MEMORY VERSE: Romans 8:14, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”(NLT) BOTTOM LINE: The Holy Spirit speaks to me through my conscience. The first way that the Holy Spirit leads me is by the inward witness. I say first because this is the most common way that the […]
My goal is that the kids in my class attend church on a weekly basis. The reason I say weekly is because discipleship is most effective with a weekly commitment. I understand that the tendency today is for families to attend church every other week, but the bottom line is that the kids that attend […]
MA child’s self-image is the biggest determining factor in their happiness and overall success in life. A parent’s responsibility is to build their child’s self-worth and give them the confidence they need to succeed, but our churches are full of kids whose parents don’t do this. Jesus told us to “love our neighbor as yourself.” […]
I still remember the day I changed my strategy for recruiting and training volunteers. It was a cold winter morning in 1987, and I had just accepted a new position as a children’s pastor at a church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was frustrated because yet another volunteer had informed me he was stepping down. And, […]
I remember the first time I met a Children’s Pastor. It was October of 1978. I was attending Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Oklahoma. One of my classes was entitled, Ministering To Children and was taught by Willie George, a children’s pastor at a local church in Tulsa. Today, Willie George is the Founding and […]
We hear a lot of talk today about family ministry, but what exactly is family ministry? My thoughts about family ministry have changed over thirty-five years of ministry. I have a different view of things than when I started. This is my definition of family ministry: family ministry is comprised of the church and the […]
Let’s talk about loyalty for a minute. Loyalty is the glue that holds your team together. If you want loyalty from your leaders, be loyal to them. I remember the first time I complained about another staff member to my pastor. He looked at me and asked, “Have you talked to them?” “No.” “Then why […]
I gave my life to Christ on September 12, 1976 when I was 17 years old. I didn’t tithe right away, but began to tithe when I was 19 years old. The thought of not tithing has not entered my mind since then. It has been one of my Christian disciplines, just like reading the […]
The worship of children is precious to the Lord. He really likes it when children worship Him. In fact, the Bible calls it perfect praise (see Matt. 21:16 nkjv). If the worship part of the service is for the Lord, what do you think He wants? Does He want it to be exciting? Does He […]
One of my heroes passed away yesterday. I thought I would share my story with you about how Billy Graham impacted me is such a way that my life, as I knew it, was over. I did not grow up in a Christian home. The truth is that my life was a mess. My Mom […]