I saw an old photo taken in 1904. The image captured my attention. The picture is of a boy being thrown high up into the air and then caught by a group of elders standing close together beneath him. There’s something for me that evokes a sense of hope, a sign of belonging and the empowering of the community. The initiation process continued over time with the young men being … [Read more...]
Children and family leaders retreat
How good it was to see nearly 50 children’s and family leaders from across Baptist Churches in NSW and the ACT coming together for 24 hours at Kiah Ridge in August. Connection and encouragement are two keys for sustainability in ministry. This retreat is a great space for leaders in the vital area of children’s ministry to get together and be equipped and inspired. This … [Read more...]
To, for and with
Three short words that I’ve been thinking about when it comes to discipleship. These words are prepositions their function in language is to show the relationship with other nouns or pronouns in the sentence. My question is how much of the disciplemaking we do in the church uses the preposition with and how much is it to or for. Let me explain... There is much we do as a … [Read more...]
Life in Teams
We know that teams are important for ministry sustainability and effectiveness, but when it comes to the practicalities of building teams we can sometimes get stuck. In Children and Family ministries, teams are predominately made up of volunteers and in many cases are also led by a volunteer. For ministries to best serve the local community strong teams are vital. Teams help … [Read more...]
Yes
So you said yes to being part of kids ministry. You said yes to getting involved in a ministry that partners with families to see kids being transformed by the gospel and starting on the journey of being lifelong disciples. What a privilege! Perhaps you were asked could you “help us out” and be on a roster a few times a term and you said yes. Perhaps you said yes to ministry … [Read more...]
Good parenting resources
I often get asked for suggestions of good parenting resources. I guess it’s because as parents we feel the weight of responsibility but we don’t always feel confident. So here are five books about raising kids that I’ve found helpful. All are by Christian authors although not all are overt in the Christian principles that have shaped the author’s worldview. They aren’t … [Read more...]
Screen time
Should I restrict my child’s screen time? How much is too much? The ‘experts’ disagree, but there is an answer you can be sure of and the answer is this: It depends! What does it depend on? Perhaps the following story helps. It’s a story about a family with at least one adult and at least one child. The adult wanted the child to be a well-adjusted, friendly person who … [Read more...]