Articles Zone

This is Karl's contribution to the Greg Baird / Kidmin360.com series. Download the COMPLETE book below.

Highly mediocre children's pastors... Do everything themselves. They would never think of delegating or multiplying themselves in others. Their self esteem relies on being a doer. They get insecure if others around them begin to demonstrate any leadership skills...

Karl Bastian was selected by Group’s CM Magazine as one of kids ministry Top 20 Influencer’s – but who were his “Top Influencers?”

Whether or not you have ever mastered the Cube - this article will help you solve your Children's Ministry... and maybe the Cube too!

Karl answers Greg Baird on what is the ONE THING that is most important aside from his walk with God.

Devotional About the Power of Choices, both Large and Small

Karl, the Kidologist has had a note from Phil Vischer's mom up next to his desk for over 15 years... find out why!

The Sunday after September 11, 2001 I arrived at church still not sure what exactly I was going to say to my children. I prayed for balance. When I arrived at church...

Learn the scoop on this toy from Lego and how to apply it to ministry!

10 Tips for leading effective games, plus a play-by-play example so you can become an expert at leading FUN games that teach a point!

Karl Bastian provides some practical tips on engaging and keeping the interest of middle schoolers when teaching. (Bonus: Comes with a sample middle school lesson.)

There are two battles raging today in children's ministry. The first battle is for the hearts and minds of our children. It is a battle that we are losing on many fronts. While in many places children’s ministry has "arrived" with its kid-friendly facilities and multi-media "edutainment" style of teaching, there is little evidence that all this "fun" and "excitement" is automatically translating into young, fully-devoted disciples of Jesus Christ. This is a battle that we are all aware of for the most part, and are trying our best to engage and win.

Leadership is not about "getting somewhere" it's about getting to the desired destination and vision provides the needed roadmap. During times of change and uncertainty people are concerned about their future and desire some assurance about what is ahead. Vision provides hope and direction for those around you... PLUS lots of great quotes on Vision.

An evaluation worksheet that can be used to help gain feedback as well as help volunteers evaluate their performance.

Become more relational with your volunteers while recruiting.

This opening lesson activity helps to illustrate that while we have many things that make us different... there are some things we can all agree on.  

Here are some methods you can use to encourage your kids to study their Bibles!

We all love kids! Here are some very practical ideas of way to SHOW it!

A tragedy is happening! The Bible is a rare object in most children's ministries today. What are the steps for action that we need to take?

Karl Bastian, the Kidologist, made this contribution to the book What Matters Now in Children's Ministry.

An inspiring story from Karl about at 67 year old that is not making excuses when it comes to ministry.

Using Halloween as a case study in conflict, this article rises above that issue to provide insight into how Christians should deal with controversial topics, such as Halloween.

Edward Kimball dedicated his life to the spiritual guidance of young souls. Little did he know that one of his seemingly unpromising students would later become one of the greatest evangelists in history.

Longer Results—Children who have just made a commitment to the Lord have their entire lives before them. Adults who accept the Lord have already squandered much of their lives. Children’s ministry is the only place where you can impact one’s entire life span.

Top Ten Reasons Why Children's Pastors Become Discouraged and Fail

An educational look at how television is affecting your kids, and then some PRACTICAL things you can do battle the T.V.'s influence!

Let your ministry encourage the whole church as you give the kids an opportunity to pray.

No matter how early you start to plan, how much you delegate, or how many volunteers show up, why does it always seem that you can't get ahead on all that needs to be done? If you've ever asked this, then you're in the right place!  

I hear it often... "I'm having trouble recruiting." May I be so bold as to suggest your problem isn't recruiting. If you focus on something far more important than recruiting, you'll have all the volunteers you'll ever need. You may even have extras! Read on for the secret to building the largest team in the church!

You'll never gain fame or glory in children's ministry. So are YOU called?

Discipling our children is not optional. If you have kids (or grandkids) you are discipling them. You might be discipling them for good or bad, but you are discipling them one way or another.

A child's prayer for a dog teaches Dad a lesson.

Why do we, as Christians, seem to rush to be among the first to use the medium of e-mail to fan the flame of fear in the hearts of others?

It is a common children's ministry myth that you need a media release for pictures to be taken of kids in your ministry. This comes up often in social media conversations, so Karl answers this question here.

A Godly reminder about the reason we serve children in the Lord's name. Many kids have been through a lot and come from broken homes. What a privilege it is to be an instrument in the hand of the Lord to let every little kid we come in contact with, know that they are loved.

Eric Reamer, a professional Christian magician, has studied the origins of witchcraft, Satanism, and many of the cult movements of our time from a Biblical perspective and has been in the full time ministry for over ten years. Here he answers the question, "Isn't magic condemned by the Bible?"

Prayer is a critical line of defense which parents of today must not neglect, overlook or postpone. Here are some important things to consider as you prepare to do battle for your children:

In surveys given to Christian adults about prayer, there are two main reasons given why we don’t pray as much as we know we should. The first answer is, "Because I’m too busy." The second should shake the core of the Church: "Because I don’t know how." Many answering this survey have been raised in Christian homes.

Practical ways to fulfill the Great Commission at Home

Our children are facing difficult circumstances daily. No matter what culture they are living in, there are always pressures and temptations to do the wrong things. As parents, we can teach, by our example and our words, what is right. Yet even children who know Christ face struggles that pull them away from doing "the right thing."

Author Cheri Fuller has developed a wonderful three-step model for engaging children in prayer: invite, equip and release. When applied to revival praying, this model takes on powerful significance.

When we think of those we know who live holy lives, we generally don’t think of children. Children need two important things: example and opportunity. If holy living is not demonstrated to them, we cannot expect that they will grow up with a desire to be holy.

Children can be taught the basics of prayer from the Lord Himself, who has given us some very specific instructions. The simplest and most powerful way that children (and adults too) can grasp and understand prayer is to read and follow God’s How-To Manual of Prayer--The Bible. Study one of these prayer concepts together each week and put them into practice so that children will begin to weave prayer into the fabric of their every day lives. The Lord will be faithful as your children grow in their prayer lives.

Reasons not to give up when everything seems hard.

They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots.

Jeremiah 29:11: What a powerful legacy for any child--or for any Christian! Almighty God has told us that He has wonderful plans for us. Here are some practical steps toward bringing your children to fullness in Christ, through employing the powerful Word of God.

One of the biggest challenges for any children's ministry leader is helping the adult congregation recognize that your ministry is a vital part of the kingdom plan for the entire church. These suggestions and hints are proven in hundreds of churches. Formulate a strategy for growth.

Here is a great lesson for children on the story of Balaam's talking donkey. Through this story, kids will learn that they need to listen for God's guidance.

What will you say when a little child says to you, “I can’t feel God today”?  

Find out how you can calm the 'whethers' in your kids' lives, even if you can't control the 'weather'.