RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

How important is the preschool /early childhood ministry in your church?

Many people think preschool ministry is simply "childcare" and not as important as elementary, pre-teen, or student ministry.

This reflects the view of the culture as a whole.  A recent poll by Gallup revealed the following.















But I would beg to differ.  I believe the early years of a child's life are the most critical.

This period is the foundation that shapes children's life.  Research confirms that the first five years are particularly important for the development of a child's brain, and the first three years are the most critical in shaping a child's brain architecture.

Early experiences provide the base for the brain's organizational development and functioning throughout life.  They have a direct impact on how children develop learning skills as well as social and emotional abilities.

Children learn more quickly during their early years than at any other time in life.

Each week we spend lots of hours and resources creating preschool classroom and chapel environments that will effectively communicate God's Word to the kids.  Even in the nursery, our leaders pray over the kids, sing songs to them, teach them, and get them acquainted with the Bible.

Please...please...please...make your preschool/early childhood ministry a top priority.  From the nursery to 5 years old - pour, pour, pour into the lives of children.  Remember....

A recent Gallup poll shows that more than 4 in 10 Americans continue to believe that God created humans in their present form 10,000 years ago.

Half of Americans believe humans evolved, with the majority of these saying God guided the evolutionary process.  However, the percentage who say God was not involved is rising.

Americans who adhere to a strict secularist viewpoint -- that humans evolved over time, with God having no part in this process - has doubled since 1999.

In 2007, 86% of Americans were familiar with creationism.  Now, only 76% are familiar.

What does this mean for Children's Ministry?  It means we must make sure "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" is an important part of our curriculum strategy. 

Are the busy, young families in your ministry eating dinner together or is it a thing of the past?

A recent poll from Gallup brings encouraging news.  The report says that family dining is a part of everyday life for the majority of U.S. parents.

Fifty-three percent of adults with children younger than 18 say their family eats dinner together at home six or seven nights a week.  And young parents are more likely to eat dinner together than parents who are over 35.

Married parents report that their family eats 5.3 dinners at home weekly, on average, compared with 4.8 dinners weekly among those who are not married.  Below are more details.

Dinner is a key time parents can have spiritual conversations with their children.  Providing tools for
these conversations is a great way you can resource parents.  Some ideas are...

• Make placemats with Bible verses, questions, etc. that parents can have at the table.

• Provide take home papers parents can use at the dinner table.

• Provide Bible verse cards parents can use to help their children memorize scripture during dinner.

• Encourage parents to take time for prayer before each meal.

• Recommend devotional books families can read from at dinner.

What are some things you currently do to resource parents for dinner time?

What are some other ideas you have to resource parents for dinner time?

Share your ideas with us in the comment section below.

Tired of hearing "no" when you ask people to volunteer?  It's not because people don't want to volunteer.

Recent stats from Gallup show that volunteerism is on the rise in churches.



If this is true, then you may be thinking, "Then why can't I get enough volunteers?"  One answer might be how you are asking.

Here's some help.  This post will give you 10 simple secrets that will turn more of those "no's" into "yes."

People do want to volunteer and you can build a great volunteer team.  Believing with you for great things.