I was recently speaking with a member of a church who recently joined their children’s ministry committee. Her church uses a broadly evangelical Children’s Sunday School curriculum, focused more on fun and fluff than the sound teaching of Scripture. So, she recommended to the committee that they take a look at our One Story Ministries materials. The…
Tag: Children
Teach your Children the Twelve Truths of Christmas
Our children learn a whole lot about life during the Christmas season. They learn how to indulge themselves. They learn how to be demanding and self-centered. They learn works-righteousness from Santa (Good=presents; Bad=lump of coal). They learn that getting new stuff equals happiness. They learn the secret of discontentment. They learn that our American economy…
Ordinary Children’s Ministry
Ordinary. Adjective. The opposite of exciting. That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it? Why in the world would we want to be a part of anything ordinary? The last thing we want in our church is just a plain old, ordinary, boring children’s ministry! After all, we live in an age where most people expect–even demand–events…
Tinkering around in Children’s Ministry
Our pastor used a true story about the great American automobile giant, Henry Ford, as a helpful sermon illustration. Naturally, I thought of how it applies to Children’s Ministry as well as raising children in general. Here’s the story… There is a wonderful story of Henry Ford and Charlie Steinmetz. Steinmetz had one of the…
On Presidential Inaugurations and True Unity
The world has just witnessed the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States of America. Much of the commentary surrounding this historic event has highlighted how the supposed “united” America is more divided than ever, creating the need for the new President to unite this country. Competing throngs of supporters and protesters seem to bear this…
Increasing Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is not the normal human heart condition. If newborn babies could talk, they would not immediately give thanks to God for giving them life. They would not offer up praise to their parents for all the amazing food, toys, shelter, and onesies. As these youngsters grow up, parents fight the constant battle of grumbling, whining, complaining,…
Seminaries for Children
Seminaries for children? That sounds like cruel and unusual punishment–almost child abuse! First graders poring over Greek and Hebrew verb tenses. Kindergartners subjected to medieval church history and systematic theology. Second graders forced to preach on the circuit and visit the sick. How is a seminary any place for a child? By definition it’s a…
Back to Basics: Teaching Children about Sinful Desire
One of Satan’s most devious strategies is to convince people that today’s issues are just too complex to determine whether something is right or wrong, truth or error. This includes explaining human behavior, which secular professionals have worked overtime to establish as overly complicated. We are all meant to throw up our hands and surrender our…
Welcoming Children with Special Needs into Corporate Worship
On the surface, it seems like a no-brainer that we would welcome children with special needs to the regular worship of God’s people. Don’t we want all men and women, boys and girls to be included in the community of worshipers? Isn’t this what Christianity is all about? But when we dig a bit deeper,…
Teaching Children to Discriminate
With the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on homosexual marriage and recent efforts to claim certain legal rights for the “transgendered,” states and cities have responded with proposed laws and ordinances of their own. Proponents have argued that these are attempts to protect traditional Christian definitions of marriage, as well as the freedom of religion. Opponents…
How to Provoke Your Children to Anger in Three Easy Lessons
We live in a culture that sends parents multiple, conflicting messages about their children. On the one hand, children are to be the center of our universe—given all they desire, and praised to the hilt (in order to prevent low self-esteem, of course). They are to be protected from all sorts of suffering, doted upon,…
Children’s Ministry 101. Lesson 16: Grounded in Compassion
When you come to firmly believe that a vibrant children’s ministry is essential because of the covenant of grace in Jesus Christ, then you will remain grounded in your purpose and mission. But how will you maintain and sustain the everyday work of the ministry? It will certainly help if you have dedicated covenant parents who understand the…
One Story Ministries 