Home Archive by category "Kidology" (Page 3)

Category: Kidology

Books of the Bible Incentive

I am a BIG believer that kids need to learn the Books of the Bible! So, I create incentives and reward for those who do. Adults should too – but if kids learn them young, they will know them for life! “But there are apps for that,” I hear. When you learn the books of the Bible, you gain an understanding of the number of type of books, the flow of the books, and it helps you locate scriptures faster for the rest of your life. If you haven’t learned them yet – regardless of your age – NOW is the best time to work on it! You’ll feel proud of the accomplishment and you’ll be amazed the impact it has on your walk with God and desire to learn more about the Bible. We memorize all kinds of things – even useless or unimportant things – take the challenge and learn the Books of the Bible! In this video – notice that leaders and parents can join in the fun. Here is what the mom in the video wrote to me about the impact that this had on her children: “It’s such a fun way to challenge the kids…

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Engaging Home School Families

From the Coach’s In-box: Question: How do I engage home school parents in my ministry that are challenging to engage, seem skeptical of what the church is offering, and don’t respond as I’d expect to the church’s programs? Karl’s Answer: First, normalize what they’re feeling. Homeschool parents often chose that path because they deeply care about what and how their kids are taught. Many made that decision after frustration with systems that didn’t align with their values. That kind of conviction requires confidence. From the outside, that confidence can look like “they think they know everything.” But often it’s protective, not prideful. They’ve spent years defending their choice to friends, family, and sometimes even church members. So they may walk in with walls already up. The key is not to see them as a subgroup to “win over,” but as parents already taking Deuteronomy 6 seriously. They are actively discipling their children every day. Celebrate that. Affirm it. When a church leader says, “We love that you’ve taken ownership of your child’s education and spiritual formation,” it lowers defenses instantly. Shift from “Come join what we’re doing” to “How can we support what you’re doing?” That posture changes everything. Instead…

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TODAY is the Day!

TODAY Is the Day By Pastor Karl Bastian Every children’s ministry leader has a shelf labeled “Someday.” Someday we’ll launch that parent night. Someday we’ll start that special needs initiative. Someday I’ll write that curriculum. Someday we’ll fix check-in. Someday I’ll call that volunteer who could be amazing. “Someday” is a comfortable word. It asks nothing of us today. But momentum in ministry doesn’t begin with someday. It begins with a decision: Today is the day. Not necessarily the day you pull off the event. Not the day you execute the full plan. But the day you move it forward. Scripture reminds us, “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day…” (2 Corinthians 6:2). God works in the present tense. While we dream about tomorrow, He invites obedience today.  The Myth of the Perfect Moment We often wait for ideal conditions. When things slow down. After Easter. Once the budget stabilizes. When we get more volunteers. When we feel more confident. Ecclesiastes 11:4 gently warns, “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” If a farmer waits for perfect weather, no seed ever hits the soil. Children’s ministry leaders can…

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The Ultimate TOOLBOX for Kids Ministry!

Kidology’s Ultimate Toolbox for Children’s Ministry is PACKED with helpful tools – it’s not just a book – it interacts with Karl’s website to provide all the templates and forms shown in the book! Read what others are saying about this book: “This book is a gold mine of information on how to build a God-honoring children’s ministry from the number one expert on the subject. I have experienced first-hand Karl’s practical wisdom and contagious enthusiasm for reaching and teaching children. Whether you have been in ministry a long-time or are a newbie, I guarantee you will gain tools you can put to immediate use. Thank you Karl for sharing what God has taught you over the years!” — Dan Huffman, Pastor of CompassKids The Compass Church, IL “Kidology’s Ultimate Toolbox isn’t a toolbox you grab for one little job. No, there’s an entire garage full of tools in this book! Karl has gathered all the critical lessons he’s learned over his decades in kidmin and presented them in concise nuggets. You’re getting the essential information – short and sweet – regarding just about every topic related to children’s ministry that you can think of. The colorful pages, extra space…

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Be like MOSES!

When Moses Learned to Delegate — and Why You Should Too If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by ministry responsibilities, you’re in good company. Even Moses—yes, that Moses—hit his breaking point trying to do it all. In Exodus 18, Moses’ father-in-law Jethro watched him spend an entire day listening to the people’s problems, one by one. At the end of the day, Jethro essentially said, “This isn’t good. You’ll wear yourself out!” (Exodus 18:17–18). It wasn’t that Moses was doing bad work—he was doing important work. The problem was that he was doing work others could do. Jethro offered wise counsel that still speaks to every leader today: “Select capable men… and appoint them as officials” (Exodus 18:21). In other words, delegate. Step 1: Know What You’re Doing Before you can delegate, you have to know what you’re actually doing. Many leaders feel overwhelmed but couldn’t clearly list all their regular responsibilities if asked. Start by writing them down. Every meeting, every prep task, every errand, every “quick favor” that somehow lands on your desk—get it all on paper. Seeing it laid out in black and white can be both humbling and freeing. You can’t decide what to give away until…

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Big Kidology News: It’s Time for a TWOFER!

  Kidology.org has been Equipping and Encouraging children’s ministry leaders since the 1990’s – and on it’s current website for over 20 years. That’s quite the legacy, but it also means our platform is aging and starting to squeak! Kidology.org isn’t going anywhere – but WE ARE making some strategic changes, mostly to our Store and Membership processes. Bottom line, keeping up with industry requirements on an old custom site is getting too costly and tedious to maintain. The good news is that, if we remove all financial transactions from the site, the woes vanish! Kidology.org will continue to offer THOUSANDS of creative children’s ministry ideas and resources, but without the mess of dealing with credit cards and financial transactions. We’re keeping the ideas on Kidology.org but moving all financial transactions to a new modern platform. THEREFORE: We are no longer accepting new memberships to Kidology.orgON Kidology.org. Instead, we are encouraging folks to join KarlBastian.club, our new coaching and content site – where resources will continue to grow and where our New Store will be hosted going forward. So, what’s the benefit to you? When you join KarlBastian.club, you’ll also get a free membership to Kidology.org! Please visit and read our…

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