From a friend of Ministry Architects, Pastor Kevin Allen, guest blogger If the goal in Family Ministry is to help parents train up children who, as adults, are making disciples on their own, it may feel at times that it’s just wishful thinking and hopeful praying. It can definitely seem overwhelming when a parent is…
Fall is always an exciting time in church world. People are coming off summer vacations, rest, and a different pace of life. They are typically ready to re-engage with church on some level. Kids move up into their new Sunday school class or small group. Then, youth group cranks back up with some kind of…
If I’m honest, I’m a little sad at the state of where our teens and young adults are today. It seems to be increasingly difficult for our kids to grow up and become mentally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually healthy. It’s getting harder and harder for them to embrace the grace that God offers and truly…
One of my favorite weekends at church is Connection Weekend. Connection Weekend is when young children and adults come together to serve in different service projects in their community. It is a great opportunity to invite families to see the needs of others around them and contribute together to a greater purpose outside of their…
A few years back, we rented out one of the local schools for a mission trip we were hosting. I happened to come across some students of mine one morning who had taken some desks chairs out of the classrooms. They were having races down the hallway with friends pushing them at full speed. As…
Introduction It’s a centuries old question – what in the world do we do with children in worship? And the Church is, and always has been, all over the map when it comes to involving children in its worship. I know that in some churches children are always present. In other churches children have their…
Perhaps there is nothing more inevitable in youth ministry. It will happen. No matter what you do, how hard you try, or how good of a job you do, it will happen. It’s an eventuality and inevitability: parents will get angry and you will have to deal with it. Even though it’s something we all…
Much of what we do in children’s ministry involves equipping parents with tools for their most important job: parenting. Communication is a key aspect of parenting, so it’s important that we provide opportunities for parents to learn to communicate more effectively with their children. What a better time to do this than the beginning of…