Thom and Sam welcome on the show Matt Markins, president and CEO of AWANA. Matt is a global leader and researcher in child discipleship. On this special episode, Thom, Sam, and Matt discuss the current environment for children’s ministry. Much has changed in the last two years, but many great opportunities exist for churches.
- The periphery families are gone, but the core families are stronger than ever.
- Rhythms and consistency of programs are needed to resolve lower attendance frequency.
- Child safety and facility cleanliness are non-negotiables.
- Church proximity is key: Millennials move less, and long commutes are not desirable.
- The value of neighborhood ministry is on the rise
Resources:
Episode Sponsor:
Thank you to our sponsor, AWANA.
- Entertainment, relevance, and moralism have proven insufficient to form lasting faith in our children.
- Jesus, the Gospel as well as recent research are clear: the most effective way to impart faith to our children is child discipleship. But how?
- Invest in resilient discipleship this September 22 and 23 at the second annual Awana Child Discipleship Forum in Nashville or online.
- By attending the Forum, you’ll learn how to apply new research from Barna and Awana from the largest children’s ministry research project in over two decades, Children’s Ministry in a New Reality.
- From this research, you’ll gain the data and analysis needed to form a new, more comprehensive vision for child discipleship—one that’s actually designed with our changing world in mind.
- Whether you attend in Nashville or online, you’ll experience community and belonging as you connect with like-minded leaders in this critical conversation on child discipleship.
- Secure your seat on ChildDiscipleshipForum.com.
