Encouragement & Vision

**This is a guest post from Nick Diliberto from PreteenMinistry.net My 10 year-old son Ethan, plays baseball. His team lost the first game in the playoffs, but they are determined to not give up. In fact, they had practice Memorial Day weekend. The baseball fields are usually packed with kids of all ages on any given … Read more

A few years ago, I was asked a question that radically changed the way I operated my children’s ministry. (Nothing like a change of perspective to adjust your viewpoint, just look at Ezekiel; I’m thankful that at least, God didn’t have to tug me by the hair to get my attention.) A kids’ ministry conference … Read more

If your students are die-hard John Deere advocates, then you might serve in a small country church.  If you have a homegrown cow in your freezer, then you might serve in a small country church.  If your students come to church in boots and buckles and have guns and know how to use them, then … Read more

Christian teachers teach all the time, whether they know it or not. I think to keep teaching fun, God provides us the occassional “aha” or teaching moment. It’s our job to recognize those windows of opportunity to unite kids with their God and a greater understanding of the faith. Besides these golden moments, Christian teachers … Read more

**This is a guest post from Nick Diliberto from PreteenMinistry.net I remember one of our first over-the-top preteen events. We named it Nick at Night and it was held on a Friday night. It was a clever name because my name is Nick and the event included lots of Nickelodeon style-games. We rented water inflatables and … Read more

**This is a guest post by Glenys Nellist  from Kids Ministry Matters Whether we’re “lovin’ it,” or hatin’ it, there’s one thing we can all agree on—McDonald’s restaurants are successful. With over 33,000 franchises operating in 118 countries of the world and their golden arches gleaming from small village to big city, McDonald’s is rising in … Read more

Recently our community experienced a great tragedy in which it was revealed that an individual who was highly respected and trusted had been living a life of unbelievable sin for decades.  Yet again, a trusted leader who claimed to be a believer in Jesus had broken trust with an entire town. Our world hears these … Read more

**This is a guest post from Nick Diliberto from PreteenMinistry.net In my last post, I offered many reasons for small churches (or church plants) to launch a preteen ministry. In this post, I’m going to share a few ways they can effectively reach preteens. 1. Split up preteens for weekend services. Ideally, it’s the best way … Read more

**This is a guest post from Nick Diliberto from PreteenMinistry.net Many churches everywhere are realizing the need for a preteen ministry. Most large churches see the need for a ministry specific to 4th, 5th or 6th graders. Sometimes because of the large amount of kids in attendance and other times in an attempt to target the … Read more