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Category: kids church

Love is Caught, Not Taught

Love is Caught, not Taught

As children’s ministry leaders, we often find ourselves teaching about love—explaining what it is to children, why it’s important, and how it should be expressed. In fact, the word love appears in the Bible over 550 times! (In NIV and ESV) But the truth is, love is not something that can merely be taught; it must be caught. Children can’t truly understand love by merely hearing about it. But they can grasp its meaning when they experience it firsthand. The book of James reminds us that faith without deeds is useless. He uses the example of someone who sees someone hungry and simply says, “Be warm and well fed,” but if they do nothing, they have not shown love at all (James 2:15-17). Similarly, if we talk about love without demonstrating it, our words are hollow. There are kids in our ministries that need love – some extra doses! James goes on to say, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them” (James 4:17). We are commanded to love the children in our care – and we must not neglect to do so! Love is more than just a concept to discuss; it’s an action…

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Shape Your Kids’ Spiritual Lives!

When it comes to shaping the spiritual lives of children, intentionality is key. As a leader, it’s essential to have a plan that not only covers the entire Bible but also ensures that the topics you teach are foundational to their faith. Too often, we fall into the trap of jumping from one topic to another, or constantly switching curriculums, leaving gaps in our kids’ biblical understanding. But what if you could have a curriculum that systematically walks your kids through the Bible, building their knowledge and faith on a solid foundation? The good news is, solid Bible Curriculum doesn’t have to break the bank. At Kidology.org, we’re thrilled to offer the Bible Basics Curriculum Series, a complete 3-year children’s ministry curriculum that covers the Old Testament, the New Testament, and core Christian values. Not only is it thorough, but it’s also affordable, with a cost of just about $100 a year. Take the guesswork out of your planning and invest in a curriculum that will equip your kids with a comprehensive understanding of God’s Word. Check out the links below and see how this curriculum can transform your ministry. Your kids will love it, and you’ll love knowing that…

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Oh, You Sexy Document!

Sexy Document

Let’s be honest, “Document Management” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of excitement. But in our digital age, where files are constantly emailed back and forth, edited by multiple people, and frequently updated, effective document management is essential. Without it, things can quickly spiral into chaos – and nobody wants that. That’s why the 6th video in my Ministry Management series is Master Your Documents! (No More Chaos!). This video will help you bring order to the madness. We’ve all felt the frustration of searching for the latest version of a file or losing important work due to computer errors. But did you ever notice that the letters in the word LIFE can be rearranged to spell FILE? Sometimes, it feels like managing documents is all we do! Without a solid strategy, managing countless virtual files can be overwhelming. In this training, I’ll cover how to organize your files effectively and keep them on T.A.S.K. (a strategic approach to managing your ideas). I’ll also dive into the S.A.F.E. method, which outlines four key strategies for protecting your valuable documents and ideas. Plus, you’ll learn a unique document naming protocol (Oooo, doesn’t that sound sexy?!) that…

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BLOW UP Your Object Lessons!

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I’ve said it for decades, “You should BLOW UP your object lessons!” But before you try to go buy dynamite and end up with the ATF knocking down your front door, let me explain! First of all, I LOVE OBJECT LESSONS! Did you know, Kidology.org started as an object lesson website back in the Fall of 1994? The same time that Amazon.com started. (Why am I not a billionaire? LOL) We still have hundreds in the Object Lesson Zone. Object Lessons are one of THE most effective ways to teach kids – because while most spiritual concepts are abstract and invisible – words like faith, love and propitiation (Huh?) are challenging to explain to kids who are concrete relational, meaning, if they can’t see, touch, smell, hear, or eat something, it doesn’t exist! Object lessons help link these abstract concepts to concrete physical objects (or experiences) so that children can relate to them. Children’s teachers aren’t the first to use them – Jesus used object lessons all the time, and he was teaching adults! But here is what I mean by “blowing them up.” Often, in an object lesson book there will be an idea of an object that can…

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The LOVE Patrol

What is the most important volunteer role in your Children’s Church service? You might think it’s the teacher on stage, but actually it’s the members of the LOVE Patrol! What is the LOVE Patrol? The LOVE Patrol is what I like to call my volunteers that are “out and about” in the room among the children. In my kids service, which we call The Outpost, our official name for our helpers is Trail Guides, but I let them know they are on the “LOVE Patrol” during the service. I borrowed the name “LOVE Patrol” from a church that I visited many many years ago and I think it’s fantastic! It sure is better than “crowd control” – because it communicates that their purpose is not control, but to love on the kids and help them get the most out of the service. Train your volunteer helpers that their role isn’t to just sit in the back, or along the sides of the room, but to constantly be “on patrol” and watching the kids during the service. Contrary to what is often done – they are NOT looking for “bad behavior,” instead they are  actively moving about the room, studying the…

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Just 100 Prophesies of Jesus!

We often tell kids about the many prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. But this year I decided to actually show them by compiling just 100 of the over 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. It turned out to be a much more daunting project than I originally anticipated, but it paid off. My goal was just to give them two or three of the 100 cards each, but they kept asking for more and more. They are now available on Kidology: 100 Prophesies of Jesus! DESCRIPTION: Boost your faith as you discover one hundred prophesies about the Messiah, written in the bible and fulfilled by Jesus! Guess how many prophesies God made about Jesus and His time here on earth? 25? 50? 100? 200? It’s hard to give an exact number because of how they are written, but scholars have counted about 575 verses in the Old Testament that somehow point to or describe the coming Messiah! Some of them repeat the same prophecy, but overall, there are about 300 different prophesies that Jesus fulfilled during His time on earth, from His birth through His ministry, and even in His death and resurrection. God used prophesy to help demonstrate that Jesus was…

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