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
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
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
This past week was VBS at our church. Hundreds of kids poured through our doors every day. The kids experienced an amazing time of worship, lessons, games, crafts, snacks and more. None of this would have been possible without the help of more than a hundred leaders. Each of them served in unique and important … Continue reading When the Next Generation Invests in Itself
It’s that time of year again. The time when all leaders in kidmin gear up for the biggest event of the year - Vacation Bible School! Some of us become super excited about this time, calling it our Super Bowl or even better than Christmas. Others dread the work that comes along with putting on … Continue reading Make the Most Out of Your VBS
Jacob Orr 