On January 1st, we kicked off the “31 Days of Prayer for Children.” EGM is spending the month of January praying for boys and girls around the world in a specific way each day.

On this episode of “Better Children’s Ministry,” Kelli talks with Quinton Hufferd, EGM’s Bible Resource Publisher, about the value of praying for nurturing families. Quinton shares some of the qualities of a nurturing family and how we can minister to children who are not growing up in an nurturing environment. We are encouraged to know that any child, no matter their circumstance, has the opportunity to become part of God’s nurturing family.

We encourage you to join us for the rest of our time in prayer this month! You can sign up to receive daily emails with specific prayers: 

Highlights:

5:30 – What are some of the qualities of a nurturing family?

9:27 – Why do we pray for children to have nurturing families?

10:45 – What does God’s Word say about the value of family?

17:14 – How can we minister to children who don’t have nurturing families?

21:58 – Encouragement as we continue to pray

On January 1st, we kicked off the “31 Days of Prayer for Children.” EGM is spending the month of January praying for boys and girls around the world in a specific way each day.

On this episode of “Better Children’s Ministry,” Daniel and Kelli talk about one of our prayers – that children grow up with health and wholeness. Daniel points us to Jesus’ own childhood and the many layers of meaning in the word “wholeness.”

We encourage you to join us for the rest of our time in prayer this month! You can sign up to receive daily emails with specific prayers: http://eepurl.com/gbQnzn

Highlights:

3:12 – Health and wholeness in light of Luke 2 and 1 Samuel

5:53 – More than just physical health and wholeness

7:40 – What aspects of health and wholeness affect a child’s spiritual growth?

10:12 – How do we minister to children who are not growing up in health and wholeness?

12:04 – Encouragement as we continue to pray

So here we are approaching the new year. As we were thinking about what to discuss for this episode, we were thinking about what would bring us all into 2019 in the right frame of mind. So on this episode of Better Children’s Ministry, Daniel and Kelli talk about thankfulness and how important it is to have a thankful heart in children’s ministry. Highlights: 0:40 – The strangest gift Daniel ever received 2:08 – Why is thankfulness an important practice in ministry? 8:55 – What might keep us from being thankful? 10:40 – Practicing the discipline of thankfulness 11:54– How can we model a heart of thankfulness to children? 12:57 – A 37-year prayer was answered this year 15:08 – Children transformed in Belarus

Every year at EGM, the staff gets together and we pray and discuss what will be the focus of our year-end celebration. What will be the message in our annual Christmas card. What does God wants us to share about Him in light of our ministry to boys and girls. This year, the theme of our celebration is “Welcome Them.” This comes from Matthew 18:5. In this episode of Better Children’s Ministry, Daniel and Kelli discuss how we can apply the truth of this passage as we celebrate Christmas. Highlights: 2:52 – What does Jesus means when he says we welcome him when we welcome a child? 5:29 – Why is this passage significant to the ministry of EGM? 8:45 – How can we apply the truth of this passage at Christmas? 10:15 – Welcome the children who are hardest to love

When we serve in children’s ministry, we are leaders. And when God calls us into ministry as a leader, He also calls us into prayer. God invites us into an ongoing, intimate conversation with Him as we serve the boys and girls in our churches. He provides guidance, encouragement, strength and so much more when we rely on Him to direct our ministry. In this episode of Better Children’s Ministry, Daniel Watts explores the ministry calling of Paul, and how his life was characterized by God’s direction through prayer. Daniel and Kelli discuss the different ways God offers us help in ministry, and how we can trust Him even when we don’t feel like our prayers are being answered. Highlights: 3:42 – Where can we see prayer as part of a leader’s calling in the Bible? 9:33 – We can ask God for specific guidance about our ministry work 12:33 – We don’t have to know everything – what a relief! 14:28 – What do we do when we don’t get an answer to our prayer? 17:31 – Go to His Word. Go to His People. 19:56 – Encouragement when our prayer life isn’t what it should be Do you need prayer for your ministry? We want to pray with you! Email us at [email protected].

During this hectic holiday season, God’s call on our lives to minister to children can feel overwhelming. Balancing our responsibilities at home with our families and at church with our service can become very challenging. In this episode of Better Children’s Ministry, Daniel Watts walks us through 1 Timothy 3:4 and some of the qualifications of a church leader. We talk about how important our family responsibilities are in the life of our ministries. Daniel offers encouragement to those who are feeling spread thin. Highlights: 4:22 – A good leader in the home will be a good leader in the church 4:40 – How do we apply 1 Timothy 3 during the hectic Christmas season? 8:55 – Learning how to say “No” 10:10 – Modeling home and ministry life balance for children 12:26 – The more time we spend with God, the more clearly we can discern His call 13:49 – God’s more concerned about who we are than what we’re doing

We know that the holiday season can be particularly busy and stressful for children’s ministry leaders. Because of the spiritual significance behind Thanksgiving and Christmas, our churches are often celebrating with additional services and programs. Because of that, we want to spend a couple weeks offering encouragement and wisdom directly from God’s Word. On this episode of Better Children’s Ministry, Daniel Watts and Kelli Johnson discuss Proverbs 22:6 and what it means to minister to children with wisdom. Highlights: 2:44 – What does “Train up a child in the way he should go” mean? 6:17 – The way we learn is usually the way we teach 8:05 – What does Proverbs 22:6 have to do with wise ministry to children? 10:06 – How do we integrate this wisdom practically? 11:59 – Encouragement during this hectic season of ministry

One of our goals through this podcast is to pour encouragement into our listeners with the hope that you can pour into those around you as well. We are especially praying for you during this hectic holiday season; we know things tend to get a little nutty! But whether we’re leading our church’s children’s ministry or we are a fellow volunteer, each one of us can play a part in the building up of others around us. In this episode of “Better Children’s Ministry,” Tara Thomas and Kelli Johnson talk about the value of expressing appreciation and out-doing one another in showing honor. **Warning ** We talk about insects in this episode. It’s a little gross. #KidMinLife Highlights: 4:33 – Some of the things we’ve received that made us feel appreciated 7:48 – Memorable gifts/notes are really relational 8:30 – During the holiday season, how can we support and encourage each other? 10:13 – Our relationships with God and with each other remain the focus 10:56 – What does God’s Word say about why and how we show appreciation? 12:30 – Encouragement for leaders looking for creative ways to show appreciation 16:38 – A prayer of encouragement from Tara

“Truth” is one of the five principles found in Deuteronomy 6 that we use at EGM when we work with churches to disciple children. Each of them -- Relationship, Experience, Truth, Discussion and Response – works to provide children with opportunities to respond to God and experience the transformed life He intends for them. In this episode of “Better Children’s Ministry,” Tara and Kelli discuss some of the best – and worst – ways to teach the Truth to boys and girls in church. Highlights: 5:25 – What is the worst way to teach the Bible to children? 7:11 – Tara’s favorite ways to teach Bible truth 11:48 – Practical tips when considering how to teach this week 13:10 – We can teach creatively without buying new supplies 14:48 – What does God’s Word say about how we should teach God’s Word? 18:05 – Encouragement as we look for new, fresh ways to teach

When our goal in children’s ministry is life transformation, it becomes increasingly important to ensure every child has a discipleship relationship. One of the most practical ways we can facilitate relational ministry is in a small group setting. On this episode of “Better Children’s Ministry,” Tara Thomas and Kelli Johnson discuss the advantages and challenges of ministering to boys and girls in small groups. Highlights: 3:14 – The special relationships we develop in a small group setting 5:39 – How children relate differently to their leaders and to each other in small groups 7:26 – The challenges we face when ministering in small groups 10:37 – How to handle radio silence 12:49 – What does the Bible say about the value of small groups? 16:24 – Jesus himself modeled small group relationships 16:46 – Encouragement when considering small groups

Many children’s ministry leaders express a desire to have a better relationship with their senior pastors and senior leadership. On this episode of “Better Children’s Ministry,” Kelli Johnson and Tara Thomas talk with Jed Manimtim, Executive Pastor at Sunridge Community Church in Temecula, about both sides of this very important relationship. Jed and Tara share about how pastors and children’s ministry leaders can encourage each other and work together to disciple children. Highlights: 5:20 – The value of children’s ministry in the life of a church 9:27 – How can pastors support children’s ministry? 13:48 – Our relationships with church leaders have layers 14:46 – How can pastors empower and encourage KidMin leaders? 16:24 – How can children’s ministry leaders encourage their pastors? 19:16 – Relating to our pastors when there is no problem that needs solving 20:15 – What does God’s Word say about children’s ministry? 24:09 – Equipping parents together 27:18 – A prayer from Tara