Making Your Children's Ministry the Best Hour of Every Kid's Week

David Staal

Zondervan, May 26, 2009 - Religion - 208 pages

Promiseland is Willow Creek’s highly successful children’s ministry. Using examples from Promiseland and churches of all sizes around the country, this book provides step by step guidance and creative application exercises to help churches develop a thriving children’s ministry—one that strives to be the best hour of every kid’s week. Included are Scripture-based principles and practical resources for church staff members and volunteers who agree with the critical role children’s ministry plays in a local church. Making Your Children’s Ministry the Best Hour of Every Kid’s Week, based on twenty-eight years of experience at Willow Creek, explains four ministry foundations: Mission, Vision, Values, and Strategy. Content includes: Detailed answers to questions facing every children’s ministry: • What does Jesus expect from children’s ministry? • How can we evangelize lost kids and disciple saved kids at the same time, and should we? • How do we engage kids so they don’t become bored? • How do we get better at recruiting and leading volunteers? • How can our ministry be a safe place for children? • Six specific ministry values that address the needs of today’s children • Practical first steps for ministries that want to get serious about change • Clear indicators of success in children’s ministry

Contents

• Foreword by Bill Hybels: 9
• Introduction: 15
• IMAGINE THE BEST HOUR: 35
• YOUR MISSION SHOULD YOU CHOOSE: 47
• THE BIG: 82
• SHARING THE DREAM: 110
• FIT FOR THE ADVENTURE: 134
• SUNDAY MORNING HEROES: 145
• A Final Word: 157
• Mission Statements Based on the Great Commission: 181
• Promiseland Curriculum: 191
• Acknowledgments: 197

About the author

David Staal serves as the president of Kids Hope USA, a national non-profit organization that partners local churches with elementary schools to provide mentors for at-risk students. Prior to this assignment, David led Promiseland, the children’s ministry at Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois. Other leadership roles he held at Willow Creek include director of communications and director of children's ministry for the Willow Creek Association. David authored Word Kids Need to Hear (2008), Leading Your Child to Jesus and Leading Kids to Jesus (2006), and Making Your Children’s Ministry the Best Hour of Every Kid’s Week (2004, co-authored with Sue Miller). David also serves as the senior editor of Today’s Children’s Ministry, an electronic publication and web site from Christianity Today International. He lives in Grand Haven, MI, with his wife Becky, son Scott, and daughter Erin.

Sue Miller is executive director of Promiseland and oversees Willow Creek’s children’s ministry. Sue has also equipped thousands of other ministries to do the same.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Making Your Children's Ministry the Best Hour of Every Kid's Week
• Author: David Staal
• Contributors: Sue Miller, Bill Hybels and George Barna
• Publisher: Zondervan, 2009
• ISBN: 0310540070, 9780310540076
• Length: 208 pages
• Subjects: Religion / Biblical Studies / Bible Study Guides; Religion / Christian Education / Children & Youth; Religion / Christian Ministry / Children