By Samme Rousopoulos

My mother was and is an excellent seamstress—you know sewing, making one’s own clothes as well as making them for the rest of the family and decorations for the home. (An art too soon passing.) She is excellent not just in working diligently and learning to be an excellent seamstress, but in the resources she has and her use of them.

She has an old pink tin box that has kept many of the old buttons removed from worn out clothes through the years. She can find buttons in that box to fit many of her needs today. She also has a new computerized sewing machine that can do a zillion things which she has learned to use and does quite well. The old buttons or the new sewing machine would not serve her well if they were never used. She has had to make the choice of using the old and the new together to create what she or the family needs for today. She also looks ahead to what will be forthcoming in sewing machines—use of DVDs, laser guides, and even maybe robotics.

Such is the case in Children’s Ministry. We need good resources from the past, which have served us well and are proven, as well as new resources which will stretch us and give us new insights and create new possibilities. Barb and I would like to share with you some of the resources, both old and new, that have been good resources for us in ministering to children and their families. If you have some resources that are not listed, I would invite you to let me know so we can share them with others. Just send me an email at samme@churchatthecrossing.org.

• Children's Ministry Magazine - Group Publishing. This magazine gives many practical ideas. It is creative and fun to read. CM magazine shares the latest trends and evaluates them as well. We give a copy to everyone on our leadership teams.
• Children Matter: Celebrating Their Place in the Church, Family, and Community. Scottie May, Beth Posterski, Catherine Stonehouse, Linda Cannell, published by Eerdmans, 2005.  Written by four outstanding Christian educators, this book will serve the ministry well as an overview of ministering to children historically, theologically and developmentally. It also takes the reader further by challenging their thinking as to what is needed to serve children best in ministry. I’m sure this book will find its way into many classrooms as a solid reference.
• Joining Children on the Spiritual Journey by Catherine Stonehouse, published by BridgePoint Books, 1998. This awesome book helps the reader understand faith formation of children helping them understand the various aspects of how children form faith. Catherine Stonehouse, one of the authors of Children Matter, invites those who work with children to join in the journey of faith formation with children. A must have for every children's leader.
• Helping Children Grieve, published by Augsburg Fortress Publishers,2002. Children grieve in a variety of ways at different age levels. Helping children through the grief process is an honor. I have given this book to many families to help them understand how children grieve. I have several copies on my shelf ready to share with others.
• Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, George Barna published by Issachar Resources, 2003. George Barna helps the reader think about the potential they have to children in their church. He also looks at a variety of ministry styles. Barna believes children are significant in the kingdom and wants to see them become spiritual champions.
• Making Your Children's Ministry the Best Hour of Every Week, by Sue Miller and David Staal published by Zondervan, 2004. Sue Miller, Promiseland director from Willow Creek, helps the reader understand how to create a ministry to children which will be the best part of their week. This book helps children long to come to church each week.
• Leadership Essentials for Children's Ministry by Craig Jutila, Group Publishing, 2002. This is an excellent resource for your leadership team. I found it particularly helpful at a low point in my ministry that helped me refocus and realign for the long haul.
• All Kids Are Our Kids: What Communities Must Do to Raise Caring and Responsible Children and Adolescents by Peter Benson, published by Jossey-Bass, 1997. What is needed to help children and youth thrive as they enter adulthood? Benson, president of the Search Institute, shares the research which has resulted in listing the developmental assets kids need to do that. The more of these developmental assets, which does include faith, that a child has, the more likely he/she will be a good contributor to society.
• Spiritual Growth of Children: Helping Your Child Develop a Personal Faith edited by John Trent, Rick Osborne, and Kurt Bruner, published by Tyndale, 2000. This is a book for parents to help them understand developmentally about a child’s faith, providing many activities to do as a family to help a child to come to understand God and their relationship.
• Childhood Education in the Church by Robert E. Clark, Joanne Brubaker and Roy B. Zuck, published by Moody Press, 1985. The oldest book listed, but probably the most complete general book for Christian educators, covers topics from developmental stages of children to ministering to children with special needs—gifted, talented, physical and mentally challenged.

Author: Samme Rousopoulos is the children's pastor at Church at the Crossing in Indianapolis, Indiana.