RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Children's Ministry brings life, families and growth. 

The secular world understands this.  Companies like Netflix, Amazon, HBO and Hulu have recently made children's programming a major focus.  Netflix has already launched 20 kid and family originals this year and has 15 more coming.  Amazon has produced as many original kids' shows as it has comedies and twice the number of dramas.  HBO recently struck a deal for the iconic show "Sesame Street."

These companies are making these big investments because they know parents will keep subscribing when their kids are engaged.  Amazon's VP of digital video, Michael Paull, told Business Insider that "once your child is a huge fan of program, it's relatively harder to cancel the service."

Churches must understand this if they want to reach their communities.  The best way to reach families is through children's ministry.  The way to a parent's heart is through their child.  

I was reminded of this recently when one of our campus pastors was sharing something with me.  His campus has a video feed for the message each week.  Many families have told him that they prefer a live message, but the reason they keep coming is because their kids love the children's ministry. 

Churches that make children's ministry a priority will reap the benefits many times over.  Let's keep championing children's ministry!  

We recently purchased light up gloves for our greeters.  The gloves have a battery that lights up the LED fingertips.  Kids love them and it puts a smile on their face as they enter.

Since first-time guests decide if they are going to return in the first 8 minutes (you can read more about that here), anything you can do to add a "wow" factor will increase the chances of them returning.

The gloves are fairly inexpensive.  You can get them on Ebay or Amazon for as low as $5-10 a pair.

What are some other fun things you do to welcome people?  Share your ideas with us in the comment section below.

Children's Author, Twylla De Coste, has written a wonderful new book for children ages 4 to 8 entitled "The Story of Chito the Gossiping Fly."

Based on key Bible verses, the story follows the adventures of Chito the Fly and teaches kids important truths about the day of rest and the power of respect.

The artwork inside the book captures kid's attention.  The book is very well done and would be a great addition to your children's books at church or home.

We are giving away a free copy of the book.  You can register by simply emailing me at dalehudsoncm2@gmail.com.  We will announce the winner next Monday, June 23, right here on this site.

You can also purchase a copy of the book at this site.  A part of the proceeds goes to Habitat for Humanity.  Pick up your copy today to bless the children in your home or church.

The internet has changed everything...including how we do children's ministry.

How we communicate...learn...prepare lessons...
research...network...share...teach...create...
view videos...has been made easier by technology.

It is staggering how much happens on the internet in just one minute.  Here's an overview.

• 639,800GB of global IP data transferred

• 6 new wikipedia articles published

• 1,300 new mobile users

• 20 new victims of identity theft

• 204 million emails sent

• 47,000 app downloads

• $83,000 in Amazon sales

• 61,141 hours of music are played on Pandora

• 100 new LinkedIn accounts are created

• 20 million photos are viewed on flickr; 3,000 photos are uploaded

• 320 new Twitter accounts are created; 100,000 new tweets are sent

• 277,000 Facebook log-ins; 6 million Facebook views

• 2 million Google search queries are initiated

• 30 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube; 1.3 million videos are viewed

• Today, the number of networked devices equals the global population.  By 2015, that number will be double the global population.

How do you use the internet in Children's Ministry?

How has the internet made Children's Ministry easier for you?

Share our thoughts with us in the comment section below. 

YouVersion just released The Bible App for Kids.  It's a free app that will help kids fall in love with God's Word.

It contains...

Animated storybook for smartphones and tablets.

Colorful illustrations with touch-activated animations.

Games and activities that help kids remember what they learn.

Kid-friendly navigation.

Here's more info.



You can download it for free at...
iTunes
Google Play
Amazon