Welcome to the website of Children’s Ministries International, Inc. and the home of the Children’s Ministry Seminar. The Children’s Ministry Seminar is a Biblically sound resource for children’s ministry leaders and volunteers worldwide.
EPISODE 010: TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT SIN
The Bible says in Romans 6:23 (ESV), “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin is an unhappy subject to teach to children, but it is necessary for us to do so because boys and girls must understand the seriousness of sin and why Jesus died on the cross to save sinners. Our worldly culture does not want anything defined as sin. Instead, the culture sees everything as a lifestyle choice or a personal preference, and they have declared war on sin and the guilt associated with it. Sadly, some people think that teaching boys and girls about sin will increase their stress, give them low self-esteem, and cause them to
EPISODE 009: GLOBAL 4/14 DAY
I want to invite you to be a part of an upcoming event. The event is Global 4/14 Day, and it takes place on April 14 every year. Global 4/14 Day is an international day of prayer for boys and girls, sponsored by Children’s Ministries International, Inc., which is the same ministry that produces this podcast. The 4/14 in Global 4/14 Day simply identifies the month (4) and day (14) of this event. Whether you pray by yourself on April 14 or with a group from your church, pray for the children in your congregation by name and for your children’s ministry overall. I encourage you to go to www.Global414Day.com to JOIN THE MOVEMENT and print a Prayer Guide. Global414Day.com is one of our ministry’s
EPISODE 008: TEACHING CHILDREN TO FEAR GOD
The most important thing we can teach children is to fear God. And when they learn this important truth, wisdom and knowledge will follow. (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10) You may be thinking, “I don’t want children to be fearful of God.” Yes, you do! Let me explain. The Bible teaches us to fear the Lord in two ways. The first is REVERENT FEAR. This type of fear means that we reverence, respect, honor, and worship God because He is Holy (Psalm 99:1-5). In other words, we are to be in awe of His greatness and glory! When children learn to reverently fear God, it impacts how they think, speak, and behave. For example, when a son or daughter dearly loves and respects their father and mother
EPISODE 007: DISNEY WAY UNDERMINES AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE
In Evangelicalism, there is a movement in children’s ministry that promotes the wisdom and business practices of entertainment mogul Walt Disney (1901-1966). These influencers encourage children’s pastors and children’s ministry leaders to use Disney’s ideas to build the children’s ministry in their congregations. This methodology is known as the“Disney Way.” As with every innovative approach to ministry, this one must also be examined in the light of Scripture. First, the Disney Way of children’s ministry robs God of His glory. The Bible says all glory belongs to God (I Peter 4:11), and He doesn’t share His glory with anyone (Isaiah 42:8, 48:11; Psalm 115:1). If a local church successfully implements the Disney Way, and these methods effectively attract more kids to the children’s ministry, who gets the
EPISODE 006: TEACHING CHILDREN THE TRUTH
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV), we read, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” The most loving thing we can do for children is to teach them the Truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). To do that, Christian parents and children’s ministry leaders must know the Truth for themselves (John 17:17), speak the Truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and faithfully live out the Truth every day (1 John 5:1-5). In other words, our wisdom, words, and actions must be founded upon the Source of Truth – the Triune God. God the Father (Deuteronomy 32:4), God the Son (John 14:6), and God
EPISODE 005: THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD
Sometimes in children’s ministry, we assume kids know things that they really don’t know. So when it comes to the Bible, start at the beginning and be clear. When you stand before children with an open Bible in your hands, you are holding the divinely inspired Word of God and communicating what He has said. Teaching kids God’s Word is such an awesome responsibility, and why it is crucial that you only say what the Bible says and not add anything or remove anything from the Scripture. Instead, let God speak for Himself through His written Word. In 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (ESV), the Apostle Paul says, “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you
EPISODE 004: TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT GOD
As Children’s Ministry Leaders, we have the awesome responsibility of teaching children about God, who He is, and what He has done. In I Chronicles 28:11 (ESV),we read, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness Ind the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.” Ponder this for a moment. Our job is to teach kids about The Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The Triune God is the Creator. He is the Savior. He is Lord. He is King. He is Holy (God is pure and perfect, untouched by sin). He is Righteous (God always
EPISODE 003: INTRODUCTION (PART 3) FULL TIME MINISTRY
Before Jesus returned to Heaven, He gave us the Great Commission. It is found in Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV), which says, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” When I was a little boy back in the 1960s, God planted a seed in my heart for world evangelism. Long before there were compact discs and online streaming services, there were vinyl records. In addition to listening to music on a record player, I also listened repeatedly to one album titled “You Can Be a Soul Winner,” which was recorded and produced by a traveling
EPISODE 002: INTRODUCTION (PART 2) PART-TIME MINISTRY
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. (I Timothy 4:12, ESV) After serving as a children’s ministry volunteer in my home congregation for three years during high school, two small churches in southern California invited me to serve as their part-time Youth Director. I worked at the first church on Sundays. This congregation met in an elementary school, and each week I would pack the trunk of my car with equipment and supplies to set up at the school. And each week, I would remove the equipment and supplies from the classroom we used and loaded them back into my car to store at home. Over time my responsibilities
EPISODE 001: INTRODUCTION (PART 1) CHURCH VOLUNTEER
As I write this introduction to the Children’s Ministry Seminar, I am in my 47th year of ministry to kids. I began as a volunteer when I was 15-years-old at a church in southern California where my father was the Senior Minister. At that time, the church was without a Youth Minister, and my Dad recruited me to lead Junior Church on Sunday mornings for children in the congregation ages 5-12. Junior Church took place in the chapel while the adult worship service was going on in the Sanctuary. I was familiar with Junior Church, having attended worship services designed for kids a few years earlier when I was in elementary school. So I was happy to lend a hand and help my father. When
