Articles Zone

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.

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.

How can a volunteer truly H.E.L.P. their leader?

If you minister to kids you have a powerful opportunity to impact lives in dramatic ways, and the small amount of effort it takes may surprise you.

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.

It has come to our attention that Children’s Pastors see the world a little differently than most others. This handy reference guide will help bridge the language gap that so often divides them from the rest of society. We recommend this guide be kept for ready reference at all staff and board meetings so as to help understand your children’s pastor and his/her perspective.

This was a seminary research project on the subject using essays written by grade school children on the topic: "Who is God, and what is He like?"

Every children's ministry needs a gifted leader who is able lead by coaching. He or she is able to call the plays that mobilize a team or class full of children to meet a goal.

Great articles on slowing down and taking time to focus on your own soul.

Time and money that you spend creating an exciting environment will pay for itself many times over. The kids will respond by offering their attention while adults will respond by placing their children in your care. Beige walls, an overhead projector, and rows of metal chairs will not work the same magic. Here are some suggestions.

Good ideas to keep in touch with your children and encourage them.

A Kids Church Video featuring “Da Feet.” An introduction for a lesson on Caleb.

A Kids Church Video featuring “Da Feet.” An introduction for a lesson on Joshua.

A Kids Church Video featuring “Da Feet.” An introduction for a lesson on Moses.

Karl Bastian provides tips on how to keep your cool and deal with parents when they get upset with you!

Originally published in Children's Ministry Magazine Professional Edition, Karl Bastian shares insights on how to deal with criticism in leadership.  

Learn to turn something boring into something creative, the way disney does.

The phone can be an effective tool in building stronger relationships with the children in your ministry. So here are some ideas for ways you can use the phone to touch kids lives and some tips to make you r calls more meaningful.

Some things you likely never knew about Psalm 118 that are pretty cool!  

Are "FIC" (Family Integrated Churches) really better? Or are we merely trading one ineffective extreme for another?

Would you like to KNOW why God put you here on this earth? Wouldn’t it be great at the end of your life to be able to say, “I have finished the race?” But how will you know if you have finished the race unless you know what race you are running? This article, which reveals the personal story of the Kidologist's calling, will give you some insight on how YOU can discover YOUR calling.

Take care of the "Big Rocks" in your life, and then worry about everything else. If you can't, then you simply are doing more than God is asking you to, and you need to take a hard look at your life and ministry. It may require some heart-searching prayer about what God is asking you to do.

If you want to understand children, you've got to get into their homes. It is amazing what you can learn about the interests and influencers of children from their bedrooms! A kid's room is like a diorama of their heart.

This is a teaching outline on personal discipline. Can be used for individual study, or for teaching a workshop.

A look at great resources to help you get started in kidmin

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.

Pastor Karl Bastian, children's pastor and founder of Kidology.org - and graduate of Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, Illinois, was honored in the Moody Alumni Magazine in the Winter 2025 edition.

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.