Fostering a sense of belonging in kids ministry
Low and irregular attendance at church is a concerning trend for leaders today. As someone particularly concerned with the discipleship of children, sporadic attendance is discouraging, so we can’t ignore the impact this will have on children.
Here’s one area I think children’s ministry leaders need to consider - fostering in our young people a sense of belonging at church.
How to elevate your church website to welcome people with disability
Church websites are a very helpful tool to share with your local community about your ministries and gatherings. For a visitor to your church who has disability or is neurodivergent, up-to-date information on your website about accessibility, what happens during a service, and what to expect is essential.
Here are three tips for enhancing your church website to help all people find out more about your church, so they feel included and welcome.
Two Ways to Get Quiet Discussion Groups Talking
Think of a time where you’ve asked a question in a discussion and everyone falls silent… is it the good kind of silence, or the not-so-good kind?
One kind of silence is productive, while the other is detrimental to forming a good group culture. One kind of silence promotes discussion, the other hampers it.
Here are two simple tools that will help you create a platform for the types of discussion where you get the good kind of silence.
SRE classroom tips for supporting students with ADHD
It can be hard to know how to support young people who have ADHD, whether you are aware of the diagnosis or not. Getting to know each student, especially those with diverse needs, is going to be most helpful. But this can be difficult, if not impossible, with such limited time and a whole class of kids.
Here are four tips to make your SRE class beneficial for all students.
Shaping Classes for Student Success: Making the right thing to do the easiest thing to do
When doing the right thing is also the easiest thing, students build good habits—and we spend less time managing behaviour. Here are my four top tips for classroom management.
Why Routine is a Kids Ministry Leader’s Best Friend
Routine isn’t boring; in fact, it makes kids’ ministry engaging and effective. From familiar games to visual schedules, predictability helps children feel confident, cooperate, and absorb new lessons without overwhelm. Leaders love it too—less stress, smoother transitions, and more time to plan and prepare for lessons!
Self-Care Through the Seasons of Life
Being a ministry worker brings with it joys and challenges, and everything in between. It is a profound privilege to journey alongside people through the varying seasons of life.
Self-care isn’t selfish—it’s stewardship, and a necessity for sustainable, healthy and resilient ministry. Making space for rest, spiritual renewal, and personal boundaries allows ministry workers to continue serving with joy, resilience, and integrity.
Tips for a disability-inclusive Easter at your church
The Easter season usually brings about a change in routines and often brings in visitors to church. This could be particularly challenging for children with disability or who are neurodivergent. Because of this, it’s worth thinking through ways to enable inclusive practices to help all people, whether regular, new, or visiting.
A First Time for Everything
Whether you’re starting out again teaching SRE to the same year group as previous years, teaching SRE for the first time or somewhere in between, be encouraged that the privilege of SRE is that we have the opportunity to be alongside young people as they engage with the Bible.
Creation Was Never Perfect
“In the beginning God made the world and everything perfect” is what I often hear people say when they recount the story of creation through salvation history. The problem with calling God’s creation perfect is that it invites us to think of God’s creation as pristine and static, as if it was completed and, well…perfect. But that is not what God made. God makes a creation that needs to be completed and fulfilled.
Small Group Tips: ‘The Rule of Thirds”
Does facilitating Friday night youth group discussion time feel like you’re trying to push a boulder up a hill? Many youth group leaders have fallen into the trap of focusing too much on one aspect of the group time. If this is you, then adopting the Rule of Thirds can be a significant help.
Artificial Intelligence and Ministry To Young People
In the context of ministry, there’s almost no limit to the ways in which we might employ AI tools to assist us in our tasks. Yet this is an arena in which we need to do some thinking before we blindly use the tools at hand. So how do we wisely discern what is beneficial for us and for those we are ministering to when it comes to faithfully using AI for ministry purposes?
Should we add a new Gospel bead?
Have you taught your kids how to share the good news with gospel beads? It’s a great way to equip young people to share their faith. It’s simple, memorable… and wearable.
In his new book, The Child in God’s Church (2025)Tim Beilharz makes the point that we are missing a bead.
Fresh ideas for Kids Spots
With the start of a new year, here are some fresh ideas for kids spots in church gatherings. I encourage you to evaluate their suitability for your context based on your convictions about the purpose of that time.
Going the Distance in Youth Ministry: Longevity, Role and Personal life.
Wondering how you might be able to keep going the distance in youth ministry? This is what Andy Stevenson has found helpful to keep him going for over 25 years in youth ministry!
Fostering a Love of God in Youth Ministry
In this article, I want to parse out what I think are 2 (perhaps self-evident) essential aspects to loving God, and their implications for the kind of youth ministry we’ll do.
Questions Students Ask
Have the questions that kids and youth ask in the classroom or on a Friday night changed in the last 10 years?
After noticing the shift to questions around ethics in his schools ministry, Youthworks College graduate Tom Owen has worked to changed the scope and sequence of his school scripture units.
Read more to see the kinds of questions kids ask, and how we helpfully engage with these questions in God’s Word.
The Three R’s of Gospel-Shaped Discipline with Kids
One of the biggest fears people have about serving in children’s ministry leadership roles is around behaviour management. What do you do when a child refuses to cooperate? What do you do when the group won’t settle down and listen?
Annemarie helps us understand that the gospel should be guiding not just what we share in teaching times, but also how we relate to children who misbehave, and provides 3 helpful guidelines that you can take into your interactions with misbehaving children.
DEEP DIVE | Guidance
Decision-making can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to significant life choices such as career, relationships, and ministry. Many Christians also face the challenge of seeking to make decisions that align with God's will, often seeking certainty through our "calling" from God.
To help navigate decision-making and drawing on guidance from God’s Word, Viv draws from Scripture to show how understanding our calling as God's children offers both security and freedom in decision-making.
Kids Ministry Tips to Support Children with Disability
When you have children in your ministry who have a disability, it can be tricky trying to find ways to encourage involvement and participation, particularly if it’s met with any kind of resistance.
Here are 5 ways to help enable young people with disability to meaningfully participate in church ministries and services.