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Resources for Children’s Leaders

Pavestones: Leadership Training Guides for the local Church

 

Contents:

 

 

Downloadable (PDF) Resources:

Children’s Ministry Links:

Recommended Reading List for Children’s Ministers

The following recommended resources may be purchased through your favorite bookseller:

Aleshire, Daniel.
Faithcare: Ministering to All God’s People through the Ages of Life.
Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1988.

 

Allen, K. Eileen and Marotz, Lynn. 
By the Ages:Behavior and Development of Children Pre-Birth through Eight. 
New York: Albany, 2000.

 

Barna, George. 
Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions.  Ventura: Gospel Light, 2003.

 

Beckwith, Ivy. 
Postmodern Children’s Ministry.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.

 

Borba, Ed.D., Michele
Parents Do Make a Difference
Josey-Bass, 1999

 

Caldwell, Elizabeth F.
Making a Home for Faith, Nurturing the Spiritual Life of Children.
Cleveland:The Pilgrim Press, 2000.

 

Capps, Donald.
The Child’s Song – The Religious Abuse of Children. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995.

 

Chapman, Gary. 
Five Signs of a Functional Family. 
Chicago: Northfield Publishing, 1997.

 

Chapman, Gary.
The Five Love Languages of Children. 
Chicago: Northfield Publishing, 1992.

 

Castleman, Robbie. 
Parenting in the Pew.
Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1993.

   

Coleman, Paul. 
How to Say It to Your Kids When Bad Things Happen.
New York: Prentice Hall Publishers, 2002.

 

Coles, Robert. 
The Spiritual Life of Children.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990.

 

Crasy, Elizabeth. 
Without Spanking or Spoiling. 
Seattle: Parenting Press, 1993.

   

Dawn, Marva J. 
Is It a Lost Cause? Having the Heart of God for the Church’s Children. 
Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997.

   

Duckert, Mary. 
New Kid in the Pew: Shared Ministry with Children. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1991.

 

Elkind, David. 
The Hurried Child.
Reading: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1988.

 

Elkind, David. 
Reinventing Childhood. 
Rose, NJ: Modern Learning Press, Inc., 1988.

 

Elkind, David.
Ties that Stress: The New Family Imbalance.  Harvard University Press, 1994.

 

Fitzgerald, Helen. 
The Grieving Child. 
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992.

 

Foster, Charles R.
Educating Congregations. 
Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994.

 

Freudenburg, Ben and Lawrence, Rick. 
Family Friendly Church. 
Loveland: Group Publishing, 1998.

 

Fuller, Cheri. 
Opening Your Child’s Spiritual Windows. 
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001.

 

Geary, Bonnie L. and Thomas F. Geary
Nurturing the Souls of Our Children.  
Macon: Smyth & Helwys, 2002.

 

Gilbert, Roberta M.
Connecting With Our Children – Guiding Principles for Parents in a Troubled World. 
New York:  John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2000.

   

Halverson, Delia. 
How Do Our Children Grow?  Introducing Children to God, Jesus, the Bible, Prayer and Church.  Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993.

 

Hays, Rita B.
The Children’s Minister
Discipleship Resources, 2007

   

Heller, David. 
The Children’s God. 
Chicago: University of Chicago Pres, 1986.

 

Houser, Tina
Building Children’s Ministry
Thomas Nelson of Nashville, TN, 2008

   

Talking to Your Child about God. 
New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 1988.

 

Jones, Timothy. 
Nurturing a Child’s Soul.  
Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000.

   

Leffert, Nancy. 
Starting Out Right: Developmental Assets for Children. 
Minneapolis: Search Institute, 1997.

 

Leman, Kevin. 
Bringing Up Kids without Tearing Them Down.  Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publisher, 1995.

 

Lester, Andrew D. 
Pastoral  Care with Children in Crisis. 
Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1985.

 

Lester, Andrew D. 
When Children Suffer. 
Philadelphia: Westminster Press. 1993.

   

May, Scottie. 
Children Matter. 
Grand Rapids:Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2005.

 

Miller, Craig and Kenneth Norton, Mary Jane Pierce.
Making God Real to a New Generation.
Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2003

   

Morgenthaler, Shirley K., Ed.
Exploring Children’s Spiritual Formation – Foundational Issues. 
River Forest: Pillars Press, Concordia University, 1999.

   

Morgenthaler, Shirley K., Ed. 
Right From the Start – A Parent’s Guide to the Young Child’s Faith Development. 
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2001.

 

Nelsen, Jane. 
Positive Discipline. 
Ballantine Books, 1987.

   

Peters, Becky. 
Building Faith One Child at a Time. 
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1997.

 

Price, Max. 
Help! I Teach Children’s Sunday School: A Guide to Effective Teaching and Faith Development.
Macon: Smyth/Helwys Publisher, 2003.

 

Ratcliff, Donald E. 
Handbook of Children’s Religious Education.
Birmingham: Religious Education Press, 1992.

   

Richmond Garland, Diana S. and Penecost. Diane L. 
The Church’s Ministry with Families. 
Dallas: Word Publishing, 1990.

 

Roehlkepartian, Eugene and Jolene. 
Embracing Parents: How Your Congregation Can Strengthen Families. 
Nashville: Abindgon, 2004.

 

Roehlkepartian, Eugene. 
The Teaching Church.  
Nashville: Abingdon Press,

 

Roehlkepartain, Jolene and Nancy Leffert.
What Young Children Need to Succeed.
Minneapolis: Free Press Publishing, 2000.

 

Stonehouse, Catherine. 
Joining Children On the Spiritual Journey—Nurturing a Life of Faith. 
Grand Rapids:  Baker Books, 1998.

 

Swift, Madelyn.
Discipline for Life: Getting it Right with Children.
Forth Worth: Stairway Education Programs, 1998.

 

Thompson, Marjorie J. 
Family—The Forming Center—A Vision of the Role of Family in Spiritual Formation. 
Nashville: Upper Room Books, 1989.

 

Tobias, Cynthia Ulrich. 
Every Child Can Succeed.
Colorado Springs: Focus on the Family Publishing, 1996.

   

Vanderwell, Howard
Jan Rogers Vann, Foreward
The Church of All Ages

 

Westerhoff, John H. III.
Will Our Children Have Faith. (revised)
Harrisburg:  Morehouse Publishing, 2000.

 

Yust, Karen Marie.
Real Kids, Real Faith.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publsiher, 2004.

 

Raising Up Spiritual Champions: How to Teach Children to Think and ACT like Jesus (ISBN 0-8307-3293-4) is an 8 sessions teaching unit for children in grades 4-6. Includes 2 CD-ROMs.

 

Children’s Ministry Smart Pages (ISBN 0-8307-3096-6) for grades 1-6 contains administrative information and forms for the Children’s Minister as well as materials for leader equipping. Contains a CD-ROM. Materials are reproducible.

 

Opening Your Child’s Spiritual Windows by Cheri Fuller (ISBN 0-310-22449-7) deals with worship, prayer, Bible learning, Helping, Church. Contains chapter relative to faith & moral development in preschoolers and children.

 

The Hurt that They Feel: Helping Preschoolers Deal with Tough Issues (ISBN 1-56309-839-3) deals with such issues as family violence, anger, terrorism, death, divorce. Each chapter ends with "reflection and application" for use in a parenting group.

 

Transforming Congregational Culture (ISBN 0-8028-0158-3) is a wonderful, wonderful resources for leaders who are concerned about changes in congregational life that bring about changes in individual lives—-from Board culture to ministry culture, from an end to a means, from givers to receivers who give.

 

FaithHome ProActive Parenting has released 4 DVDs related to parenting uses. Contact Abingdon Press for more information about these parenting resources.

Videos to Equip Children’s Leaders:

  • “Pavestones 1: Children’s Leaders” is a 30-minutes video with leader and learner’s guides. Gives overview of job profile and/or ministry description for a Children’s leader. Available through the Emerging Leaders Team for $10. Order by phoning 800.ALL.BGAV, x2256 or 804.915.5000.
  • “Pavestones 2: Children’s Leaders” is a 30-minutes video giving teaching tips for leaders of children in grades 1-6. Available for $10 through Emerging Leaders Team; order by phoning 800.ALL.BGAV, x2256 or 804.915.5000.
  • “Turning Children into Spiritual Champions” is available from Barna Group for $20 (805.397.0000)—an excellent resource.