Not long ago I was reflecting on the changing state of Children’s Ministry. Like most of our culture, it seems to be going through a transformational stage unlike any before. And it’s happening fast.
I won’t get into the “20 years ago when I started in Children’s Ministry…” routine (yes, you’re welcome!), but today’s KidMin really doesn’t look much like it did back then (at least in most churches). I think that’s mostly a good thing because, as I thought about it, it’s reflective of the growing priority kids have in our ministries, the huge growth in resources, and the abilities of a new generation of Children’s Ministry leaders.
As I thought about where Children’s Ministry has come from in it’s past, I began to wonder about where it’s headed in the future. And that’s when I got the idea to contact some of my friends – KidMin leaders around the country that you all know of – and ask them to collaborate on a project called The Future of Children’s Ministry.
Many of them graciously agreed to write an article to be posted here on KidMin360.com, so over the next few weeks you will see the thoughts of these leaders answering this question: what does the future of Children’s Ministry look like? Our guest authors will include:
Karl Bastian Todd McKeever Larry Shallenberger Ryan Frank Dale Hudson Matt McKee Matt Guevara Amy Dolan Jonathan Cliff Tina Houser Tony Kummer Henry Zonio
Mike Johnson Justyn Smith Michael Chanley Kenny Conley Rick Chromey Gordon West
Wow! Are you kidding me? Look at that line up! I am honored to have such a group of leaders willing to share their thoughts. As I’ve been reading the articles they’ve been submitting for this project I am blown away at their insight to “what’s next”. I think you will be too!
OK, so the first article will be up on Monday, November 1st. We will have a new article from one of these great leaders every Monday, Wednesday & Friday until we are done (except on Thanksgiving) .
Don’t miss a single post!! And to make sure you get all the updates when posts come out, be sure to:
- Subscribe to the posts via RSS or Email
- “Like” us on Facebook
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow the Twitter hashtag: #FutureOfCM
We also want to know what you think! So in Monday’s first post we will share with you a special way you can participate in a discussion about The Future of Children’s Ministry. Those who participate in the discussion and those who Tweet their thoughts with the hashtag (#FutureOfCM) may end up as part of the booklet we’ll make available after the whole project is complete.
Yes, that’s right, at the end of the project we will be putting together a free, downloadable PDF booklet with all of the articles and many of the discussion comments & tweets that appear over the next few weeks. You’ll be able to download it from here and from any of the author sites who choose to offer it…for FREE!
So start thinking about what you think the Future of Children’s Ministry looks like, make sure you are connected to KidMin360 to get the updates, and share your thoughts in the discussion & on Twitter beginning on Monday!
[...] a intro to a series here, and click here for a list of all of a articles. And be certain to check out how we can be [...]
[...] a part of a project he was organizing. He asked some of us in Kidmin world to write an essay about The Future of Children’s Ministry. I love thinking about the future, especially the future of ministry to children and families, so I [...]
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