Children's Ministry in the Way of Jesus

Attract kids to church, the logic often goes, and you get parents in the pews. All that's left, then, is to get the kids out of the way. Here children's ministers David Csinos and Ivy Beckwith draw on research in human development and spiritual formation to show how children become disciples and churches become centers of lifelong discipleship. For too long, the local church has focused primarily on programs for children rather than ways of doing ministry with children. But in light of emerging missional movements, the church is changing and forming a new kind of ecclesial culture. And children's ministry must follow suit. Csinos and Beckwith propose a new way of thinking for these modern churches—they suggest that children can contribute to our theological understandings, as well as invest in and practice Biblical justice just like adult church members. Here is a unique resource that explores children's ministry in light of true spiritual formation and discipleship.

Ivy Beckwith (Ph.D., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is director of educational ministries at Rutgers Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. She has worked as an editor and education consultant for Group Publishing and Gospel Light Publications and held educational positions in churches in both the Midwest and on the East Coast.Beckwith is the author of Postmodern Children's Ministry, The Ultimate Survival Guide for Children's Ministry Workers and Formational Children's Ministry.

David M. Csinos (www.davecsinos.com) is an author and speaker in the areas of children´s spirituality, culture, and spiritual formation. Dave is author of Children's Ministry that Fits and editor (with Melvin Bray) of Faith Forward. He is founder and President of Faith Forward, an organization for innovation in ministry with children and youth,and he is a doctoral candidate and Teaching for Ministry Fellow at Emmanuel College of Victoria University in the University of Toronto.