The Book That Will Help You Grow Your Children's Ministry

If you want to see your children's ministry grow, then I have a book for you. 

The book is entitled "100 Best Ideas to Grow Your Children's Ministry."

It was written by my friend Scott Werner and myself. When we wrote this book together, we were both leading children's ministries in large, fast growing churches.

Scott was the children's pastor at Life Church in Edmond. He helped the children's ministry there grow by leaps and bounds as he served under the leadership of Craig Groeschel.  

I was the children's pastor at Central Church in Las Vegas. I wrote this book during the time when the children's ministry and church there were exploding with growth.  We grew by thousands of people during this time. 

The 100 ideas you will encounter in this book are proven ministry philosophies and methods that have been used to grow children's ministries.  No matter your church size, these ideas can help you see and experience significant growth.

Great children’s ministries don’t happen by accident - they happen on purpose. This book brings together 100 practical, proven, timeless ideas that help kids grow in their faith, help leaders lead with confidence, and help churches create environments where families feel loved and supported.

Build strong volunteer teams.
 

Leading with clarity and vision.
 

Creating engaging environments for kids.
 

Partnering with parents.
 

Designing systems that support long-term growth.
 

Whether you’re new to children’s ministry or a seasoned leader, these ideas will help you
strengthen your ministry and elevate your impact. 

This book is also a great resource that you can take your staff and volunteer team through.  Order 5 or more copies and you can get a 20% discount. You can contact Dale about this at dale@buildingchildrensministry.com.

You can get your copy today at this link. Grab this book and watch your ministry grow...grow...grow!

 

 

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Great Children's Ministries Are Built With These 10 Bricks

Great children's ministries don't happen by chance.  They are built with intentionally.  Here are 10 building blocks that you can use to build a great children's ministry. 

Vision. 

Great children's ministries have a clear vision that fuels the ministry. 

Put the vision in writing.  Keep in simple. Make sure every volunteer on your team knows what the vision is. 

Since vision leaks, consistently take people back to it.

The vision is why you do what you do.  This is a foundational building block that you must have in place if you want to build a great children's ministry. 

• Do the people on your team know what the vision is? 
• Can the people on your team quote the vision? 
• Do you have the vision in writing? Plaster it on everything. 

Principles. 

If the vision is a building block, then principles are the mortar that holds the vision together and makes it become a reality. 

If the vision communicates the "why" of your ministry, then principles communicate "how" you do ministry.  Here are some examples. 

All for One. Unity centered on Jesus and our core beliefts.  

Inside Out. Living a life marked by prayer and integrity 

Grow to Go. Remaining teachable to become usable.

Live to Give. Stewarding our lives for eternity. 

Passion for People. Impacting humanity with the love of God. 

• Do you have principles in place that help guide the ministry?
• Have you trained your volunteers to know how to do ministry?

Parent Partnerships.

Great children's ministries know that parents are the greatest influence in the life of a child. They seek to influence the influencers. They equip and empower parents to lead their children spiritually.

• How are you extending the weekend lesson into the homes during the week?
• Do you have milestones in place that help you join hands with parents at the high-impact points in a child's discipleship?

A clear discipleship pathway.

Great children's ministries don't just randomly teach lessons. Instead, they start with the end in mine and create a clear discipleship pathway that takes kids from point A to point Z. 

• Have you sat down and mapped out what you want kids to know and believe when they graduate out of your ministry?
• Is the curriculum you are using or writing providing a clear pathway to spiritual growth for kids?

Church Support. 

Great children's ministries are built by the church's overall support and encouragement.  Their church is committed to reaching and discipling kids and families. 

• Does your church show that they value the children's ministry?  Does their budget reflect this? Does their staffing priorities reflect this?  
• How can you elevate the importance of children's ministry in your church or ministry?

Volunteer Teams.

The foundation of a great children's ministry is built by volunteers. The success of your ministry rises and falls on the strength of your volunteer team. 

You must understand this if you want to build a great children's ministry. Spend a big percentage of your time on enlisting, equipping and empowering volunteers to do the work of the ministry. 

• How much time are you spending each week building your volunteer team?
• Are you equipping your volunteers to do the work of the ministry or are you trying to do it all by yourself? 

Relevant connections.

It is important to stay in touch with today's kids. Today's children are not yesterday's children. Become a student of today's kids. Know what is popular with them. Know the unique qualities and characteristics of the coming generation.

• Are you intentional about keeping in touch with the world of today's kids?
• How are you staying relevant for today's kids? 

Engaging Lessons.

Do you teach and share engaging lessons with the kids in your ministry? Today's kids need interactive, hands on, experiential lessons that capture their attention. We have the greatest news every written on paper...God's Word.  It's vital that we teach it so it is memorable and applicable. 

• Are kids saying your lessons are boring?  If they are, they are probably right.  It's time for some major changes.
• Are you striving to make God's Word come alive for today's kids? 

Outreach.

If you want to build a great children's ministry, then outreach must be one of your top priorities. We are commanded by Jesus to go and share the Good News of the Gospel. 

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." Mark 16:15 

Are you reaching kids and families with the Gospel?  Are you baptizing kids and parents on a regular basis?  Are you out in the community sharing the Gospel?  We are told to get outside the four walls of the church and take the Gospel to the world. 

• How can we get out in the community with the Gospel?
• How can we help the kids in our ministry spread the Gospel with their friends, team members, schools, and neighbors? 

Great Facilities.

It's not just about the building. It's about making a statement to kids and families that they are important. I believe the best part of a church's facilities should be the children's ministry. 

Remember - good facilities will make your children's ministry seem better than it is. Bad or subpar facilities will make your children's ministry seem worse than it really is. 

• What are your children's ministry facilities saying to kids and parents?
• What are some needed changes that need to happen with your facilities?

Put these 10 bricks in place and you will experience growth and improvement for your children's and family ministry. 

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Gen Alpha...Who Has Their Attention?

Gen Alpha are kids who are currently 1-to-16 years old.  These are the kids who are in your nursery, your preschool ministry, your elementary ministry, and your student ministry. 

A lot of people are vying for their attention and some are very good at connecting them. 

In my last post, I shared the top YouTube channels and shows that kids watch. 

Today let's take a deeper dive into how to get the attention of Gen Alpha kids.

Gen Alpha viewing habits.

YouTube - 75%

Video on demand - 66%

Mobile games - 62%

YouTube shorts - 52%

Console games - 48%

TikTok - 38%

Facebook - 30%

Broadcast TV - 28%

Instagram - 26%

88% of parents say their 2-5-year-old prefers YouTube over VOD or broadcast TV.

Ages 2-to-9 prefer cartoons.

Ages 10-12 prefer comedy.

Boys favorite gaming channels

Flamingo

Lankybox

EthanGamer

Craftee

Unspeakable

Gaming w/Jen

Girls favorite gaming channels

Flamingo

Gaming w/Jen

Lankybox

Big School

Craftee

FGTV

43% of new movies are discovered by kids on YouTube.

55% of parents say they co-view YouTube with their kids. 

Cartoons are most popular for co-viewing.

Second screening (watching 2 screens are the same time) 

Almost half of Gen Alpha kids watch YouTube or play mobile games while watching TV.

Parents are also second screening - 39% play mobile games and 36% watch YouTube while watching TV.

YouTube ads drive 50% of parents to make a purchase for their child.

Influencers. 

80% of kids ask for something they've seen an influencer talk about. Toys and games make up over half of the requests.

76% of kids ages 10-12 remember ads created by influencers. 

32% of kids find new movies through influencers. 

Boys favorite mobile games.

Lego

Roblox

Plants vs Zombies

Disney Games

Bubble Shooter

Talking Tom

Among Us

Sonic

Girls favorite mobile games. 

Happy Color

Bubble Shooter

Disney Games

LOL

Among Us

Talking Tom

Lego

Roblox

Brands that have their attention.

Lego

Pokemon

Barbie

Hot Wheels

Fisher-Price

Play-Doh

Bluey

Crayola

Nerf

Collectible Interests boys share with their parents.

Lego

Marvel

Pokemon

Hot Wheels

Disney

Star Wars

Harry Potter

Roblox

Labubu

Pop

Jellycat

Sonny Angel

Collectible Interests girls share with their parents.

Lego

Barbie

Disney

Pokemon

Marvel

Harry Potter

Labubu

Jelly Cat

Pop

Roblox

Star Wars

Sonny Angel

It is interesting to see the stat of parents engaging with their kids in shared interest collectibles. This reminds me about partnering with parents. If we provide quality and engaging resources for kids and parents together, we can see parents getting involved in the discipleship of their kids.  Maybe the reason why we aren't seeing more parents taking the lead in discipling their children is because we haven't provided them with quality, engaging resources for this.

If you want to connect with kids, then mention some of the brands in this article. They will be impressed that you took the time to learn about their interests and you will have their attention. 

Here's an example. 

One Sunday I walked into one of the classrooms and noticed there was a boy sitting in the back of the room by himself. You could tell from his countenance that he was not a happy camper.  One of the leaders in the room shared with me that he had been disrupting the service and they finally had to move him back by himself.

I went over and sat down by him. I tried to talk with him, but he looked the other way and wouldn't acknowledge me.  After a minute of him ignoring me, I decided to try something else. Here's what I did. I ask him if he liked video games.  For the first time, he turned and looked at me said "yes...I love video games."  

I asked him what system he had at home and what his favorite game was. After a few minutes of talking about video games, I told him I was going to go up and participate in the worship song the other kids were now singing. I told him he could stay where he was or he could come up and join me if he wanted to as well. 

I went up front and started singing with the other kids. A minute later I felt a tug on my shirt. I turned around and it was the boy from the back of the room. He was smiling and said he wanted to join in the worship.  For the rest of the class time he behaved and participated with a good attitude. The cause...someone cared enough to enter his world.  

I would encourage you to use the brands and stats we have talked about in this article as a way to connect with Gen Alpha kids. 

Show them you care enough about them to enter their world. Talk about what has their attention during the week. By doing this you will get their attention and open the door to impact them for Christ.  

Many of the stats in this article came from precisify.com. 

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Top YouTube Channels for Kids

Here's what kids are watching on YouTube. These channels and shows are obviously really good at connecting with kids. Think about what they are doing. You can pick up some great ideas for your children's ministry strategy.  This is also a great way to stay connected with what is relevant for today's kids.

Girls Favorites (ages 2-5)

Bluey

Peppa Pig

Paw Patrol

Disney Jr. 

Cocomelon

Girls Favorites (ages 6-9)

Disney Jr. 

Spongebob Squarepants

Nicklodeon

Mr. Beast 

Nick Jr. 

Girls Favorites (ages 10-12) 

Nickelodeon

Mr. Beast

Lego

Disney Hits

Spongebob Squarepants

Boys Favorites (ages 2-5) 

Paw Patrol

Bluey 

Spongebob Squarepants

Cocomelon

Blippi

Boys Favorites (ages 6-9)

Lego

Nickelodeon

Mr. Beast

Spongebob Squarepants

Bluey

Boys Favorites (ages 10-12)

Mr. Beast 

Lego

Nickelodeon

Ryan's World

Spongebob Squarepants 

p.s. Come back Thursday for my next article. We will take a deeper dive into how to connect with Gen Alpha kids. 

 

 

 

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