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4 Tips to Get More Kids to Your Events

Posted on by jay

In this post, here’s what we’ll cover:

  • Why you should connect kids ministry events to your vision.
  • How to share information related to your event.
  • 4 steps that can help you get more kids at your events.

Planning a children’s ministry event is a mixture of excitement, anticipation, and more than a few nerves. We can spend countless hours curating the perfect event, but having a great idea is just the beginning. We also need people to show up (and parents to drive their kids). If you’ve ever spent time planning events for children’s ministry, then you’ve probably asked yourself this question—How can I get more kids to show up?

We’ve been there before, and we’re here to help. When it comes to events, there are a lot of different ideas on how to…

  • Communicate and share information.
  • Create engaging kids ministry events.
  • Connect with new and existing families.

And if you’re struggling with getting your group to show up to your events, you may not know where to begin. That’s one of the reasons why we host GrowCon every year. It’s an online conference where we offer practical strategies, ideas, and resources for kids ministry leaders just like you—and it’s completely free!

We want to help support ministry leaders as they reach their goals and discover ways to make their ministry even more awesome. So, this year at GrowCon24, we invited Barbara Carneiro to share some best practices for developing, marketing, and communicating events for your group. Barbara is an expert in church communication, the founder of Word Revolution, and the creator of the Church Communicator Conference.

Check out her session from GrowCon24 below, or if you just can’t wait to hear her thoughts on events, keep reading for a quick summary. Be sure to snag the notes for this session along with a practical exercise we made to help you develop your ministry’s vision!

If you’re looking for ways to get more kids (and their families) at your events, here are four things you can do.

1. TIE EVENTS TO YOUR VISION

Your vision is the essence of what your ministry does. It helps to create a foundation for your events, discipleship, teaching, and the other parts of your annual strategy. You can think of your vision as the “why” behind your events and your ministry. When you tie your events to your vision, you can create ministry experiences that work together towards a common goal. And if you need help defining the vision for your ministry, we’ve put together a great exercise that can help!

2. COMMUNICATE IN STAGES

After developing a great event idea, the next thing you’ll need to do is communicate the details. There’s often a pressure to get every single last detail ready—from the date and time to the location and cost—before we share about an upcoming event. Instead, consider sharing about your event in multiple steps. You might start with a simple save-the-date graphic and share the specific details as you get closer to your event date. Instead of sharing the same set of information for weeks at a time, you can slowly build up information to keep your kids and families engaged and connected to the vision behind the event.

3. GIVE ONE SIMPLE STEP

As kids ministry leaders, we can get so excited about our events that signing up can be … complicated. Not everyone is ready to get involved at the same level at the exact same time. What you can do instead is curate a process that meets people where they are. So, rather than ask every parent to commit to an event at the same level, you might look for the “smaller yes” that can bring your group together over time. This might be a simple sign-up experience or a single hub, whether physical or digital, where they can go for more information. You’re just looking for one simple action they can take when they’re ready for more information.

4. MAP OUT THE EXPERIENCE

Mapping the experience is about giving your group the information and details they need as they need them. It’s about thinking through each step of your event process, from sending a save-the-date to your post-event cleanup. To map out the experience, you’ll need to think through questions like …

  • What’s the one simple step you want your group to take?
  • How can they get more information?
  • Where can they find registration information?
  • When do I want to start promoting my event?

The goal of mapping out the experience is to put yourself in the shoes of the kids and parents in your group. It means sharing the information that is most relevant right now. You might need to think ahead a little bit, but it will be so worth it in the end.

These are just a few ideas for how to get more kids to your events, but they’re all related to one thing—your vision for ministry. We’ve got a great exercise to help you think through a few questions as you clarify and put words to what God is doing in your ministry. So whether you want to work on your own or with your team, check out these free resources for your ministry!

And if you’re looking for some more children’s ministry events, we’ve got you covered! With Grow Kids Curriculum, you’ll get…

  • Four quarterly events and discipleship activities
  • VBS event and activity guide
  • Event-planning checklists and tutorials
  • Communication guides
  • Videos, editable graphics, and flyers
  • Shopping lists
  • And more!

Events are such an important part of kids ministry, and we’d love to help you with your event strategy. Feel free to steal ours here! Whether you use these four steps from Barbara Carneiro or start up a free trial of Grow Kids Curriculum, we hope it helps you as you lead your events!

4 Tips for Worship in Youth Ministry

Posted on by jay

In this post, here’s what we’ll cover:

  • Why it’s so important for your children’s ministry to spend time in worship.
  • 4 tips for incorporating worship into your weekly environment.
  • How your participation can help students grow!

If you’re a youth leader, you know good music can completely change your environment. Slow, somber music usually helps teenagers focus and reflect, but it’s probably not what you wanna go with for a game of dodgeball.

Now, it’s pretty easy to incorporate upbeat music into a game or even at the start of a lesson, but how do you use music to lead your group in worship? It’s actually a lot more doable than we might expect—it just takes a good strategy.

It’s alright if bringing worship into your weekly routine feels intimidating. We get it. As ministry leaders, we’ve had our own share of trying to develop a vision and plan for worship in our services. We know what it’s like to wonder which songs to sing or how to find engaging songs.

So, we want to help. We’ve put together this list of four tips to help you add a time of worship to your weekly environment. We hope you’ll walk away with a few ideas for your ministry, so get ready to steal ours!

Sound good? Let’s get started!

Free PDF Resource
4 Tips for Worship in Youth Ministry

EVALUATE YOUR RESOURCES

Let’s start by taking a look at your ministry’s resources. Not every meeting space is set up for a live band every week. Even if it were, you might share the space with another ministry or need someone to run sound for you every time you schedule worship.

Then there are the rehearsals, lyric slides, and more that go into leading worship through music. Thankfully, there’s more than one way to add worship to your weekly environment, you just need to focus on what you do have in your meeting space.

When you think of what makes a time of worship happen, you only need a few things: a list of songs… and a way to play them.

Yeah, worship can be that simple! Sure, we might have a band come in to lead our group in worship but we can also…

  • Use a wireless speaker to play music
  • Use a lyric video to guide the group
  • Invite a student to lead the group in worship

So, yes, having a band can draw your teenagers’ attention, but it’s not the only way. You can design a weekly worship experience that works for you and your context.

To help you think about your resources, here are a few questions you can ask…

  • Do I have a way to play songs?
  • Is there someone who can lead this for me?
  • Are there students who are interested in helping?
  • Are there any sensory needs to consider?
  • Do I have a way to show song lyrics for the group to sing?
  • Do I have the software I need to show videos & lyrics or play music?

CHOOSE ENGAGING SONGS

It can be so hard to sort through all of the songs available online. When that seems overwhelming, you may be tempted to go back to the same song rotation your group knows by heart.

Here’s the thing, having great music is only part of the equation. The other part is making sure teenagers are actually interested in the music you’re offering. Each ministry is going to approach this differently, but we have some tips to help you get started.

  • Ask your students and volunteers. Your group might already have a list of their favorite songs. Ask for their input and search online for versions of each song to give them a new perspective.
  • Search Online. With so many great content creators and artists, there’s a chance that the next hit worship song in your ministry is a quick search away. Use your favorite search engine to find the “best student worship music” or “youth ministry worship videos.”
  • Ask Online Groups. Don’t do it alone! There are hundreds of kids ministry leaders like you who are facing the same challenge. That’s why we created this online community with over 50,000 youth ministry leaders. It’s a space for you to share ideas, ask questions, and learn from other leaders all around the world!

KEEP IT SHORT (AT FIRST)

So far, we’ve talked about the resources you have (or need!) for your ministry and a few places you can go to find the best worship songs for youth ministry. So, what does it look like to actually add a time of worship to your weekly environment?

When you’re starting out, keep your time of worship short. During these weeks, focus on signing one or two songs and make sure at least one song is the same each week. This will help your group learn the words and give them the space and time to connect with the song. If you keep shuffling through new songs, you might find it challenging for your group to learn the words or engage with what you’re singing.

Teenagers need a simple way to process the songs they’re being introduced to. Some of them might be all in from the beginning, but others might need some time to warm up.

To help them get comfortable with singing as a group, take time to ask them what worship means to them and why we do it before you play the first song. Take time to invite students to reflect on their experience by asking them follow-up questions, like…

  • How did you feel before we sang these songs? How do you feel now?
  • What was your favorite part of our time of worship?
  • Were there any words you didn’t know or understand?
  • How can you make worship a habit?

GET INVOLVED

It’s easy to let all the logistics of worship through music get in the way of the ways it brings everyone together. Organizing the setlist and lyrics usually requires all our attention, and just might take away from the best parts of the experience as a whole.

Remember to be present during worship! Yes, there are plenty of technical details to think about at the moment, especially when you have a student volunteer in charge of the slides for the first time. The possibilities are endless! ?

  • A video might not play correctly
  • Audio might be muted
  • A musician might forget a word… or an entire verse

Try not to get so caught up in what “went wrong” because these hiccups can’t possibly measure up to your teenagers’ experience.

We totally get it—excellence is literally one of our core values! But we also know things happen. When they do, remember you’ve got this and worship is all about creating moments for students to connect with and grow closer to God. With each song, we’re helping teenagers understand their relationship with God and shaping what they believe about their own value.

Knowing someone from your group was able to open up about their struggles or breakthroughs is a way more lasting experience than a seamless set. So, yeah, you can try to avoid accidents, but God’s presence doesn’t disappear when the audio cuts out, or a student volunteer doesn’t change the slide fast enough.

When we get involved, teenagers. That’s right, youth worship isn’t just about getting our groups to sing, raise their hands, or clap along with the song. It also means we get to model what worship can look like in youth ministry.

When we’re most excited about incorporating worship into our weekly environment, it shows students how to get involved. Teenagers will naturally look around the room to see how their leaders are participating. Whether they see you holding a conversation during the first song or seeing you all in from the start, they’ll match your energy.

So, even if there are dozens of things on your mind, try and do your best to model behaviors for your group. This is your chance to be pause and participate freely with your youth group.

There you have it! Four tips for adding worship to your weekly environment! We can’t to hear your stories of how your students continue to grow their relationship with God.

Good luck exploring worship in your weekly environment!

Free PDF Resource
4 Tips for Worship in Youth Ministry

4 Tips for Worship in Children’s Ministry

Posted on by jay

In this post, here’s what we’ll cover:

  • Why it’s so important for your children’s ministry to spend time in worship.
  • 4 tips for incorporating worship into your weekly environment.
  • How Grow Kids Music can help your children’s ministry.

If you’re a children’s ministry leader, you know good music can totally shift your environment. Want to see it in action? Try playing a game with slow, somber music. It’s probably not going to bring the same energy as bouncy, up-tempo dance beats.

Now, it’s pretty easy to incorporate music into a game or even at the start of a lesson, but how do you use music to lead kids in worship? It’s actually a lot more doable than we might expect—it just takes a good strategy.

It’s alright if adding worship to your weekly environment has felt a bit… intimidating. We get it. As ministry leaders, we’ve had our own share of trying to develop a vision and plan for worship in our services. We know what it’s like to wonder which songs to sing or how to find engaging songs and videos kids can dance along to.

So, we want to help. We’ve put together this list of four tips to help you add a time of worship to your weekly environment. We hope you’ll walk away with a few ideas for your ministry, so get ready to steal ours!

Sound good? Let’s get started!

Free PDF Resource
4 Tips for Worship in Children’s Ministry

EVALUATE YOUR RESOURCES

Let’s start by taking a look at your ministry’s resources. Not every meeting space is set up for a live band every week. Even if it were, you might share the space with another ministry or need someone to run sound for you every time you schedule worship.

Then there are the rehearsals, lyric slides, and more that go into leading worship through music. Thankfully, there’s more than one way to add worship to your weekly environment, you just need to focus on what you do have in your meeting space.

When you peel back the layers of a time of worship, you only need a few things…

  • A list of songs
  • Ways to sing them

If we see worship from that perspective, there are all sorts of ways we can be creative in inviting kids to sing with us. Sure, we might have a band come in to lead our kids in worship, but we can also…

  • Use a wireless speaker to play music
  • Introduce a new dance or lyric video
  • Invite kids to stomp and clap as they sing together

So, yes, having a band can be a fun way to add worship to your weekly environment, but it’s not the only way. You can design a weekly worship experience that works for you and your context.

To help you think about your resources, here are a few questions you can ask…

  • Do I have a way to play songs?
  • Do I have a way to show song lyrics for kids to sing?
  • Do I have the software I need to show videos & lyrics or play music?
  • Is there someone who can lead this for me?
  • Are there any sensory needs to consider?

CHOOSE ENGAGING SONGS

There are so kids worship songs to choose from. Seriously, go count them… we’ll can wait. ?

Having great music is only part of your song selection process. The other part is making sure kids are actually interested in the music you’re offering. What this looks like will change for each ministry, but we’ve put together a few ideas for how you can choose the best worship songs for your ministry.

  • Ask your kids and volunteers. Your kids and volunteers might already have a list of their favorite songs. Ask for their input and search online for kids versions of each song.
  • Search Online. With so many great content creators, there’s a chance that the next hit worship song in your ministry is a quick search away. Use your favorite search engine to find the “best kids worship music” or “kids worship videos.”
  • Ask Online Groups. Incorporating worship into your service isn’t something you have to do alone. There are hundreds of kids ministry leaders like you who have gone through the same experience. That’s why we created this online community with over 30,000 kids ministry leaders. It’s a space for you to share ideas, ask questions, and learn from other leaders all around the world!
  • Use Grow Kids Music! We’ve released a growing library of kids worship songs that are available for purchase. And if you’re using Grow Curriculum, they’re included with your subscription for free! Each song comes with MP3s, videos, and lyrics, so you can start using them right away!

KEEP IT SHORT (AT FIRST)

So far, we’ve talked about the resources you have (or need!) for your ministry and a few places you can go to find the best worship songs for kids. So, what does it look like to actually add a time of worship to your weekly environment?

When you’re starting out, keep your time of worship short. During these weeks, focus on signing one or two songs for the kids and make sure at least one song is the same each week. This will help kids learn the words or dance motions and give them the space and time they need to connect with the song. If you’re regularly changing the song, you might find it challenging for kids to learn the words or engage with what you’re singing.

When you focus on keeping things short, you give kids a way to process what’s happening. Some kids might be all in initially, but others might need a few chances to warm up. To help them get comfortable with music and singing out loud, take time to explain what worship is and why we do it before you play the first song. Set up your time of worship well, and once you’ve finished, be sure to invite kids to process their experience by asking them follow-up questions, like…

  • How did you feel before we sang these songs? How do you feel now?
  • What was your favorite part of our time of worship?
  • Were there any words you didn’t know or understand?
  • How can you worship God at home?

HAVE FUN WITH IT

When it comes to leading worship, there are a lot of technical things that go into it. Worship through music combines music, video, dance motions, and technology, which means there can be a lot on our minds once we press play.

We’ve found it helpful to remember to have fun during worship. Yes, there are a lot of little technical details to think about in the moment, and there might be a few accidents that happen, too.

  • A video might not play correctly
  • Audio might be muted
  • You might forget a dance move or word

And while these moments can be discouraging when they happen, they’re also not the most important thing to focus on. Believe us, we love excellence—it’s one of our core values! But we also know things happen. When they do, we can choose to pivot and remember what’s at the heart of worship: we’re creating moments for kids to connect with and grow closer to God.

With each song, we’re helping kids understand their relationship with God and the world. That’s a much more important part of worship than whether a video played seamlessly. So, yes, do your best to avoid big, distracting accidents, but also remember why we’re here in the first place. It’s to help kids grow closer to God, and God is big enough to reach kids even if our audio cuts out before a song is finished.

But fun isn’t only related to the technical parts of worship—it’s also in how we participate. That’s right! Kids worship isn’t just about getting our groups to sing, dance, or clap along with the song. It also means we can model what worship can look like in kids ministry.

When we’re first adding worship into our weekly environment, it’s important to show kids how to get involved. Kids will naturally look around the room to see how their leaders and trusted adults are participating. If they see you talking in the corner or disengaged from the service, they’ll match your behavior. But, if they see you’re having fun, singing along, and following all the motions, they’ll know this is something they can take seriously.

So, even if there are dozens of things on your mind, try and do your best to model these practices for your group. This is your chance to be silly, sing, and worship freely with the kids in your ministry.

There you have it! Four tips for adding worship to your weekly environment! We can’t to hear your stories of how your kids continue to grow their relationship with God.

And if you’re looking for new worship music for kids, we’ve got a free Grow Kids Music song for you! Our song “Joy” is free and comes with everything you need to sing, dance, and worship with your kids. Plus, you can stream all of our Grow Kids Music on Spotify and Apple Music!

Good luck exploring worship in your weekly environment!

Free PDF Resource
4 Tips for Worship in Children’s Ministry

A Free Weekly Planner for Church Leaders!

Posted on by jay

In this post, here’s what we’ll cover:

  • Why it’s so important to plan your week as a ministry leader!
  • Four key things you should always plan ahead each week.
  • How our free 2025 Weekly Planner can help you be a little bit more awesome this year!

In ministry, it can sometimes feel like the only “routine” we have each week is planning to be surprised. We sit down to plan our teaching calendar when — surprise! A volunteer stops by the office for a chat. Or maybe you’re getting ready to send your monthly parent email when a family needs your help. There are all sorts of reasons why our attention can be pulled from important parts of our ministry. And most often, these urgent needs override everything we planned to work on.

Free PDF Resource
A Free Weekly Planner for Church Leaders!

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve served in ministry — the urgent needs never stop. They’re simply a part of serving, leading, and working alongside people. The last-minute meetings, conversations, and shopping trips for supplies are an important part of your ministry. That doesn’t mean they need to disrupt your entire plan for the week, though. You can plan your week and make space for whatever surprises come knocking on your office door right before lunch. That’s why we made you a Weekly Planner, just for church leaders! And it’s free!

Inside the 2025 Weekly Planner, you can keep track of key parts of your week. On each page of the planner, you’ll be cued to write down the most vital information for your upcoming week, like …

  • Action items.
  • Key takeaways.
  • Weekly outcomes.
  • And people you want to connect with.

But because we really want to help you grow, both in your faith and in your leadership, we’ve also included on every page …

  • A weekly tip for working with kids, teenagers, or family ministry.
  • A Scripture passage to think about. (And if you’re using Grow Curriculum in your ministry, these verses are connected to what’s being taught in that week!)

You can get the free PDF of the Weekly Planner right now. There are three versions you can choose from:

  • The Children’s Ministry Weekly Planner
  • The Youth Ministry Weekly Planner
  • The Family Ministry Weekly Planner
Free PDF Resource
A Free Weekly Planner for Church Leaders!

And if you decide you’d rather not print the planner yourself, you can get your Weekly Planner on Amazon for Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, Family Ministry, or all three! So, whether you’re looking to level up your weekly planning, track your goals and outcomes, or just start planning your week, go snag your free 2025 Weekly Planner today!

4 Things Every Ministry Leader Should Plan Each Week

Posted on by jay

In this post, here’s what we’ll cover:

  • Why it’s so important to plan how you’ll spend your time each week.
  • How focusing on 4 key things every week can help you grow in your leadership and time management.
  • How to download a free Weekly Planner for 2025 . that’s designed just for church leaders!

Every week in ministry, we face the same challenge — it’s the challenge of simultaneously balancing …

  • The regular responsibilities of our jobs.
  • The unexpected problems that always seem to pop up at the worst possible times.
  • Our relationships of the people we lead, serve, or work alongside.
  • Our vision for our ministries that we need to lead.

Yet, how often have you started your week focused on handling something important for your ministry, only to be interrupted by something that urgently needed your attention? The urgent stuff is a part of ministry we can’t avoid — but the urgent stuff can’t always prevent us from planning ahead.

You’ll always need to address the last-minute meetings, conversations, and shopping trips for supplies. But these sudden weekly surprises don’t need to disrupt your entire plan for the week! You can take time to plan out your week and save space for whichever unexpected surprise pops up this week. You just have to focus your planning on four key areas each week.

If you need help with this, we’ve got a Weekly Planner made just for church leaders that you can download for free! Zero dollars. Free free free.

Free PDF Resource
4 Things Every Ministry Leader Should Plan Each Week

Every week, this planner will prompt you to plan these four things:

1. TAKEAWAYS FROM LAST WEEK

Weekly ministry is a constant wave of motion. When you do get the occasional downtime, it only seems to last a few hours before you’re planning the next event or working on your teaching content for the next week. We can spend a lot of time looking ahead in our ministries rather than reflecting on what’s just happened.

That’s why we recommend focusing on one key takeaway from the previous week. What’s a lesson you learned or a conversation you’d like to remember? It could be something from a sermon, a podcast, a book, or a show. There’s no set criteria for where a takeaway comes from. What truly matters is that you remember it and write it down somewhere you can see it.

We want to capture what we learned in the last week for several reasons. First, it’s helpful for us to remember we’re always learning and growing. There’s so much we know, and still so much we don’t. These lessons can help orient us as we head into new seasons and ministry experiences. Second, when you finish planning out your year, you’ll be able to reflect on everything you’ve learned each week. Start with a simple review of the previous week and watch as your review grows into a log of the lessons you’ve learned throughout the year.

2. KEY OUTCOMES FOR THIS WEEK

What do you hope to accomplish by the end of this week? Don’t think of these outcomes as tasks and to-dos. Instead, view them as accomplishments. These outcomes will help give a general shape to your week.

An outcome can look like “Settle on a direction for Spring Retreat” or “Identify three more small group leaders.” You could even write “Have more fun” as one of your outcomes.

Remember, these are the big-picture goals you’ll want to chase by the end of the week. So, no matter what unexpected meetings and conversations pop up, these outcomes can help guide you through the end of your week.

3. ACTION ITEMS YOU CAN’T MISS

You have your takeaways from the week before and your outcomes for the end of this week. Now, it’s time to start thinking about the steps involved. What do you need to do to help you reach your outcomes? Do you need to start looking into camp locations? Do you need to interview potential volunteers? Do you need to write a message or prep a craft?

Start to break down each of your outcomes into the practical steps you can take to get them done by the end of the week. Write these down, and if you want to go a step further, start planning out when you can tackle each step during your week.

4. PEOPLE TO CONNECT WITH

Finally, you’ll want to plan the time you spend with people. We get it. There are more people you want to spend time with than there are hours in the week. You won’t be able to grab coffee or lunch with everyone you want. At the same time, you can’t deny spending time with everyone. Ministry is about people, and you have a great ministry full of volunteers, families, kids, or teenagers who want you to invest in them.

So, plan it out. Be strategic in how you spend time with others. Ask God who you could spend some time with, and write down any name that pops into your head.

This isn’t a commitment to a three-hour lunch, though (unless that’s what you want!) You can spend time with others by sending a text, making a phone call, or setting up a Zoom or FaceTime call. The idea isn’t to overload your schedule but to be intentional about the connections you make in your ministry. So go ahead and schedule those phone calls, send texts telling people you’re praying for them, and check in on the people God calls to mind.

Tracking each of these four areas can help you stay focused on what’s important for your ministry while also giving you the space to take care of the unexpected moments that pop up throughout your week. And if you’re looking for a way to get started with tracking your week, we’ve got a great resource for you. You can get our 2025 Weekly Planner here!

Oh, and because we really want to help you grow, both in your faith and in your leadership, we’ve also included on every page …

  • A weekly tip for working with kids, teenagers, or family ministry.
  • A Scripture passage to think about. (And if you’re using Grow Curriculum in your ministry, these verses are connected to what’s being taught in that week!)

You can get the free PDF of the Weekly Planner right now. There are three versions you can choose from:

  1. The Children’s Ministry Weekly Planner
  2. The Youth Ministry Weekly Planner
  3. The Family Ministry Weekly Planner
Free PDF Resource
4 Things Every Ministry Leader Should Plan Each Week

And if you decide you’d rather not print the planner yourself, you can get your Weekly Planner on Amazon for Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, Family Ministry, or all three! So, whether you’re looking to level up your weekly planning, track your goals and outcomes, or just start planning your week, go snag that free Weekly Planner!

6 Fundraisers for Your Ministry

Posted on by jay

In this post, here’s what we’ll cover:

  • How to plan fun, creative fundraisers for your ministry.
  • What steps to take to make fundraising more engaging and inclusive.
  • How sharing your vision for ministry can help with fundraising.

Free PDF Resource
6 Fundraisers for Your Ministry

Talking about money isn’t easy. Asking for money is even harder.

But you need funds for all the incredible events, mission experiences, and activities you have planned this year. Sure, it’s a little bit scary, but it doesn’t have to be!

With a little bit of planning, you can put your own spin on fundraising. Make it less about asking for money and more about creating experiences for people. Plus, you can use this time to build important relationships and connections for your ministry.

BEFORE YOU GET STARTED

 

First, you’ll want to be intentional about your fundraising strategy. Think about all the things your ministry needs and how to achieve them.

You can start by asking questions like…

  • How much do you need to raise?
  • How will the funds be used?
  • How will you keep everyone in the loop on progress?
  • How can you show appreciation for everyone involved?

Whether you’re raising money for a camp or trip or to build a new meeting space, these questions can help guide you as you set your goals.

Once you’ve locked in those details, it’s time to design your fundraiser! Start by holding a brainstorming session with your team, and don’t hold back. Sometimes, the wildest ideas can end up being the best fundraisers. Encourage them to think outside of the box by asking questions like…

  • How can we put a twist on a popular fundraiser?
  • What’s something unexpected we can give as a thank you?
  • How can we make this fun for everyone?
  • How can we get other ministries in the church involved?

Think of fundraising as a chance to share your vision for ministry with your entire church. It’s your moment to raise your visibility and create connection and engagement throughout your church as you work towards a common goal.

So, if you can, get your lead pastor involved. Have them talk about your fundraiser on stage, in emails or social media, and in other ways you communicate with your church. Their buy-in will go a long way toward helping you reach your goals.

Alright, that’s all of the logistics. Now, let’s talk about some fun, creative ideas for your next fundraiser.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Community events are a great time to get your whole church together. You can invite other ministries to work alongside you as you raise money for your ministry. You could try hosting a…

  • Community carnival with fair-style games, raffles, and more.
  • Family game night—arcade style! Use some different board games or video games and charge attendees for ticket vouchers for each game.
  • Bingo night with players paying per card for the chance to win some small prizes.
  • Bake sale with proceeds going towards your ministry fund.

RAFFLES

A little competition can make fundraising so much more fun. Partner with a few local businesses or buy a few inexpensive items to bundle together. Raffles are more fun when you give away prizes, so try raffling a…

  • Spa package with some candles and a gift card for a spa treatment.
  • Movie night with popcorn, candy, and a gift card for a streaming service.
  • Date night with a gift card for a restaurant or movie and maybe a voucher for child care for families with kids
  • Local experience with a gift card or voucher for a unique event or activity in your area.

HOLIDAY HELP

If you start your fundraising around the holiday season, you can invite your ministry to help prep for the holidays. You might try…

  • Decorating the homes of people in your church. Just remember to schedule a time to help take the decorations down, too!
  • Wrapping gifts during the Christmas season. You can set a price per item or by size.
  • A holiday photo booth with a simple backdrop and a skilled photographer.

MINISTRY MERCH SALES

The most challenging part of making ministry merch is the upfront cost. With companies like Bonfire, you can design ministry merchandise without worrying about storing shirts or buying hundreds of products before you know how many you can sell. So, with a simple design, you can sell customized merchandise as a fundraiser for your ministry.

RESTAURANT PARTNERSHIPS

Some restaurants will let you partner with them for a percentage of all sales. These events don’t take a lot of effort and are a great idea for an extra fundraising boost. Because you only get a portion of the money made, we don’t recommend these to be the core of your fundraising strategy.

BUDGET-FRIENDLY OPTIONS

However you decide to approach fundraising, be sure to make an inclusive plan for every budget. If your donation barrier is too high, some people may not be able to contribute as they would like. Try creating a few budget-friendly options, like an envelope challenge.

Take a few envelopes and label them with different dollar amounts, from $1 up to $100. People can choose an envelope that matches their ability to donate and return it with that amount of money inside. If you can fill up all 100 envelopes, you’ll make $5050!

Really, there’s no “one right way” to fundraise. Try out a few different ideas and see what works best for your church and your community. What really matters is that you have fun with it!

If you need help planning one of these fundraisers, check out our complete event planning guides for kids and youth ministry!

Good luck with your fundraising!

Free PDF Resource
6 Fundraisers for Your Ministry

A Free Fall Calendar for Youth Ministry

Posted on by jay

In this post, here’s what we’ll cover:

  • Why this free, editable calendar will save you time and stress.
  • How to customize your free calendar to fit your ministry.
  • Where to download your free fall calendar.

Fall is packed with so many chances to connect with your students and grow your youth ministry, but keeping everyone in the loop can be tough. With school schedules, events, retreats, and everything in between, making sure your volunteers, parents, and students know what’s happening (and when) is key to a successful season.

Having a central, editable calendar not only helps you stay organized but also ensures clear communication with everyone involved in your ministry. No more last-minute texts about event details or volunteers unsure of where they need to be!

That’s why we’ve created a FREE Editable Fall Ministry Calendar—to help you easily share your ministry’s events and schedule with your team, parents, and students. It’s designed to save you time, reduce stress, and keep your youth ministry on track for an amazing fall.

Free PDF Resource
A Free Fall Calendar for Youth Ministry

When you download your Free Fall Ministry Calendar, you’ll get…

  • A PSD file
  • A DOCX file
  • Canva links
  • Font links

It’s everything you need to quickly (and easily) design your seasonal calendar. Just add in your events, meetings, and key dates. Then, print it out or send it digitally to your team, volunteers, and parents as part of your regular communication strategy.

We hope this resource helps you plan an amazing fall season and keeps your youth ministry running smoothly!

Free PDF Resource
A Free Fall Calendar for Youth Ministry

A Free Fall Calendar for Kids Ministry

Posted on by jay

In this post, here’s what we’ll cover:

  • Why this free, editable calendar will save you time and stress.
  • How to customize your free calendar to fit your ministry.
  • Where to download your free fall calendar.

In kids ministry, communication is everything. With so many events, programs, and lessons happening throughout the fall, it’s important to keep parents, volunteers, and your kids in the loop. But with all the moving parts, making sure everyone knows what’s happening and when can be a real challenge.

That’s when a clear, easy-to-use calendar can be your best buddy. Whether you’re planning a fall festival, your teaching series, or holiday events, having a shared calendar is the perfect way to keep everyone on the same page–without the chaos of missed events or miscommunication.

Our FREE Editable Fall Ministry Calendar is designed to help you stay organized and make sure that everyone involved in your ministry knows what’s happening, when it’s happening, and how they can be a part of it. And the best part? It’s fully customizable to fit the unique needs of your ministry!

Free PDF Resource
A Free Fall Calendar for Kids Ministry

When you download your Free Fall Ministry Calendar, you’ll get…

  • A PSD file
  • A DOCX file
  • Canva links
  • Font links

It’s everything you need to quickly (and easily) design your seasonal calendar. Just add in your events, meetings, and key dates. Then, print it out or send it digitally to your team, volunteers, and parents as part of your regular communication strategy.

We hope this resource helps you plan an amazing fall season and keeps your kids ministry running smoothly!

Free PDF Resource
A Free Fall Calendar for Kids Ministry

Grow Kids Music: Worship Songs for Children’s Ministry

Posted on by jay

In this post, here’s what we’ll cover:

  • Why your ministry needs more kids worship music.
  • What’s included with every Grow Kids Music song.
  • How to use Grow Kids Music in your children’s ministry.

How often is music a part of your children’s ministry? If you’re like most ministries, music is a regular part of your weekly environment—and for good reason! You can use songs for…

Sure, you might use music to help you with different discipleship goals, but let’s focus on the most obvious purpose for music in ministry—leading kids in worship!

We’re so excited to announce new songs from Grow Kids Music are live! We’ve written our own worship songs for kids that you can use today. And guess what?! We’re not just giving you the songs. We’re also giving you everything you need to help lead kids in worship, including…

  • Lyric sheet
  • Sheet music
  • Song MP3
  • Instrumental MP3
  • Lyric video
  • Dance video
  • Dance tutorial video

Looking for ideas for including Grow Kids Music in your weekly environment? We’ve put together some helpful tips for you! But if you’re ready to hear an original Grow Kids Music song, check out the video below or stream our music on Spotify and Apple Music!

The best part of Grow Kids Music? It’s included in your Grow Curriculum subscription! If you’re on an active Grow subscription, you have access to all of our kids worship songs (and the songs we release in the future!) That means, right now, you can download all of the songs, videos, and extras for your ministry!

If you’re not subscribed to Grow Kids, that’s okay! Each song is available to purchase at growmusic.org. And if you liked the video above, you can have it for free!

We’re so excited to get these songs into your hands (and your ears!) We know how important great kids worship music can be for your ministry. So whether you’re using these songs to lead kids in worship or help them grow their spiritual habits, we hope it helps you keep doing awesome things in your ministry!

Free PDF Resource
Grow Kids Music: Worship Songs for Children’s Ministry

Free Resource! A Free Discipleship Activity from Grow Kids Curriculum!

Posted on by jay

In this post, here’s what we’ll cover:

  • How discipleship helps kids grow closer to God.
  • What’s included in The Bible Buddy Reading Plan, our free discipleship activity for kids.
  • Where to find even more free resources!

“How do you help kids grow in their faith?” This is the question many parents and families have when they enter your ministry. They want to know about your strategy for helping their kid foster a faith that can last a lifetime.

Your strategy for this process—discipleship—is among the first things you should consider for your ministry calendar. That’s because it’s the lens through which we see everything else we do in our ministries.

How you approach discipleship will affect how your group develops their spiritual habits like…

  • Spending time with God
  • Spending time with others
  • Using their gifts
  • Sharing their story

We value a strong discipleship strategy so much that we’re giving away one of our favorite discipleship activities just for children’s ministry leaders like you!

The Bible Buddy Reading Plan is a great way to encourage kids and families to read their Bibles and spend time with God. During The Bible Buddy Reading Plan, kids will adopt a stuffed animal buddy for the week. This Bible buddy will tag along as they read, learn, journal, and grow by spending time in the Bible together!

Inside The Bible Buddy Reading Plan, we’ve given you everything you need to lead your group through this discipleship activity. You’ll find…

  • An activity guide
  • A shopping list
  • Instructions for families
  • A calendar of daily readings
  • The Bible Buddy Reading Plan Journal
  • Editable graphics
  • Activity flyers

Whether they’re reading on their own or having a grown-up read to them, The Bible Buddy Reading Plan is a great way for kids to spend time with God and reflect on what they’re learning each day.

Plus, this free discipleship activity is just a sample of what comes with a subscription to Grow Kids Curriculum. With a Grow subscription, you’ll get a complete year of teaching curriculum and our strategy to build the best ministry in seven key areas…

  • Teaching
  • Discipleship
  • Environments
  • Events
  • Volunteers
  • Families
  • Annual Planning

So, if you’re looking for more resources to help your children’s ministry grow, start a free trial of Grow Kids Curriculum. You’ll get The Bible Buddy Reading Plan discipleship activity and a few of our favorite resources.

We can’t wait to hear how The Bible Buddy Reading Plan helps your kids and families grow in their faith!