I’ve been in children’s ministry for a long time, but my very first children’s sermon was not the best experience. I was asked to deliver the children’s sermon at church one Sunday. I chose to tell the story of Noah’s ark but I wanted to tell it in a way that was different and interesting. … Continue reading Humility in Leadership
About once a year my wife will turn to me and say, “Okay. It’s time to purge. What are you getting rid of?” We then begin going through our bedroom closet and pile up all the clothes we’ve not worn in the past year or are ready to get rid of. Invariably, we always find … Continue reading 4 Things to Freshen Up Your Ministry in the New Year!
My family and I recently visited a little country church for Sunday services. There was no band other than the faithful piano player at the front of the sanctuary. There were no screens projecting the lyrics to the songs of the morning. Iindeed there were no songs sung that day that were younger than 50 … Continue reading Why Kids Should Sing Hymns
Halloween is coming up in a few short weeks. Kids will dress up in costumes of their favorite superhero or princess. Doorbells will be rung by little ones excitedly waiting for a treat. Decorations of orange and black will be scattered throughout our neighborhoods. Now, this may not be a Christian’s favorite holiday. It certainly … Continue reading The Holidays…Problem or Possibility?
We just recently built a new kids check-in station for our welcome center at church. Previous to our beautiful new desk, we’ve been using a clunky black mobile cart with ipads and label printers fixed on top. It served its purpose and has been versatile for other events outside of Sunday service. We would use … Continue reading Welcoming New Families into Your Ministry
I recently started a children’s Bible Study with some of my church kids. Every Thursday I meet with 11 kids ranging from Kindergarten to 6th grade. We meet for 2 hours just to study the Scripture. Now you may be thinking, “That’s a long time for kids to endure a Bible study! Don’t they get … Continue reading Discipling Your Kids Through Bible Study
When my eldest son turned a mere five years old, I took him on his first mission trip. We traveled internationally to the island of Cuba. While there he engaged with kids his age who are from a different culture. He watched as the mission team shared Jesus with perfect strangers. He walked the dusty … Continue reading Exposing our Kids to Missions
Last week on my blog I focused on celebrating the short term wins in kids ministry. It’s important to stay encouraged when we aren’t necessarily guaranteed to see the long term effects of our influence on the children we teach every week. They grow up and move on to student ministry and hopefully at some … Continue reading Working for the Long Game in Kidmin
Children’s ministry can be hard. There is no way around it. There are so many moving pieces: lessons to plan, games and activities to facilitate, craft and snack supplies to prepare, media to queue, and countless other things that demand our attention. We do it week in and week out often wondering if what we … Continue reading Celebrating the Short Term Wins in Kidmin
I’ve spent this past week at summer camp with 109 campers ranging from 1st through 6th grade. It’s always a joy to watch kids get into a space that is solely designed to grow closer to Jesus. Their faith is strengthened and their relationships with the Lord grow more intimate. As we gathered in the … Continue reading When Little Voices Praise a Big God
Jacob Orr 