Welcome to our MBI Children and Family Ministry Newsletter! We seek to support Children and Family Ministry by providing free or inexpensive resources that inspire and educate faith in Jesus.
“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”
– Psalm 78:72
Work/Life Balance
Ministry leaders often feel exhausted in their shepherding roles. Sanda Peoples (M.Div), who serves as the co-director for her church’s Special Needs ministry, acknowledges that burnout is common for ministry leaders due to the constant expectations of others. This article is an excellent resource if you need practical advice on how to thrive in ministry emotionally, physically, and spiritually. To read, click here.
Ministry leaders who are both serving the Kingdom and raising their own children can find that the time and energy both roles take is a challenge difficult to navigate. This article outlines four principles that form the basis of a balanced life for careers and marriages. Read the article and complete the quiz at the end to help determine if you have a healthy work/life balance. To read, click here.
Keeping Our Focus
The Gospel Coalition is a resource that strives to help Children’s Ministry Leaders disciple kids to love God. Teaching children to love God through His Word is a necessary focus in discipleship. This article reminds readers that it is first through our own love of God’s Word that we are best equipped to teach the gospel to children. In this article you will find five simple tips to help engage children in God’s Word. Click here to access.
Keeping the gospel central in your children’s ministry takes intentionality. The balance between teaching children to obey God’s commandments and showing them they have freedom through the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ can be difficult to find. In this article, listen to Elyse Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson, authors of the parenting book, Give Them Grace, attempt to help us navigate through this issue within our families and ministries. To access, click here.
Volunteers
Volunteers Spill the Beans on Effective Recruiting
Do you struggle to find volunteers for your ministry? Your very own volunteers might just be the experts on recruiting! In this article from Children’s Ministry Magazine, volunteers reveal how they were inspired to join the ministry and stay in the ministry. You can read this article here.
13 Ways To Train Volunteers
Do your volunteers feel equipped? Consider that the primary role of ministry leaders, according to the Apostle Paul, is to equip God’s people to do the work of ministry (Eph. 4:12). Children’s ministry is no different! In this article you can find 13 methods you could use to train your volunteers! Click here to access.
Risk MAnagement
Free Resources Designed for Christian Ministries
Brotherhood Mutual has been insuring churches for over 100 years, collecting wisdom for Christian ministries to keep their people safe. For a one-stop shop of all kinds of safety resources, click here. You can also access safety resources specific for doing children’s ministry during and after COVID-19 here.
Ministry Safe
Ministry leaders cannot forget their responsibility to safeguard the people in their care from preventable hazards. Ministry Safe is a quality ministry dedicated to educating ministry leaders how to do just this. Check out their ministry here and if you are interested in their training services, click here.
Vision Casting
What’s Your Why?
Helping others know why you exist as a children’s ministry is key to keeping passion for it alive and well. Lifeway Kids encourages children’s ministry leaders to find direction for their ministry through building a strong mission, values, and vision statement. Discover practical steps for creating your own ministry mission statement here.
Vision Casting: What It Is and How to Do It
Jim Wideman, an internationally recognized voice in children and family ministry, writes that “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time!” In this article, he shares the importance of creating and casting a vision for ministry. Check out Jim Wideman’s seven steps of vision casting here.
