Let's discuss faith-shaping ministries to kids.
Faith Formation
Karen
Mimi 
Staci
Tracy
What can you do to ensure that bullying doesn’t happen on your watch? Here are some pointers gathered from organizations that have studied the issue of bullying and its effect on kids.
It is easy for us to let our kids and teens think that we have it all together, with lists of things to do and with quick answers to complex questions but lives are much more complicated than that.
May is the time for graduations from college and high school. What do you do to recognize the graduates in your congregation?
Our worship services would not be as good if we did not allow our members to learn as they do things. We want to let many people use their gifts – including children and teens – and we want to support them so they do well. That also means that sometimes worship will be less than perfect.
One of the things I like about baptisms is that, in addition to the parents making a vow, the congregation does too. The congregation promises that they will love and support this new child and play a special role in her instruction in the faith. It reminds me that we, as a church, take faith formation seriously.
85% of Christian kids never hear their parents talk about their faith. God’s Big Story Cards are an easy way to engage in faith talk and Bible study. While these cards can be used to build relationships in the Sunday School classroom they also can be used to connect families to the story and connect to each other.
If your congregation is like many we’re in conversation with, you’re seriously considering Synod 2010’s decision to welcome baptized children to participate in the sacrament of communion. But with change comes challenge—along with the need to replace old processes and practices with new ones. That’s the challenge we’d like to address
Every week in our morning worship service, the children in 3rd and 4th grade bring in the Bible and light a candle in the front of church. During Lent, a third child is added to the procession who carries in a cross, holding it up high as the congregation sings “Lift High the Cross”
Sunday school leaders like you disciple children who are at the very beginning of their Christian journey. When the Holy Spirit works in their hearts, these children begin to respond to the call of the gospel.
The reason we teach Sunday School is to teach kids who God is and to bring them into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. But how do we do that?
Encouraging parents in their role as faith nurturers doesn’t have to take a lot of time—it can be as easy as getting resources in their hands. Karen DeBoer plans to share resource ideas that families can use at home to talk about faith and read God’s word together.
How do the church’s elders provide “encouragement, instruction and accountability” for the congregation as they think about welcoming children to the Lord's Supper? Harderwyk Ministries in Holland, MI recognized that some of their families are ready for their children to participate
Faith Formation is something those of us who work in Church education think about quite a bit. But measuring faith is very difficult. Robert J. Keeley suggests that there are four accents that show a vibrant faith: creed, community, call and hope.
One of the cool parts of the new Dwell curriculum from Faith Alive are the picture cards for each lesson. The teachers post these cards on the walls of the classrooms, adding another story card each week. As the year goes on, these story reminders surround the class.
This Sunday I am taking my camera to church. I will take pictures of the kids singing or working with their teachers. This is a great way to remember the relationships we are building, preserve church memories and build an awareness of the practices of people of faith.
First CRC of Detroit wrote their own kid-friendly version of the Ten Commandments.
For 3 weeks, the Sunday School kids have been learning a song from Cambodia called “Now I Know.” The text is a great reminder that we are children of God.
This issue of Nurture addresses questions such as “How do help our kids listen to God’s word?” and “When is a good time to have devotions?” There's also a section with prayer ideas for preschoolers, elementary school agers, and teens.
Faith formation is a daily reality that doesn’t stop for any season. That’s why I’m excited about the new summer articles on the Nurture blog with great ideas for families to use this summer.
In Sunday School we are usually spilt up by age groups like in schools. There are good reasons for that. As we grow we can learn at age appropriate ways with our peers. But have we been using the school paradigm too much?
I’m always looking for ways to help kids “remember” their baptism and understand what it means. So I was excited to see the latest board book from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. It’s called At Your Baptism
Though this somber season seems at odds with the boisterous nature of kids, it can be a meaningful time to talk together about the love, forgiveness, and hope we find in Jesus. Here's an article on how to help kids journey with Jesus through Lent.
After singing the chorus they came to the part that said, “He knows my name”, and the little girl spoke her name loud and clear into the microphone, and passed it on to the next child, who spoke and then passed it to the next. How do you make songs more personal and meaningful to kids?
Sunday School teacher is not just a teacher, but part of a child's family.
This activity involves making up a prayer to the tune of a song you know. This is great for kids who are musical or who love to move around, and it works as an individual or a group prayer activity. It also lends itself to a broader conversation about worship and prayer.