I love to visit other churches and see what their spaces look like. Scroll through the pics above of the Saddleback Youth Area at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California.…
I am enjoying being in sunny, warm California in the middle of February. I am attending the Children’s Pastor’s Conference in Ontario, California. While I am here, I am taking the opportunity to visit churches in the area, and learn from their staff &…
Motivating Volunteers Safety & Procedures Training Volunteers
Kids Ministry Volunteer Training Book – Free Download
Every year we have a volunteer training event in September. We review the safety stuff as well as the vision and values. It’s a chance for new volunteers to learn the basics and returning volunteers to be reminded about why we do what we…
When telling a story to children, you can really make the story come alive if you use a backdrop or a set design. A visual reminder of where the story takes place helps children get a better picture of the story.…
Today I watched a behind the scenes look at the popular movie “Frozen”. As I watched the show, I couldn’t help but learn from their experiences. Here are a few things that I noticed, and how they relate to kids ministry.…
We did a lot of research before we put together the plans for our new kids area. Here are some things that we intentionally included in our design:…
I have been on a journey since I started working at my church 2.5 years ago. We have be in a building project and part of that project has included a new kids area. It’s been exciting to dream, research & design a new…
Babies need to be well cared for if you are going to have an AWESOME nursery. You need to find out information that is important to know while the baby is in your care. Can they sit unsupported? Do they have a bottle or…
Have you been to Disney World in the last few years? If you are celebrating a special occasion you can get a button that displays what you are celebrating for FREE! Then as you walk around the parks and hotel all the staff congratulate…
Training Volunteers is something that needs to be done when they sign up to volunteer, and on a regular basis. This weekend we had our annual Kids Ministry Volunteer Training Event. Here’s what we did:…
There are some things that only the leader of a team can do. Bill Hybels talks about the gift of ENERGY that a leader can give to their team & the difference it will make. In this video he talks about going from feeling…
Are you looking for new kids worship music? Here is a list of names / groups that you can search in YouTube. These videos would be applicable for different situations. Some are great to use for teaching Bible verses, some are good for pre-service…
Do you have a Kids Worship Team at your church? Do you want to start one? Here are some ideas that will help your Kids Worship Team go from good to great!…
Leadership Motivating Volunteers Training Volunteers
How to create volunteer training that people will want to come to
If you want things to run smoothly in Kids Ministry, it’s probably a good idea to spend some time training your team of volunteers. However, usually when you mention the word volunteer training, people’s schedules suddenly fill up quickly. Here are some tips that…
Look what came in the mail today! I love reading books on leadership, especially ones that are related to Disney. I am always looking for ideas on how to decrease volunteer turnover, and I think this book will help.…
I went out for lunch with my family after church on Sunday to celebrate the last few days of freedom before school started. While we were eating, I couldn’t help but listen in on the conversation happening at the table next to us. The…
If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. This is also true in Kids Ministry. Every year I take time with my team to evaluate and celebrate things that happened the previous year and think about what we need to focus…
Finding leaders can be challenging. Usually it takes time for you to find people who are willing to serve at the leadership level. So how does this happen? How do you find kids ministry leaders?…
I have been to the Leadership Summit several times at Willow Creek Church in Chicago, IL. It’s a great time to focus on leadership & renew my passion for leading people. Several years ago I heard Bill Hybels speak about the 3 C’s when…
Good Kids Ministry leaders always read. They keep a list of books that they need to read to help them grow in leadership skills, or in specific areas of kids ministry. I find that my schedule is usually fairly packed, so to try to…
Leadership is one of the most important areas that a Kids Ministry Leader can focus on. Good teams rise and fall on leadership. I think leaders should always be learning when it comes to leadership and I have put together a list of my…
Here are some of my favourite Kids Ministry books. I have read each of them and they have had a big influence in how I do Kids Ministry:…
Crossroads church in Cincinnati, does a great job of communicating to parents what the lesson was about in the kids program. At the door of each room they have door signs that they change each week. They list 2 questions that parents can ask…
Church Tours Kids with Special Needs Safety & Procedures
How to handle food allergies in kids ministry
Food Allergies are common in children. Kids Ministry should be a place where kids are safe & details such as food allergies are important. When I was at Crossroads Church they told me about their system when it comes to Food Allergies.…
Does your church have a clear plan for emergencies? Crossroads Church does. In fact, it’s so clear, that they have a Safety Manual displayed in each Kids Room. Each Manual is custom made with instructions for that specific room. The staff was kind enough…