ORANGE PARENTS
Together, Reggie Joiner and Carey Nieuwhof wrote the book Parenting Beyond your Capacity, published by David C. Cook 2010, to remind parents that they don’t have to parent alone. Please join Reggie, Carey, and others as they continue the conversation in this blog and expand on the concepts of their book.

JIM WIDEMAN
Welcome to jimwideman.com the internet home of Jim Wideman Ministries, Inc.
Jim has a burning desire to help others on their leadership journey. Jim Wideman Ministries was established in 1983 to provide practical, proven resources for Children’s Ministers.

KIDOLOGIST by KARL BASTIAN
Karl’s Mission Statement: To Reach and Teach as many children as possible with the Good News of God’s Love, and in the process to Enlist, Equip and Encourage others to do the same

GROWING KIDS MINISTRY
Growing Kids Ministry: A place to share stories, resources and ideas. Children’s Ministry Workers, let’s grow together. “Growing Kids Ministry” can mean so many things.

ELEMENTAL CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
Long gone are the days of cookie cutter ministry. We need to innovate and adjust. It’s only when we grate against each others’ ideas that we can help children and families discover God’s story and how they can find their place in that story. Come join the conversation as we try to figure out what this children’s ministry thing is all about.

RYAN FRANK
Ryan Frank is the children’s pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Sweetser, Indiana. He is the creator of KidzMatter Inc. and the publisher of K! Magazine. Ryan also serves on the board of directors for the International Network of Children’s Ministry and the American Children’s Ministers’ Association.

CM EDGE
CM Edge isn’t just another children’s ministry podcast. We are a diverse group of people who love what we do and love talking about it! Some of us are children’s pastors and others of us aren’t. What we do have in common is our desire to advance God’s Kingdom.

GINA MCCLAIN
I follow Christ, develop People, equip Teams, and empower Parents.
I’m the wife of Kyle, mom of Keegan, Josie & Connor, and lover of coffee.
I read profusely, blog transparently, and put my foot in my mouth regularly.

KID INSPIRATION BY DAVE WAKERLY
David and his wife Beci Wakerley are Children’s Pastors in Sydney, Australia. David writes most of the words contained here at this blog including this little Bio which he is writing in the third person, otherwise it would get rather confusing.

SAM LUCE
My name is Sam Luce and I have been the children’s pastor at Redeemer Church in Utica NY for the past 13 years. I am passionate about empowering the local church to effectively communicate the gospel to kids and minister to families. When I am not working I love spending time with my beautiful wife and three kids.

Related Posts

• September 7, 2010 -- Orange Visual
• September 6, 2010 -- BHAG…who’s influencing who?
• August 31, 2010 -- DISCIPLINE…it’s not a dirty word!
• August 27, 2010 -- The Muppet Show…
• August 23, 2010 -- Dinosaurs & Fire Breathing Dragons!

Children's Ministry Ideas

VBS – 1^st week of June – we just completed “Crocodile Dock” and had a great time. One of the things I love about VBS are the relationships built as the team comes together on a big project. Our VBS team went above and beyond with their creativity, commitment and passion. It was great to see so many kids and adults actively engaged throughout the week praising and honoring God.

“Live It Out” – (created by Rethink) this is our summer series on Sunday morning. We are moving to an all Large Group format for the summer. I think it’s important to offer a change of pace to our kids during the summer and this will help with the leader shortage we experience during the summer. Everybody here in Phoenix looks for every opportunity to escape the heat often.

Family Fun Nights – one Friday night in June and one Friday night in July we are going to have an awesome time playing, laughing, and snacking with our families. This will include some wild and crazy games like Cocoa Puff Chaos, Tape Head, Team Bingo, and more. Throw in some upbeat music and incredible junk food and they’ll be memory making nights for sure.

K@otik – we are going to close our summer out with a weekend event aimed at our communities Preteens. Yancy be here to lead worship and Keith Coast will bring his own special brand of creative teaching. We have invited churches here in the Phoenix area and hope to see God do something amazing among this age group.

So what’s on your calendar for the summer? Have you got an idea that you would like to try but haven’t yet? Let us know.

Technorati Tags: Vacation-Bible-School, Family-Fun, VBS, Creative-Ministry, Children’s-Ministry, Family-Ministry, Kids-Ministry, Religion, Christianity, Family

Related Posts

• June 3, 2009 -- Is VBS Dead? or Just Not Worth the Trouble?
• September 8, 2010 -- Top Ten Children’s Ministry Blogs
• August 27, 2010 -- The Muppet Show…
• August 18, 2010 -- Balloon Animals & Memory Verses
• July 3, 2009 -- Ever Wanted to Host a Game Show?

VBS – The origins of Vacation Bible School can be traced back to Hopedale, Illinois in 1894. Hey, that means VBS has actually been around longer than me! Many churches have long been committed to an annual VBS as a part of their summer programming for kids. Now, a large percentage of churches have discontinued or they are considering discontinuing this summer tradition. One of the questions that is being tossed around: Is VBS still an effective tool for Children’s Ministry? Let’s take a look at a couple of facts:

A shift in children’s ministry since 1997 has been the 12% decline in the percentage of churches offering Vacation Bible School (or VBS) – from 81% to 69%. The number one reason given for not offering VBS was a lack of available volunteers. – The Barna Group, Ltd, 2009

By contrast V.B.S. continues to have the greatest evangelistic impact in the Southern Baptist Convention with 26% of 2006 baptisms in convention churches coming as a direct result of V.B.S.

Today over three million children attend Vacation Bible School annually.

So what is all the debate about? It seems that many churches believe the expense both financially and in man-power does not yield the desired results. I believe the lack of measurable success may be more a result of the way VBS is presented than anything else. Also, a lack of planned follow up after VBS by the church leads to limited long term benefit.

So what are the some of the benefits to a church that provides a VBS program?

1. A unique week of presenting the gospel multiple times to the age group most likely to be receptive to accepting Christ as Savior.
2. An opportunity for church members to make a short term commitment to the Children’s Ministry which in turn can open the door for the proactive leader to recruit the right individuals to the Children’s Ministry team.
3. VBS is one of the unique ways for the entire church body to be involved in a large project together which often produces a special camaraderie.
4. VBS offers an opportunity to have guest families visit your church multiple times allowing you an opportunity to interact with them.
5. It can become a lasting impression on each child that church is fun and a place they would like to be often.

A lack of effectiveness may fall more on the quality of the program and the ensuing follow-up than on the program itself. A great VBS contains lively music, interesting crafts, fun games, and new friends. Sounds like something that most kids would love. Oh, and we get to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

What do you think? Is VBS dead? Are there better alternatives? Should you rethink your view? Let me know.

Technorati Tags: Vacation-Bible-School, VBS, Children’s Ministry, Creative-Ministry, Religion, Church, Ministry

Related Posts

• June 12, 2009 -- Special Events for the Summer Season
• September 8, 2010 -- Top Ten Children’s Ministry Blogs
• June 3, 2009 -- VBS – Crocodile Dock Photos

Related Posts

• August 27, 2010 -- The Muppet Show…
• September 8, 2010 -- Top Ten Children’s Ministry Blogs
• February 17, 2010 -- “The Online Life of Kids”
• November 16, 2009 -- Jumping Back In…
• June 30, 2009 -- Extreme Makeover – JimWideman.com & Kidology.org Edition