Below you will find useful resources for conducting children’s ministry.
Children’s Ministry Course
The courses for this area of focus will help you gain insight into best practices for children’s ministry.
Designed for individual study, you will find the courses broken up into a lesson format which will take 20-25 minutes per lesson. These lessons are designed to help you gain the most educational impact with minimal time commitment.
Church of the Nazarene
VBS
What is VBS?
Typically, VBS is a four or five-day ministry that is two to three hours each day. Some churches may choose to have one or two-day events. VBS is designed to reach children and invite them and their families into a relationship with Jesus. VBS is a tool for the local church to draw others into their church fellowship for the purpose of making disciples in all nations and helping them grow into disciple-makers.
How does VBS Work?
Vacation Bible School can be approached in many different ways.
Backyard Bible Clubs: Held at the homes of church members, culminating in a weekend church service or event.
On-Site VBS: Held in the church building, culminating in a weekend church service.
Community-Site VBS: Held in a central location in a target ministry area. This can be in a community center, a playground or park, or a building you rent for the week close to the neighborhood your church is strategically targeting. The activity can culminate in a weekend church service.
NAZARENE
Caravan
Caravan is a scouting—or kids’ club—type of program for children in first through sixth grade. Classes typically meet once a week throughout the school year. Caravan uses an active, hands-on learning approach to help children grow physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually. Caravan focuses on teaching everyday skills with a distinctly Christian focus.
Children become members of one of the three major groups based on their age: Searchers (first and second graders), Explorers (third and fourth graders), or Adventurers (fifth and sixth graders). The awarding of badges is a fun, but optional, part of this program.
Nazarene Safe
Nazarene Safe helps churches create safer ministry environments, policies, and practices to protect minors. Reducing the risk of sexual misconduct requires effective training. The following link is provided to help Nazarene Churches design effective safety systems to keep children safe from sexual abuse.
