A blog post by Terri Elton This weekend I sat behind a grandpa and his preschool granddaughter in worship. It was sweet to watch him guide her and explain the various parts of worship. At one point in worship small group leaders of children, youth, and adult ministry were invited up front, and we prayed for and commissioned them as

By Dr. Terri Martinson Elton, Director of the Center for First Third Ministry at Luther Seminary  My niece is a lively, energetic preschooler. She is curious and asks lots of questions. And she has opinions, and isn’t afraid of sharing them. I love my time with her, as I introduce her to new things and she invites me to enjoy

By Julie Hagen This fall my congregation began a new format for our children’s church school. We need a significant larger amount of leadership from parents than years past and I’ve discovered that much of my job is finding ways to communicate the importance of being involved. We need parents to be a part of the ministry that is happening

By Dr. Nancy Going, Director of the CYF Distributed Learning Program at Luther Seminary   I just spent the weekend at a big conference of Children’s ministers, and I heard the same conversation over and over. “Our parents keep their children so busy.”  “We don’t know even really know the parents or children in our churches.”  And I heard lots

By Neil Christianson Remember the last baptism you saw? It is a beautiful miracle to see! Through the water and the word, God claims one as his own and we see the transformation right before our eyes. God promises to work in the life of that individual and bring them to eternal life. What a promise! But that’s not all. There

By Ashlea Denton, MA CYF graduate from Luther Seminary When asked to come up with an example of learning from children, nearly every adult can quickly give a response.  Whether it be from their own child, a distant relation or a chance encounter, adults have been, often unconsciously, learning from children for generations.  Matthew 18:2-5 is often quoted when speaking

Dr. Terri Elton discusses the Missional Church and the First Third of Life How does the church remain faithful, while also being open and imaginative? The church finds itself at an important crossroads. Aspects of church are being questioned, new challenges are stressing current practices and old answers are not sufficient for current circumstances. In the midst of this reality,

Carrie Carroll, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment at Luther Seminary, talks about kids and money. (This video was developed in collaboration with Luther Seminary’s Center for Stewardship Leaders.) related link: Halloween Post: Is Taking to Kids about Money Too Scary?

Terence Fretheim, Elva B. Lovell Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, talks about prayer and relationship with God. “God understands what a healthy relationship entails, and that means communication on the part of both parties. . . What people have to say to God in this relationship counts!” Fretheim says that biblical understandings of prayer can show us what

I don’t know about you, but as a family with children in school, this time of the year I get caught in the current. Our family tries hard to be intentional about how we spend our time, who we spend our time with and what commitments we take on all year long, but this time of year it never works.

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