Articles:
- Flexible Faith Formation, read an article by 25 year educator, Elizabeth Christie: Click here
- Opening Doors to Discipleship on Children’s Ministry: Click here
- Planning Faith Formation for 2022 and Beyond: A Time for Creativity, Experimentation, Innovation, a paper by John Roberto: Click here
- Cultivate: Growing in Faith, a newsletter from PRC full of great Christian Education ideas for all ages, 8/2022: Click here
- Simple Things: A Pre-School Tweak, 5/2022 APCE article: Click here
- Developing a New Plan for Children’s Ministry, 11/2021 Children’s Ministry Basics article: Click here
- Simple Things: A New Arena for Simpler Sundays, 5/2022 APCE article: Click here
- Practices for Forming Faith with Families & Parents: Click here
- Congregations with fewer than 100 members reimagine Christian Formation, an 8/2024 article from the PC(USA): Click here
Games/Activities:
- Fun and Memorable Children’s Ministry Games: Click here
- Creating a Thanks Jar: Click here
- Learning about Relationships with The Wild Robot, an article that breaks down different ways to use the movie The Wild Robot to explore the interdependency of relationships, just as God designed us to be: Click here
Opportunities:
- APCE Children’s Ministry Network Connection group meets the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM EST via Zoom and you don’t have to be an APCE member to attend. This meeting is an excellent opportunity to share ideas, learn from others, and grow in your ministry: Click here
Praygrounds/Children’s Sermons/Worship:
- Kids in Worship: The Prayground, April, 2023 PRC webinar: Click here
- Into The Prayground, from PRC, written for every week of the year, following the Narrative Lectionaryand Revised Common Lectionary. Contains prompts for the children’s message along with activities for children that further explore the message.
- Blog post from A Sanctified Art (11/2022) about children in worship – bags for them, creating a pray-ground in your sanctuary: Click here
- Storypath from the Center for Excellence in Christian Education from Union Seminary – great ideas to use for children’s sermons: Click here
Webinars:
- Faith Formation Leader Connection Resource Zoom, A PC(USA) resourcing Zoom with time to share what’s new, what’s in season, and ask what you are looking for. One registration link with two times to choose from, a daytime or evening meeting: Click here
- Office of Christian Formation Webinars 2023 both on demand and register for upcoming: Click here
- Empowering Parents to Practice Faith at Home: A Ministry Leader Workshop, 5/2021 webinar from Yale Divinity School and Rev. Traci Smith: Click here
- What’s Next in Christian Education Workshop, 6/2022 PRC webinar: Click here
- A Messy Church for a Messy World, 3/2022 PRC webinar, Messy Church is a global movement that focuses on a way to be church for all-ages together to engage in faith formative activities celebrating the centrality of the love of Jesus Christ.: Click here
Resources:
- Liturgical Calendar Poster Print (2024–2025) from Illustrated Ministry, $: Click here
- Holy Moments resources from PRC: Click here or purchase individual parts here at Dandelion Marketplace: Click here
- Summertime Faithful Families calendar/packet from PC(USA) minister Traci Smith, $: Click here
- Holy Moments resources from PRC: or purchase individual parts here at Dandelion Marketplace: Click here
- Summer at home care package from Cultivate Faith PRC Practical Resources for Churches. Four care packages (play dough prayers, family labyrinth walks, prayer garden, and prayer deck) you can send home for families. Click here
- Gathered at The Table: Celebrating Communion by Glenys Nellist, Zonderkidz 2024 – use this book to help all ages understand the meaning, ritual, and practice of communion. You can also download this free activity pack to go with it: Click here
- Free downloadable activity packs to go with books by children’s author Glenys Nellist: Click here
- Living The Word: Kids Mini Lessons, from Truth and Spirit Publishing: Click here
- Vision, Mission, and Goals for Ministry resource is insightful, well-organized, and gives you a ready-to-go method for effective and faithful ministry planning. (Use code TENOFF for 10% off anything in her store, too!), $
Resource Pages:
- Topics for Faith Formation Leaders, a curated list from the PC(USA) to help leaders discover resources they need: Click here
- Around the Table at Home, a curated list of resources from the PC(USA) to share with households: Click here
- Karen Ware Jackson newsletter full of ideas & resources: Click here
- Guides for sharing stories with children from the PC(USA): Click here
- Around The Table resource page from PC(USA) with resources to help foster faith formation in the home: Click here
- Faith Formation Playlists for all ages: Click here
- Faith Practices Toolkit from the PCUSA: Click here
- Faith Formation Leader Connection, PC(USA) page: Click here
- Around the Table: Design a Summer Series on the Faith Practices! From Worship Ministries and Faith Formation Ministries’ (ELC) Everything you need to create an interactive and intergenerational series on the faith practices of Prayer, Celebrating, Listening, Wonder, Service, Remembering, and more: Click here
- Creative Ways To Energize Your Sunday School, booklet by Debbie Kolacki for PRC
- Relational Children’s Ministry: Turning Kid-Influencers Into Lifelong Disciple Makers by Dan Lovaglia, Zondervan 2016
- Godly Play Foundation: Click here
- Intergen, free resources – Resourcing and supporting best practice ministry and mission with children and their families, with a focus on intentional intergenerationality: Click here
- Taking Faith Home cards from Milestones Ministries: Click here
- Holy Moments, resources for families to share from PRC, 2023, $: Click here
- PCUSA Christian Formation Resources: Click here
- Dandelion Marketplace: Progressive Spiritual Formation for Families and Churches, 1/25, 1:00pm PRC webinar: Click here
- Opening Doors To Discipleship: A Training Website for Faith Formation Leaders in the Reformed Tradition: The Website, A Quicksheet with information on how it can be used
- Children’s Ministry Basics website: Click here
- Re-Formation Resource Roadmap from the PC(USA) includes links for articles, evaluation tools, hybrid ministry, and technology for post pandemic planning and re-formation: Click here
- APCE Resource Page: Click here
- Vibrant Faith: Transforming the way we envision and design faith formation for all ages and generations in the 21st century: Click here
- Family Faith Formation Resources by Topic (Christian Reformed Church): Click here
- Hope4CE: A place where innovative ideas and lesson plans can be shared for Christian Education: Click here
- Techtools4CE (only on facebook): Click here
- Lifelong Faith Formation for Today’s World: Click here
- Building Faith, a ministry of Virginia Theological Seminary (article, webinars, resources): Click here