10 Prayer Station Ideas

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This Valentine’s Day, don’t just talk about God’s love; help kids experience God’s love through prayer stations (aka worship response stations). A prayer station is an activity that allows children to express their responses to God about what they are learning and who He is. Each station looks different and gives the child an opportunity to respond to God in a different way.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Give Me 10 Prayer Station Ideas" color="sky" align="center" link="url:http%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F01%2FDKM-Prayer-Stations.pdf||target:%20_blank|"][vc_single_image image="3729" img_size="large" alignment="center"][vc_column_text]Some churches leave these prayer or worship response stations up in their children’s area all the time and use them weekly. As a mobile...

Parents’ Night Out – Valentine’s Edition

[vc_row 0=""][vc_column 0=""][vc_column_text 0=""]Give parents a break! This Valentine’s Day, give the parents in your ministry a night out without the kids. Host a Parents’ Night Out (PNO) where you have youth or empty nesters watch the children while their parents enjoy 4 hours of children-free time. You basically throw one big party for the kids, use youth as your volunteers, and the parents have a night out for dinner and a movie, running errands, or just relaxing at home with no kids![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Click Here For Details on Planning and Promoting Your PNO" color="sky" align="center" link="url:http%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fproduct%2Fparents-night-out-pno-valentine-edition%2F||target:%20_blank|"][vc_column_text 0=""][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text]We always offer the event for free, but we encourage...

The Most Productive Thing You Can Do Today

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This morning I had plans to pull together a lesson, work on another free download for all of you, and read a few chapters for seminary homework. But God kept interrupting my focus with the song below, and He used it to remind me of a lesson I’ve been learning over the past year. I so often confuse productivity with movement, action, and results, which leads me to believe the lie that spending time in prayer is unproductive. I know that’s not true, but there’s often a sneaky little voice in my head that reminds me of everything else I could be doing instead. I’m working on silencing that lie and retraining my brain to accept the idea that creating stillness is a form of spiritual productivity. I’ve learned that when God interrupts my plans for the day, I better pay attention, so I took a break...

3 Sites For Parents to Review Movie Content for Their Children

All parents have concerns about the content of what their children are watching, but no one has time to preview every movie or tv show their child wants to see. Whether your kids are watching on the big screen or a handheld screen, use these sites to find in-depth reviews of any movie's content without having to watch it yourself first. The Dove Foundation - I like this one because it breaks down the movie concerns into different categories: violence, language, sexual content, etc. and even tells you specifically what the instances are.    Plugged In - This site from Focus on the Family is similar to the Dove Foundation, but it is not as easy to read through. One bonus is that it tends to give more details on the spiritual aspects of the movies rather than just a warning of the possible questionable content and offers reviews...

3 Movie Sites to Help You Avoid a #Fail Moment Like Mine

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At the first Parents Night Out that I planned, I showed the movie Shrek. We were a boy-heavy ministry at the time, and I thought, "Swamps, ogres, dragons... the boys will love it!" Well they also loved it when the characters cussed 4 times - yes, 4 times - throughout the movie and they got to tell their parents they heard a potty word at church. #fail Since that wonderful experience of inadvertently teaching the sweet preschoolers new words, I always read up on any movie I plan to show in my ministry. Using one or all three of the following sites helps make sure I’m not showing anything inappropriate and helps me prepare to address any issues that may arise. Learn from my Shrek mistake, and use these sites to preview movie content before showing it in your ministry. The Dove Foundation - I like this one...

Faithful Finance (Lit Lowdown)

[vc_row 0=""][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="3703" img_size="medium" onclick="custom_link" link="https://amzn.to/2B6TUaq"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text 0=""] Faithful Finance: 10 Secrets to Move from Fearful Insecurity to Confident Control By Emily G. Stroud My rating: 5/5 stars - It was amazing!     Read: January 2018[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row 0=""][vc_column 0=""][vc_column_text 0=""]This book is for you if... you are a Christian who spends money, talking about finances stresses you out (two hands raised over here) but you know you need to know this stuff, or you want a Godly perspective of maintaining your personal finances that is simple enough to understand and apply. My thoughts: I will be the first person to admit that talking about finances gives me heart...

Add Parents to Your Team

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Your ministry team isn’t complete without these important players: the parents. Whether they’re your favorite or your least favorite family (don’t lie, we all have favorites), having parents on your ministry team as more than just volunteers is important. To help give parents a voice in the ministry, better partner with them in discipling their children, and help build trusting relationships, I set up a Parent Council in my 2nd year of ministry and have loved it ever since. What is it? A Council, by definition, is an advisory board of people formally constituted and meeting regularly. A Parent Council is a group of 8-10 parents of your choosing that meet regularly to provide feedback, guidance, and input on the ministry. This is a sounding board for you as you plan as well as an extra team to rely on for...

Be a Parent Cheerleader (Not a Coach)

Ministry with children and youth is just as much about the parents as it is the kids themselves. But sometimes our approach to equipping parents can actually have the opposite result of what we want. In my early years of ministry, I provided resources about how to be the best parent and what the “Christian parent” should be doing in their home, but I quickly learned that sometimes these types of resources created more guilt and shame than encouragement or advice. Moms did not feel they could live up to all of the resources I was providing, and it left them feeling overwhelmed. I have learned to switch my mentality as a children’s pastor from “parent coach” to “parent cheerleader” (especially since I do not have children of my own yet). It may just seem like semantics, but this shift actually creates a brand new mindset to...

It’s a Date! (Calendar Planning Checklist)

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Now that the summer is over, and I’m looking to the school year ahead, I created a calendar planning checklist to help me plan out the year without leaving anything out. Planning your calendar year ahead of time helps you see the big picture of what you’re doing in your ministry and stay on top of things (looking at you, procrastinators). When you know what’s coming 2, 3, or even 6 months down the road, you are better able to delegate, plan, focus on your goals, and use your time wisely. So grab your favorite calendar (print or digital), print off the checklist, and plan away! What you need: Goals for the year so you have a direction (Use the DKM Goal Setting Guide to help) Calendar (digital or print) Pencil (because we never plan in pen) DKM Calendar...