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Tag Archives: children’s ministry
Inclusion Fusion…What’s Next?
From the comments we’ve received thus far and the many chats and discussions that took place during the conference, our team has sensed a clear consensus that Inclusion Fusion shouldn’t just be a once a year thing. Our team wants to build upon the energy and momentum generated by the Web Summit. Some have suggested periodic (monthly-quarterly) mini-conferences focused upon a topic of interest in special needs ministry coupled with lots of opportunity for interaction between speakers and participants. If we were to do that, some ideas we’re kicking around include…
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Check Out Kidmin Leaders
For some time now, our team at Key Ministry has been very intentional in seeking to build collaborations and relationships with leaders in the children’s and youth ministry communities. One of our newest relationships is with GJ Farmer’s website, Kidmin Leaders. We’re going to be contributing features to the site on a twice-monthly basis for the purpose of resourcing children’s pastors and key volunteers to more effectively minister to kids with hidden disabilities and their families. Continue reading
Posted in Inclusion Fusion
Tagged children's ministry, GJ Farmer, Key Ministry, Kidmin Leaders, Stephen Grcevich MD
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Guest Blog…Inclusion Fusion Speaker Amy Dolan
We’re honored to have one of the most respected leaders in the world of children’s ministry joining us for Inclusion Fusion. Amy Dolan has served the Curriculum Writer and Programmer for Promiseland at Willow Creek Church, and served in the position of Executive Director of Children’s Ministries for the Willow Creek Association. She is currently serving as Founder, Leader, and Blogger of Lemon Lime Kids – a Children’s Ministry Consulting Company. Director of What Matters Now, and Curriculum Writer for What’s In the Bible?
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When are kids most at risk of aggressive behavior at church?
Most kids who display aggressive behavior serious enough in terms of frequency and/or severity to be of concern to church staff and volunteers will meet the criteria for one or more mental health or developmental disorders. Nevertheless, children’s and youth ministry staff and volunteers need to take steps to minimize antecedents to aggressive behavior without specific information about a child’s diagnosis or treatment. Continue reading
Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Ministry Environments, Strategies
Tagged aggressive behavior at church, children's ministry, Chuck Swindoll, executive functioning, Harmony Hensley, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Inclusion Fusion, Jeff McNair, Jeremy Collins, Katie Wetherbee, Key Ministry, Marie Kuch, Shannon Dingle, youth ministry
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Information Overload
One of the downsides of this proliferation of ministry content and resources is the danger that ministries can get into an escalating “arms race” in which leaders feel they need to promote more and more content in overlapping social networks in an effort to be heard above the “noise” caused by the volume of social media available. There’s also a risk of churches and parents who want to start ministry initiatives becoming paralyzed by the range of resources available to them through what’s referred to as choice overload theory. I think it’s also easy for ministry leaders to get so caught up in keeping up with social media and measuring success in terms of Facebook fans, Twitter followers and website hits that we lose sight of the ultimate goal…sharing God’s love with the people around us in such a way that those people are drawn to Jesus. Continue reading
Be Not Anxious…Small Groups, Retreats and Mission Trips
Today, we’ll continue our look at challenges church participation poses for children and teens with anxiety disorders by looking at several potentially anxiety-inducing experiences…small groups, retreats and mission trips. Continue reading
What Children’s and Family Ministry Can Learn From Child Psychiatry
Churches appear to give lip service to the concept of viewing parents as partners in the spiritual development of kids, but do their actions match their words? Continue reading
The Challenges Families Face in Finding the Right Help
Parents of kids with significant mental health disorders frequently experience great frustration in negotiating the confusing maze that constitutes our system of mental health care in many communities across the U.S., along with the yet more confusing (intentionally?) system of paying for needed care. Quite frequently, pastors and ministry leaders are trusted resources to parents of children or teens in crisis, and my own professional society encourages parents who are looking for help for their kids to seek recommendations from their spiritual leaders. In honor of National Children’s Mental Health Day, I wanted to help ministry leaders better appreciate several challenges families face in finding the proper help for their kids, and offer some resources to share with parents looking to churches for help.
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Posted in Families, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Parents, Resources
Tagged children's ministry, Church4EveryChild, Key Ministry, Resources, Stephen Grcevich MD
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The Pros and Cons of Medication for Kids
Bottom line…Medication in the hands of an appropriately trained physician can be one instrument God uses in responding to prayers for a child with a serious emotional or behavioral disorder. In the same way, God may use a physician who’s not necessarily a Christian to bring about healing Continue reading
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