For children, the weeks leading up to Christmas are often filled with joyful anticipation. Businesses, schools, and churches hang decorations that make children mindful of wonderful food, family, and gifts!

Unfortunately, these worldly things often become their focus and the limit of their anticipation. For many families (and even congregations), there is a sad lack of emphasis on the coming Christ. Advent is one of the two anticipatory seasons of the Church Year; the other being Lent.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s the perfect time for encouraging children and teens to give thanks for all the special gifts God has provided. Here are a few ideas to get your children’s ministry started.

What's the best way to share the Gospel with children? Whether you're a children's ministry volunteer or leader, it's important to have a multitude of methods for sharing God's free gift of salvation with children. In her book Energizing Your Children's Ministry, author Cynthia Brown shares how to communicate the Gospel to kids in understandable and engaging ways. Use these three easy tips for sharing the Good News of Jesus' love and forgiveness with your kids at your next VBS or children's ministry event.

What do we do with Luther’s Small Catechism while students are still in elementary levels? Should we leave it on the shelf until our students enter confirmation class? Absolutely not! As these children develop academically, socially, emotionally, and physically; they will be developing spiritually as well. Catechizing your elementary school students is crucial to nurturing their faith development. When we use Luther’s Small Catechism to teach students about the Christian faith, we give them a sure foundation that will carry them to their confirmation classes and for the rest of their lives.

It was a very tough time for me. I was planning my first church-wide intergenerational event and it looked like there were still about 5,000 details to figure out, and our registration was nearly twice what I had anticipated. The year was 2001, and my church had absolutely no idea how afraid I was!  Feeling the pressure, I called up another DCE who had been serving a little longer than I had been serving. In our 45-minute lunch break, I was able to vent, process, plan, and dream. I felt lighter and more organized as I left the restaurant, and I hadn't implemented one single idea yet.  The event came together well and was such a wonderful time for our church to share in a time of learning and fellowship together.

Though Vacation Bible School season has come to an end, it's never too early to start thinking about next summer's VBS. Now is the perfect time to get church members on board with the new theme and think about VBS fundraisers to garner the support and income you need for this important children's ministry. From car washes to bake sales, there are so many fun ways to encourage funding, teamwork, and enthusiasm for VBS. Here's a list to get you started.

“Redemption” and “salvation” are two words which many unbelievers and even Christians throw around interchangeably, supposing that they both refer to the same concept: that God makes it possible for us to go to heaven.

Hi there. My name is Lisa Clark, and I am a teacher at heart. I can’t help but approach most things in life from a teaching point of view. And while I miss those days I spent with teenagers in my classroom, the beauty is that I’m still finding ways that I can teach, especially with my new series, The Messengers. You know that already, don’t you? We teach all the time, in a huge variety of environments! Whether in a church, classroom, youth group, book club, homeschool, or coffee shop setting, so many Messengers have told me that they’ve enjoyed teaching Discovered to others, and to one another.

If you've ever been the "new kid" at a school or church, you probably remember butterflies in your stomach as you walked into the class. Being in a new situation where you don't know anyone can feel scary and unsettling. Sometimes as Sunday school teachers and leaders, we can forget what "being the new kid" feels like and have to remind ourselves to see everything through the eyes of a visitor. Here's a few easy ways to welcome your Sunday School visitors.

"We wish to see Jesus." (John 12:21)

Every Sunday School teacher wants to help her students see Jesus' love and care for them as their Savior. But every child is different. So what is the best way to reach out to your students? How do you encourage other teachers? Here are four books that every Sunday School teacher should read.