Articles Zone

Practical and insightful articles about Children's Ministry.

Looking for some expert advice? This Zone is a treasury of Children's Ministry expertise from the Kidologist and other veterans in children's ministry.

Some of the most popular articles are:

Getting into the Home | Mailbox Ministry | Discipline that Disciples | Entering the World of Kids | First Steps for a New Children's Pastor | The Great KID Mission |

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All Access 3 Things We Can't Do While Staring At A Screen

Do you spend too much time in front of a screen? Find out how how you can stay engaged, even while staying plugged in. 

Technology, Relationships
All Access 3 Things You Can Read to Become a Better Leader

Here are three things you can read to become a better leader. Hint: It's not what you think!

Investing in Yourself
Starter 3 Ways The Holy Spirit Speaks To Us

"I teach kids that the Holy Spirit speaks in three ways."

Holy Spirit, Discernment
All Access 3 Ways to be a Better Dad

So many dads want to be better dads, but they have no idea what that looks like.

Parenting
Free 4 Cool Father's Day Craft Ideas

Keep little hands busy with these four cool Father’s Day craft ideas.

Father's Day Craft Ideas
Free 4 Powerful Things Criticism Tells About You

Being the object of criticism can be discouraging and deflating. It can also be an opportunity for growth.

Criticism, Growth, Leadership
Free 4 Proven Ways To Get On Your Boss' Good Side

It's important when working in a church environment that you have a strong personal relationship with your boss. Read these tips to see what you can do to improve that relationship.

Leadership, Relationships, Workplace Issues
Free 4 Reasons The Kids In Your Ministry Are Misbehaving

How do you handle discipline in your ministry? Not just punishment, but maintaining control before it gets out of control? Here are some tips to help you run a smooth Sunday morning (or Wednesday evening).

Discipline, Relationship, Leadership
Free 4 Things Every Decision Needs

Here are four things that every decision needs before it can be considered a real decision.

Decision-making
Starter 4 Tips for Gifting a Bible to Kids

Find some great tips for how to make a Bible even more special to the child receiving it.

Gifting Bibles
All Access 4 Tips For Helping Kids Serve in Kid's Church... Adults too.

Kid’s can be the church of today, if we let them… and help them.

Serving, Volunteers
Free 4 Tips for Sharing the Gospel with Kids at Easter

It is our privilege to share the good news of the Gospel with the kids in our children’s ministries! Here are 4 tips for sharing the gospel with kids at Easter.

Easter, Sharing the Gospel
All Access 4 Truths Kids Need Every Sunday

Be sure your kids experience these 4 basic truths evey Sunday. 

Lessons for Kids
All Access 4 Ways I React When A Volunteer Leaves

How do you honestly feel when you get that dreaded email/call or hallway encounter where your volunteer is sharing with you that they are departing?

Volunteers, Shepherding
Free 4 Ways to Get Your Kids Thinking About Outreach

Outreach is the first step to evangelism. Kids can be involved in outreach. Kids SHOULD be involved in outreach!

Outreach
All Access 4 Ways to Promote Your Church's VBS

Helpful ideas to help you so that you can invite your whole neighborhood to VBS.

VBS, Outreach
All Access 4 Ways to Stop Your Hurried Pace of Life

Feel like ministry is on fast-forward mode all the time? Here are four ways to press STOP and learn to pause.

Leadership, Criticism
All Access 4 Ways To Think Big But Act Small In Your KidMin

We all want to do big things in our ministry. We want to cast a big vision and see a big God bring big results. That’s the way most of us think, and that’s good! But thinking big often results in missing what’s really important – the little things that are the real fruit of our ministry. The little things that make a big difference and, when added up, bring the big impact.

Vision Casting
All Access 5 Exciting New Ways To Teach The Nativity Story

It’s almost Christmas time, aka one of the two times of the year where what you’ll be teaching in Sunday School is firmly locked in place. Of course, therein lies the problem. How do you make a story that all the little ones know by heart exciting again? Fret not, Kid Mins. I have scoured the big ol’ interwebs and found 5 ridiculously awesome (and inexpensive) ways to liven up your nativity teaching.

Nativity Lesson Plans
All Access 5 Ideas to Stretch Your Creative Muscle

You can get inspiration from anywhere! I hear people say that they are not creative. And I just want to scream at them, “Yes, you are! You just don’t know it yet!”

Creativity
All Access 5 Leadership Don'ts You Should Do

We often hear about the leadership "do's." What about the leadership "don'ts?" Read about 5 that you can apply to your ministry today!

Leadership Don'ts
All Access 5 Lessons Learned From Years of Ministry With My Wife

How do you work in leadership with family in order to avoid unnecessary stress?

Relationships
All Access 5 Must-Have Values for Leading Volunteers

Many leaders face challenges with high rates of turnover and frustrating results. Others seem to enjoy strong teams and ministry effectiveness. So what makes a leader effective in building teams of volunteers?  

Leadership
Free 5 Qualities of Good Kidmin Volunteer Training

As you plan for your next volunteer training, remember these qualities and you will end up with a great volunteer training event!

Volunteer Training
All Access 5 Questions To Ask Before you Change Something

Change effects all of us in different ways. Make sure you SHOULD make the change before plowing ahead.

Change
All Access 5 Questions to Help Teach Your Kids Responsibility

Every child is different, and every family is different, but there are some thing we can explore to help us figure out the right level of responsibility for our kids.

Responsibility
All Access 5 Reasons To Appreciate Your Lead Pastor

A list of reasons why you need to be showing appreciation to your Lead Pastor

Pastor Appreciation
Free 5 Shifts Parents Need to Make in LGBTQ America

As Christians, how should we respond to losing battles in our culture war?

Social Issues, Parenting
Free 5 Spiritual Lessons to Learn from Riding a Bike

Spiritual lessons from riding a bike? Of course!

Leadership, Growing in Faith
All Access 5 Steps to Build Relationships

Relationships matter. Even though ministry has its ups and downs, ultimately relationships continue holding everything together. Here are some tips to help evaluate and refine your relational existence.

Relationships, Evaluation
All Access 5 Things Children's Ministers Wish Their Senior Pastor Knew

An open letter from those who serve in children's ministry to their senior pastors.

Leadership
Free 5 Things Every Ministry Leader Should Be Doing With Their Family

Is your family involved in children's ministry? If so, are you excited about it, or do you need a reminder as to why you serve? Read these 5 tips for keeping the spirit of serving alive in your family.

Serving in Kids' Ministry
All Access 5 Things I Did to Get a Sabbath

it breaks my heart ot hear so many of my peers wrestling with whether or not they can or even should take a Sabbath.

Sabbath for Pastors
All Access 5 Things Leaders Should Do Every Week

Regardless of what field you are in, leadership is demanding. It’s often messy, especially in ministry. It can take it’s toll on you as an individual, on your family, and on your ministry team. Here are 5 things I try to do everyday to help combat the demands of leadership.

All Access 5 Things to Remember During a KidMin Christmas

Discover ways to stay sane during the holidays and throughout the year. 

Christmas, Events, Family
All Access 5 Things You Can Do Today to Make Sunday Easier

Make Sunday mornings easier with these 5 tips.

Organization, Leadership, Volunteers
Free 5 Things You Should Tell Kids in Your Church

5 things to teach your children that never grow old or stale. 

God's Love, What All Children Should Know
All Access 5 Tips For A Successful Training Meeting

Make your volunteer meetings relevant and succinct. They will appreciate you for it.

Volunteers, Leadership
Free 5 Tips for Lining Up Summer Volunteers

Summer is here! How is your summer Sunday schedule looking? Do you have all the volunteers you will need or are you struggling? Here are 5 tips to help you line up volunteers for your Sunday programming this summer.

Summer Volunteers
All Access 5 Tips for Teaching Younger Kids

Learn easy ways to help your younger students get the most out of your lessons. 

Teaching Younger Kids
All Access 5 Ways That Kids Can Serve in Kid's Church

Kids are not the church of the future. They can be the church of today!

Service, Volunteers, Discipleship
Free 5 Ways to Beat Burnout

Summer is unique in that it is usually one of the toughest times of year for those in children’s ministry. In fact, no matter what ministry you serve in, the top threat to your ministry is GUARANTEED to come knocking at your door during the summer. What threat is that? The answer is: BURNOUT.

Burnout in Ministry
All Access 5 Ways to Engage Church Leadership in Children's Ministry

Here are 5 ways that you can engage church leadership in children's ministry.

Church Leadership, Children's Ministry
All Access 5 Ways To Instantly Recruit Volunteers

Use this list as a springboard for your own endeavors in recruiting volunteers.

Recruiting, Volunteers
All Access 5 Ways To Make 2013 Your Best Leadership Year Ever!

I’m not much for New Year “resolutions”, but there’s a time for renewed commitment to the things we’re pursuing. The New Year is always a good time to step back and evaluate, and to look ahead with renewed energy. Here are a few thoughts on how we can “lead better” in 2013.

Leadership
All Access 5 Ways to Make Visiting Families Feel Welcome

Here are a few ways to make sure that new families feel welcome at your church and ministry.

Welcoming New Families
All Access 5 Ways to Raise Support for a Family Missions Trip

Need to raise support for a family missions trip? Here are some great ideas for raising support!

Family Missions Trips
Free 5 Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Volunteers for a Year of Hard Work

Your volunteers work hard and deserve some appreciation! Here are 5 ways to show appreciation to your volunteers for a year of hard work.

Volunteers, Appreciation
All Access 5 Ways to Stay Connected Over the Summer

Keep your relationships strong this summer by staying connected to the kids you teach. 

Summer
All Access 5 Ways To Teach Kids Thankfulness

Thankfulness goes beyond the words and phrases we use. 

Thankfulness
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