In this short book, Alison Mitchell gives helpful and clear advice on setting up and running children’s ministry.
Alison is the commissioning editor for the Good Book Company and has been training children’s and youth leaders for over 30 years. She is author of the ‘Click’ teaching material, has written several tracts for children and authored several books on children’s ministry.
Alison begins with the reminder that it is a parent’s duty to teach their children about God. The tragedy of modern society is that children’s ministry is often the only place many youngsters gain exposure to the gospel. This makes such work all the more vital.
The book is engaging and interactive. There are sections to fill in, scenarios to examine, Bible passages to analyse and time for personal reflection. The constant suggestion of praying over the topics in each chapter is a helpful reminder of the essential duty of praying for children being ministered to in any group. Throughout the chapters there are tips for keeping on top of discipline, all are which are practical.
There are two chapters on preparing Bible teaching, an important emphasis given that this is the heart of a youth meeting. Alison gives some good pointers for teaching children and provides a walkthrough of how to do this. At the back of the book are references for children’s ministry resources, most being from the Good Book Company.
The chapters are well written, in a clear font. There are few pages of solid text, as most are broken up by a box, lines to fill in or bullet points.
While anyone who has been involved in children’s ministry for several years might not find anything revolutionary, this book will serve as a good reminder of the duties, pitfalls, purposes and privileges of serving the Lord. It is a book I would have found particularly helpful when setting up a youth group at my church eight years ago.
James Chittenden
Redhill
