Kathie Phillips, Author at Kathie Phillips

Seeing Kingdom Potential in Each Child

05/26/201608/16/2026 Kathie Phillips

Seeing Kingdom potential in each child

As a little girl, I loved to go to church. I mean loved. It was the favorite part of my week. I remember walking through the doors of my church excited to be with friends and adults that I loved. The atmosphere in that pink (yes, pink!) classroom was warm and welcoming. The adult leaders taught me songs and scripture verses that I still remember to this day (and sing aloud occasionally). I was introduced to bible stories that deeply impacted my life. These precious experiences impacted my life so deeply that I wanted other kids to love going to church just as much as I did. Little did I know at that moment that God was preparing me for the call He had on my life.

When I began serving in Children’s Ministry as an adult, that desire was my drive…I wanted other kids to love going to church just as much as I did – even more than I did! I wanted to create experiences that would help kids know how much the God who created them loved them and cherished them. I wanted children to make friendships that could become lifelong. I wanted children to treasure God’s Word and be excited to learn it, know it and do what it says. I wanted children to develop a love of Jesus, one that would sustain them a lifetime.

You see, for me, leading Children’s Ministry is remembering that each child has Kingdom potential. That means seeing each child who walks through the doors of my church as children who might one day grow up and be a dynamic Christ-follower. That means seeing them not as the church of tomorrow but as the church of today. God is working in their lives now, preparing them for the call He has on their lives.

Leading Children’s Ministry is remembering that each child has Kingdom potential.

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Who but God knows the future He has for them? Maybe the next great theologian, pastor, ministry leader or church planter is sitting in one of your classrooms right now. Maybe God is preparing a boy or girl in your ministry to be the next author, politician, artist, business leader, or teacher to turn the world upside down for His honor and glory.

That’s why what we do each week is so much bigger than what we can see with our human eyes. Each week, we are privileged to welcome children through the doors of our church…children who come to us with all sort of family backgrounds, personalities, gifts, talents and potential.What we are part of is Kingdom investment right now. What an honor to be part of influencing the life of a child who might change the world and shine bright for Jesus!

If you’re a kidmin leader or volunteer, there’s something I’d like to challenge you to do. The next time you hold your mid-week or weekend programming, I want you to look around at all of the children in attendance. Look them in the eye. Look beyond the challenging behavior, family circumstances or personality issues. Look at them through a new, fresh lens…as one who could make Jesus known to a world who desperately needs Him.

If you’re a parent, there’s something I’d like to challenge you to do. Do everything you can to plug your child into a church that helps them know and follow Jesus, one that challenges them to grapple with what they believe and challenges them to put their faith in action. Attend church regularly so that your child can be connected to leaders and peers who can encourage them along their spiritual journey. Help them see the church as another voice to speak into their lives.

Keep the conversation going! How might this change in perspective affect how you minister and parent this week?

7 Things to Remember When a Parent Expresses a Concern

08/10/201508/16/2026 Kathie Phillips 4 Comments

Months ago, I drove my niece to school and was very alarmed about her safety (and those of her classmates) at drop-off time. Because of my concerns, I emailed the principal and the PTA President and eagerly awaited a response. Three weeks later (yes, three weeks later), this is the exact response I received from the PTA President:

“I am not sure if you have received a response from the administration. Please feel free to attend our meeting this Thursday at 6 p.m. to discuss your concerns with drop off.”

As a former PTA President, I found this email appalling for so many reasons but I won’t go into all of that here. In a nutshell, I found this to be a missed opportunity for the PTA President to properly invite me into a dialogue about the issue, among other things. As a ministry leader, I found it equally appalling. I would have never addressed a parent’s (or aunt’s!) concerns this way.

Here are a few things I was reminded of as a leader who communicates with parents who have expressed a concern:

Don’t brush it off. When a parent takes the time to express a heartfelt concern in a non-confrontational way, address it. Don’t ignore it or discount it. So maybe the parent expressing the concern isn’t volunteering in the ministry. In my opinion, it really doesn’t matter. Addressing it – or not – speaks volumes to those we serve.

Take a deep breath if the concern is expressed harshly. When a parent feels their child’s safety is at risk, emotions tend to run high. So take a deep breath and hold off on returning that phone call, pressing “send” on that email, or spewing off a defensive response (but don’t wait three weeks). Pray and ask God to give you the right words to say and the right attitude to say them. Remember the words of Proverbs 15:1: “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.”

Respond in a timely fashion. Personally, I felt that the three weeks that passed between my original email and the response was too long. Not hearing back sooner, even acknowledging that the email had been received, was disappointing. As a leader, aim to respond within 24-48 hours.

Listen to them. What is the heart of the matter? What are they really communicating? When listening to a parent, listen without trying to come back on the defense. Sure, we think we’re taking all of the necessary steps to keep our ministry safe but maybe there is something that isn’t on our radar.

Address them by name. If you know me well, you know that nothing gets under my skin more than an email that doesn’t address me by name. I felt a bit disrespected being addressed that way. When addressing a parent’s concern, address them by name and, if meeting in person, look them in the eye when talking to them.

Value their opinion and invite them to be part of the next steps. Believe it or not, not all of the policies and procedures we’ve implemented in our ministry have been ideas that I’ve come up with. It’s been a collaborative effort. If their concern is valid, invite them to be part of the process and work together to come up with a solution. A few questions to get you started would include:

Is there an existing policy or procedure in place that is not being enforced?
Is there no existing policy or procedure in place but needs to be?
Is an existing policy or procedure in place but outdated?
Is there an existing policy or procedure in place but the parent doesn’t know it exists?

Thank them for coming to you. Yes, it’s true that some parents nit-pick about every little detail and are quick to point out every single flaw in your ministry. But for the most part, a parent that comes to me with a valid, heartfelt concern, speaks volumes to me. I want to help them. Why? Because I value them and want their support. Remember: a healthy ministry is a partnership between church and parents.

By keeping these things in mind, you will create a culture where parents are able to express their concerns, be heard and valued, and be a true partner in the ministry.

Keep the conversation going! What tips do you have in handling parental concerns? Share your ideas below!

Ministry Basics: Creating Irresistible Environments Kids Will Love!

03/03/201508/16/2026 Kathie Phillips 3 Comments

Today, I’m excited to share excerpts from a conversation I had recently with Ken Neff, Children’s Pastor at Christ Central in Lake City, Florida. I ‘met’ Ken through a Facebook group for kidmin leaders. He posted this picture of a set he designed for his kidmin and I wanted to talk to him and see why and how he does this.

Ken has been featured on churchstagedesignideas.com and is highly sought-after to help design sets for kidmin environments. What I found fascinating is that Ken has NO construction background. Prior to becoming a Children’s Pastor, he was in retail for 12 1/2 years – where he picked up marketing and art skills – and was a deputy sheriff for 10 years.

Kathie Phillips (KP): Why do you do what you do [take time to design and build sets]?

Ken Neff: (KN): “To me, it’s more than stage design. It’s the whole atmosphere. Not only are kids visually stimulated, but there is usually something else going on.” For example, Ken’s church ties music into the monthly theme. When they did a baseball theme, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was played. Costumes are also integrated along with the set design. For the baseball theme, volunteers wore baseball uniforms and hats. Ken also mentioned that prayer and God-given ideas inspire his creativity.

KP: What set design ideas do you have for churches on a budget?

KN: “I often hear, ‘I want to do something but I don’t have a budget for it.’ However, if you plan ahead, you can do something. Planning ahead makes preparing a lot easier. An added benefit of that is you can purchase items for a good price or get them donated for free. You can’t do that if you wait until the last-minute.” Ken’s ministry has a different teaching series each month but he plans out the year in advance. In fact, he’s already working on ideas for 2016!

KP: I’m curious about what curriculum you use that inspires these great sets. Do you write your own curriculum?

KN: “Yes. We write it all. It’s God-inspired but even if you use published curriculum, there’s no reason you can’t still build a stage and have props that engage the kids.”

KP: Are you the only one constructing these fabulous sets? Do you have any help?

KN: “I am the primarily one responsible, but there’s a lady in our church who comes in about a week before I change the set to help paint things. She’s an artist, so that’s helped a great deal.” Ken mentioned that he has picked up artistic skills from this sweet lady.

KP: Changing out your set every month must mean that you need a great deal of storage space. What kind of storage do you have?

KN: “We have a 30 x 50 ft storage space at our church.” Ken also recycles and repurposes quite a bit, so this helps to keep clutter to a minimum.

KP: What storage options would you suggest for those in portable churches?

KN: “You have to get creative if you’re in a portable church, but it can be done.” Some suggestions might include renting a storage space, storing items in someone’s garage, or asking your portable church location if you could store things there.

KP: What advice would you give to churches who share space with another group or ministry?

KN: “If you can make just three (3) props that go along with your theme, I would make them out of something like styrofoam. That would help it to be lightweight and make transporting to a storage area manageable. You could also get with other ministry leaders who share your space to see if they could incorporate the same theme so that props could be left up during the week.” It should be noted that Ken’s ministry shares space with their church’s weekday preschool, run by his wife, Andrea. That makes leaving his set in place a lot easier!

Quotables from our conversation:

“It’s a good feeling that we, the church, can have a huge impact on kids like Disney does and not have to spend millions of dollars to do it.”

“We need to make Jesus exciting!”

Here are a few other tips Ken suggested:

Build/group things in odd numbers. It’s easier on the eyes.
Look for resources all around you. Things like paint, wood pieces, and empty carpet tubes can be donated by people in your church. You can also find inexpensive pieces from flea markets or second-hand stores.

Check out more of Ken’s work here. If you’d like to contact Ken, you can email him at ken@christcentral.org.

Ken & Andrea Neff are the Families & Children’s Pastors at Christ Central located in Lake City,Florida. They minister on a weekly bases to 300 children. Through the creative anointing that God has placed on Ken’s life, he brings the Bible stories alive for the children by creating a monthly stage design that goes with the curriculum that he and Andrea and write. They believe in equipping other leaders and pastors to advance the Kingdom of God.

Great Resources for Lent

02/17/201508/16/2026 Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

This Wednesday, February 18th, is the first day of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter, is the time when we mark the time when Jesus is sent into the wilderness. While there, He prayed and prepared for what was ahead of Him. Likewise, the season of Lent can be presented to children as a time to pause, pray and prepare for what lies ahead of us. Each year, we provide our church families with a family friendly devotional to encourage faith conversations at home during this time.

If you are looking for materials for your family or for yourself, here are a few I’d recommend.

FAMILY RESOURCES

A Sense of the Resurrection

Blogger Amanda White, who wrote the popular Advent devotional Truth in the Tinsel, has written a resource for Lent. A Sense of the Resurrection contains 12 fun, hands-on, easy, meaningful activities to help your kids come face to face with the Easter story.

Family Lenten Practices Calendar

This free downloadable calendar written by blogger Traci Smith shares either a prayer, service or fasting activity each day. The activities can be adapted for children of all ages. In addition, she offers an adult calendar for purchase.

Holy Week Devotional

According to the What’s In the Bible? website, this devotional contains an 8-day family Bible reading and devotional plan designed to guide your family into a deeper understanding of the days of Holy Week and prepare your hearts to celebrate on Resurrection Sunday!

Each day includes 1-2 short Bible readings and a conversation-starting discussion guide, as well as a coloring page that illustrates the day’s Bible story. The Holy Week Devotional Download Pack will engage your kids in discussion, prayer and creative expression in the week leading up to Easter.