Helping under 5s connect with God through worship. Powerful Praise In a crèche programme at our church, there was chaos all around. It was one of those days when it felt like everyone was crying or misbehaving. The leaders had done everything they could think of to calm things down, without success, and they had moved now into survival mode waiting for the session to end and praying that the preacher would not over run. In the middle of the cacophony of noise, one two-year-ol

Go and make disciples. That was the last words of Jesus. Jesus' instructions are for the whole church and the clearly includes the children. Yes, those same children who saw Jesus do miracles (and even helped him feed the 5,000), the same children who heard him tell the parables these same children were called to go out and make disciples.   In teaching others we learn much about our faith. We have seen this time after time as children have led their friends to the Lord.   Go

Helping under 5s connect with God through His word. The Life Changing Word God’s word changes young lives. One Easter we taught some toddlers about how Jesus swapped everything at the cross. One person arrived with a naughty sign around their neck. When they came to the cross Jesus swapped their naughtiness for his goodness. For another person, Jesus swapped their sadness at the cross. For a third person, Jesus swapped their sickness. This simple teaching allowed children to

As Advent approaches, in the business of the season we have the privilege of leading children in the excitement of Christmas. Our privilege is to show them that this anticipation for Christmas is part of a much bigger story? One that stretches back to God camping with His people in the wilderness and forward to the day when Jesus returns to make all things new? This blog helps you connect three major themes—Advent, the ancient practice often called the Feast of Tabernacles, a

How can we strengthen our children as they face life’s challenges? Storms will come. Every family faces seasons of difficulty — illness, loss, disappointment, or uncertainty. In addition to this our children also face their own unique battles: bullies, tests, fears, and the pressures of growing up. As parents, our natural instinct is to protect our children from pain. Yet faith is not built in comfort — it is refined in the storm. This was why the Lord kept enemies in the lan

It is time to position ourselves ready to serve what God is doing. It is clear that God is moving in our nation, especially among the under 25s. This is a move that has been prophesied of for decades – that the young would be at the forefront for a move of God. It is a move that we have prayed for and longed to see and now it is here. God is moving sometimes through us, but often in this season I observe that it is almost in spite of us. Many churches that are preaching the G

What is your framework for ministry? If you get it wrong you risk teaching error and believing falsehoods. We don’t base our theology on feelings or on circumstances. Our understanding of theology, and by extension of ultimate truth, comes from God’s word.   For example, when it comes to children’s ministry, no one is comfortable with the idea that a child could go to hell. But people are not saved because they are cute, because they are young or because they are liked. Conve

Teach your children to love everyone but to choose their friends carefully.   Every single person is made in God’s image. Every single...

Using the curriculum as a springboard for each week, how can we help our children to connect to God for themselves?

So the thing that they say happens has now happened. When your children are small everyone speaks of how time flies by and before you...

When my children were toddlers, they would bring me a picture they had drawn. Sometimes it was a picture of me (allegedly), sometimes of...

It is currently parents who are responsible for ensuring their children receive a suitable education in England. Most parents will...

We were talking with our children about the war in the middle east that is intensifying at the moment and this led to some interesting discussions on the iron dome.   As we discussed it there was one question that floated to the surface:

What is the greatest danger to our faith?   Doctrinal errors certainly abound, and persecution is on the rise in the West. But errors in...

In our last article of the kid min basics series we talked about recruiting volunteers. But having recruited them how can we build a...

The biggest challenge for many children’s ministries is recruiting volunteers for the ministry.   So here are some things I have learnt...

The supreme court in the UK has recently definitively (and unanimously) stated that when sex is mentioned in law, it means biological...

The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit as our advocate: to help us, comfort us, remind us of all...

How can you pray during troubling times with your teens? Olly Goldenberg explains Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Do not be anxious about...

Teenagers are not Biblical What would happen if we treated our 13-plus-year-olds as young adults instead of teenagers? It’s been a...