Articles

Making Memorable First Impressions for Visiting Families

This post was written by Angie Hooie, a member of the INCM Blog team. As visiting families are coming to church, maybe for the first time since the pandemic began, leaders have an opportunity to make an awesome first impression. Whether you serve at a…

Maximizing Children’s Ministry in a Hybrid World

This guest post was written by The Orange Team. Over the past year, churches have started leveraging digital platforms to inspire faith and engage kids. With all the change, a new model for children’s ministry has developed – virtual and hybrid children’s ministry. At least…

Is All Our Work Doing Any Good?

This guest post was written by Gordon West, Founder of Kidz at Heart. Have you ever stopped to wonder if all of the work that you put into your ministry with children is really making a difference? After more than forty years as a children’s…

The King Who Said “Enough”

I love reading about Jesus’ interactions after His resurrection. One of the things that really stood out to me this year in reading these post-resurrection accounts is that, in the midst of the commissioning and sending, He set priorities for His disciples: love Me, follow…

Remembering the Lamb’s Sacrifice

“He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him.” Isaiah 53:3a Pilate had just handed Him over to the soldiers to be crucified. The Lamb, in the hands of the Romans, was taken into the Governor’s residence and…

3 Practical Trauma-Informed Responses

This is the second of two articles in a series on Trauma-Informed Children’s Ministry by INCM board member Kim Botto. Read the first article here. If you’ve worked with kids for any time, you’ve had “that” kid. You know who I’m talking about. The kid…

Where to Start with Trauma-Informed Children’s Ministry

This guest post was written by INCM board member Kim Botto. I’m often asked by children’s ministry leaders, “When is the right time to train volunteer teams on how to respond to kids who have experienced trauma?” My answer is always the same – NOW….

The Undeniable Need for Trauma-Informed Kids Ministries

This post was written by Rob Hall, Ed.D, President of Trauma Free World Melissa is a regular every week. Sunday School every Sunday morning and, more often than not, Middle School youth group on Wednesday nights. Her Grandma Ruth, who Melissa lives with, is careful…

Good Leadership vs. Great Leadership

It was complete chaos. A few summers ago, my husband and I took our two young sons and two of our nieces to the community pool. Our children spent most of their time in the ‘kiddie-slide’ area on the far side of the pool. At…