My first ‘professional’ kidmin staff role was in a small church many years ago. Since it was my first staff role, I was excited to get to work to make our kidmin a place where parents felt safe to leave their children, children were engaged and volunteers thrived and enjoyed serving. Yes, there were bountiful joys, but there were also challenges and frustrations.
Most people in small churches share the same frustrations:
Doing it alone on the edge of burnout and wondering why no one is is stepping up to help
Teaching mixed-age classes and struggling to keep the older and younger engaged AND interested
Wishing for a few more young families to bring new energy to your church
Watching with sadness as another beloved family with kiddos leaves for the bigger children’s program down the street
This list probably isn’t surprising to you. In fact, I bet you could add a few more, and we would all just nod our heads right along with you. But be encouraged…
If you happen to be involved in children’s ministry in a small church – or if you know someone who is – please let them know about the Mighty KidMin! A Children’s Ministry Conference for Small Churches.
During this conference – did I mention that it’s FREE! – I will share must-have safety measures that will put families and volunteers at ease.
In addition, there are other amazing presentations scheduled:
One-Room Ministries: Teach to a Range of Ages and Keep Them All Engaged
Staying Relevant as They Grow: Is It Enough to Get Them to Church or Should We Raise Them to Be the Church?
A Simple, Workable Plan for Including People of All Abilities in Small Churches
Plus so many more incredible presentations about building teams, digital strategies, safety & policies, teaching mixed-ages, inclusive ministry, and leadership – all specific to small churches!
I’m so excited to invite you to a conference that has been prayed over, talked about, and put together to do some incredible Kingdom work!
COVID-19 has changed the way many of those in Children’s Ministry attended conferences and if you’re like me, you are missing being able to connect with other leaders! Some of the most highly impacted during this pandemic have been small church leaders. If you lead Children’s Ministry, let me share about a conference designed with you in mind!
Registration opened last week for the children’s ministry event of the year: Mighty KidMin! A Children’s Ministry Conference for Small Churches. (and, you guessed it! I’m one of the speakers!)
You can click here to learn all about the conference here , but here’s a quick glance:
Mighty KidMin happens online Saturday, April 24.
Get ready to meet 28 Jesus-loving small church experts PLUS jump into discussion panels, meetups, networking and more!
The much-talked-about Pre-Conference Facebook group opened last week with speaker appearances, teaching tips, and daily prizes!
This conference is FREE! The obstacles of travel and fees have been removed so small churches all over the world have access to amazing speakers, on-going support, and relationships of iron sharpening iron!
For those who are able, you’re gonna want to check out the upgrades available for purchase as soon as you grab your free ticket. The VIP Bonus Bundle includes oodles of speaker bonuses on top of lifetime replays of presentations, downloadable conference workbook, post-conference Q & A call, ministry toolkit, private workshop, and more. (Grab it as soon as you register for the very best price!)
Head over to theMIGHTY KIDMIN page to learn more and grab your free ticket. More conference info will arrive in your inbox as soon as you register!
After you get your ticket, join us over in the Pre-Conference Facebook group! (There are prizes!)
Games are an essential part for ministry to kids, especially games that have a Biblical focus. These types of games can be used anytime during ministry programming to reinforce Bible stories or to improve Bible skills and literacy.
I was delighted when the folks from Bible Games Central reached out to me about reviewing four new games available in their online store. Here are my thoughts on these games that you might want to add to your stash.
Parable Parade
Game description: In this exciting game, players must collect complete sets of Parable Cards. You can draw as many cards as you like, but be careful. Draw an Oopsie! Card and you will pay the price! Will you be bold and fearless? Or will you be conservative and cautious?
Collect the Cards. Complete the Story. Capture the Point.
My thoughts: This game would be a good option after a parable lesson series. I love that the game includes two-sided parable summary cards. One gives a summary of the actual parable (along with the scripture reference) and the other side offers an explanation of the parable. When playing this game at home, it took a while to read and comprehend the directions, so I would suggest making this a post-lesson activity versus an arrival activity. This will allow adequate time for game play. (Recommended age: Elementary and up)
Bible Bingo
Game description: Bible Bingo is a simple and fun game that also helps players become more familiar with the Bible. The Bingo cards you find in this game are specially designed to correspond to how the Bible is organized. They are divided into distinct, colored sections which match the sections of the Bible.
My thoughts: I love to play Bingo and so do the kids in our ministry. This one will be a hit for sure! As pointed out in the description, the game boards are divided into colored sections that match the sections of the Bible, which is an added bonus. There are 24 double-sided cards and plenty of plastic chips which will allow for many children to play at once. (Recommended age: Elementary and up)
Bible Memory Game
Game description: Each Bible Memory Game set contains 2 decks of 66 cards that are beautifully illustrated to reflect the 66 books of the Bible. A color bar at the bottom of each card indicates which section of the Bible it belongs to. This versatile Bible Memory Game can be as challenging or easy as you want it to be. Those who enjoy a demanding game can play with the full set of 66 pairs of cards. For an easier, quicker game, only use cards from the Old Testament, New Testament or selected sections of the Bible. (For example, Old Testament Law, New Testament Gospels, etc.)
My thoughts: Memory games are great to use as kids arrive and I think this one is a hit. There are a lot of cards, so I would definitely recommend varying the game by splitting it between Old and New Testament books. (Recommended age: Elementary and up)
Christmas Bingo
Game description: This festive game set is adorned with 24 colorful illustrations of the nativity scene, baby Jesus, the wise men, Christmas trees, gingerbread houses and more! Conveniently packaged with 24 unique, double-sided Christmas Bingo Cards and 400 plastic Bingo chips, this game requires no further preparation. Simply take the items out of the box to play with a group of 2 to 24 players of all ages!
My thoughts: Kids will enjoy this game at Christmas time. Note: This game includes Bible-based and general holiday images (such as Santa). One fun variation for older kids to change up how they can get a bingo, such as four corners or vertical only. (Recommended age: Older preschoolers – through Early Elementary)
I have always been proud to be part of the kidmin community. There are many reasons I feel that way but one is that I believe kidmin leaders are some of the most creative and innovative leaders on the planet. We know how to stretch budgets, recycle and repurpose common items and think up some pretty amazing (and sometimes crazy) ideas.
COVID-19 Realities
Then 2020 rolled in and ministry (and the world as we knew it) changed. During all stages of the pandemic to the current day, words and phrases such as ‘unprecedented’, ‘pivoting’, and ‘new normal’ became part of almost every piece of communication sent to those in our ministries.
Those phrases, while accurate on many levels, also described how ministry to kids and families operated. Kids ministry leaders all around the world adapted to ministry during a time when everything around us changed. My fellow kidmin leaders worked tirelessly to keep kids, families and volunteers engaged during this historic time. It was important for leaders to keep some sense of normalcy and familiarity to the kids when so much around them had been taken away.
Through it all, I was reminded of a few things that are true about kidmin leaders.
Kidminleaders are flexible.
On Thursday, March 12, 2020, our governor announced that group gatherings exceeding 250 people would not be permitted. That meant my church would not be able to meet that upcoming Sunday – just three days away. That was also true of countless churches around the country.
I remember seeing my social media feeds being filled with posts from frantic leaders about what to do next. Leaders like myself raced to come up with a plan and communicate that plan to family and volunteers. This plan included uploading curriculum content to websites, sending downloadable pages to families to do at home and coming up with a plan for the weeks moving forward.
Kidmin leaders are learners.
Much of COVID-19 kidmin has been technology-driven, which means that leaders had to (quickly) learn how to create, film, edit and upload content, teach families how to find and utilize the content, and navigate social media and other tools to help get the Word of God into the homes of families in their ministry. This was in addition to keeping up with health metrics to make wise choices in regards to regathering in person.
Kidmin leaders are passionate about sharing the love of Jesus, no matter what it takes.
Drive-through events, virtual gatherings, monthly activity bags, live videos, social media story times…these are just a few things that ministry leaders did to keep ministry going despite being apart. For ministries that met in person, editing curriculum activities to allow for physical distancing and adopting new health and safety protocols became top priorities. Why? Because sharing the love of Jesus no matter what it takes was of utmost importance.
To all of my fellow kidmin leaders, thank you for persevering. You’ve weathered a very difficult storm. Thank you for all of your hard work and prayers on behalf of your ministries. Thank you for being committed to the spiritual development of kids and families no matter what. I am proud to be part of this community. Your heart and passion for ministry keep me inspired.
