events for children's ministry leaders.

How to launch a Children's Ministry in a church with little or no children.

This is a guide on how to prepare a written salvation testimony with the Kidologist's as a sample. Written for kids, but good for all ages. See the PDF for printing and the sample.

Being the leader of the children's ministry team in your church is an important calling. Children's ministry is now considered one of the major reasons why people choose a church. Take a moment to consider these "words of wisdom."

The Calling I am a minister. I minister to the largest mission field in the world. I minister to children. My calling is sure. My challenge is big. My vision is clear. My desire is strong. My influence is eternal....

A great story about a great Children's Pastor.

Kids are not the church of tomorrow, they are the church of today as demonstrated by these examples in the Bible!

It may surprise you that the original "wordless book" was written for adults! It was a sermon by Spurgeon in 1866, later published in 1911, and had only three colors! DL Moody added the gold color in 1875 and Child Evangelism Fellowship popularized the modern five color version by adding green.

Defining what Children's Ministry is and what it does.

What are the qualities that make a great leader?

In the busyness of life and ministry, don't forget your Primary Objectives, because one thing is for sure: your Enemy won't.

Karl presents his Biblical Philosophy of Children's Ministry, why you should have one, and a Word doc version so you can modify it for your own ministry use.

A look at our Basic Needs, the Fundamental Question behind them, and the Fear that drives them.

A FRESH ANSWER TO THE ISSUE OF GIVING CANDY AND PRIZES TO KIDS AT CHURCH. Do I give candy and prizes to the kids in my ministry? Most certainly, YES! Am I bribing them? Certainly not! For the sake of children everywhere, allow me to present a defense for this practice, before you take the kids’ candy away! Someone needs to stand up and protect the little plastic toys from extinction!

This is a fun event your church can host in the summer.