Keeping Your Children's Ministry on Mission: Practical Strategies for Discipling the Next Generation

by Jared Kennedy

"This book presents a practical, four-fold strategy for gospel-centered, missional children's ministry (nursery-grade 5) to equip parents and the church"--

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Personal Growth, Theology

201 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 23, 2022

About the author

Rating system (beginning January 2026)
(1) cannot recommend
(2) below average; not for me
(3) average; good
(4) above average; great; would recommend
(5) buying a personal copy to reread, mark-up, and cherish; highly recommended

Jared Kennedy (MDiv, ThM) serves as managing editor for books and curriculum at The Gospel Coalition. He is also co-founder and principal of Gospel-Centered Family, a ministry that helps churches and families share Jesus with the next generation. He is also the author of resources for children and adults, including 'The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible' and 'Keeping Your Children’s Ministry on Mission.' You can follow him on X @jaredskennedy. He, his wife Megan, and their three daughters live in Louisville, Kentucky.

Reviews

[Jennifer Squire]

I had the opportunity to read this book pre release through Jared Kennedy’s Childrens Ministry cohort through Gospel Centered Family. Highly recommend the cohort and the book! Chapters are short, thoughtful, and practical

[Lori Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book filled with practical advice for anyone who is passionate about discipling children (parents, teachers, children’s ministers, volunteers, etc). Gospel-centered, wise, and inspiring!

[Linda Galella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just the what and why of children’s ministry but this excellent book gives great plans for the how-to’s and it is specific by age; nursery thru young adults.

I’ve read so many nebulous “I’ve got the best plan books” - this is NOT another one of those! Jared Kennedy’s “Keeping Your Children’s Ministry On Mission” is a practical, easy to read, biblical and gospel centered approach to teaching and building a ministry for children. Not only is it good for church staff but any parent or teacher would find this book exceedingly beneficial for the teaching pedagogy.

Kennedy provides step by step suggestions, scripture foundation and he writes in an inclusive manner sharing his own experiences and those of friends and family. That aspect makes the book feel warm, personal and easy to apply to your own situation. Not every program will work for you or your Children’s Ministry but the book is set up for simple customization.

Keeping Christ and the gospel as the focus is Kennedy’s primary mission and how we get that life changing information to our children is what this fantastic book is all about.

All things considered, should be a volume in every church and Christian home library📚

[Amanda Beard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t found another resource quite like this one, which serves as a comprehensive guide to all things Kids’ Ministry.  It contains a wealth of practical help, with topics ranging from the developmental stages of children to safety protocols, but the ‘Why’ behind these practical tools is present on every page.  This book is unapologetically Gospel-centered and equips ministry leaders and volunteers to infuse the Gospel into every aspect of their Childrens’ Ministry, to welcome families in Christ’s name and proclaim the Gospel in every lesson they teach. 

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so helpful for vision casting for a Christ-centered Children's Ministry. BUT, also it was so practical for teaching leaders how to create age-appropriate questions for their groups. I heard Jared Kennedy speak about this book at TGC's conference and he is SO experienced, equipped, and passionate for showing kids the Gospel.

[Eli Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful with GREAT diagrams. Just the right amount of strategy without getting too high into the philosophical clouds. A practical guide to discipling children in the way they should go. This book is useful to children’s ministers, volunteers, parents, or anyone who cares about their church’s children (i.e. should be everyone).

[Jonathan Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a helpful introduction to many aspects of Gospel-Centered children’s ministry. Kennedy covers everything from how children are welcomed into the doors of your ministry to what and how they are taught, to age appropriate family discipleship, to issuing children’s ministry to reach the needs of your community and to the ends of the earth.

The book doesn’t dwell on any topic too long, but provides excellent resources for further study as well as reflection questions after each major section.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many helpful books in my close to 25 years of children's ministry. But this might be the most helpful. I look forward to talking through each of these chapters with my ministry team. It is full of biblical wisdom to help you think through the way you minister to the children and families of your church and community. This book is obviously geared toward those of us who serve in children's ministry, however, it has great wisdom that could be applied to other ministry contexts as well.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really good. Deep but not complex, Pratical but not pragmatic, encouarging but not sappy. It's hard to single out a section as the best one, but I especially appreciated the section on developing lessons for a children's lesson. Excellent resource.

[Will Cunningham-Batt · Rating 4 out of 5]

It doesn’t cover everything and some things will need to be adapted from the American context, but all-in-all, a fine little book that shows the importance of investing in the next generation and how to do it well.

[Gretchen Hand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I came across this book. This was a great refresher, and a book that I can see myself coming back to time and time again. What a great book to start off the 2025 year, and to help me refocus and evaluate ways the church can reach our kids and their families. Highly recommend!

[Isabella Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend to anybody interested in kids ministry or even future parents!

[Lauren Fee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I attended a TGC Women's Conference Breakout Session with this author and it was here that I was given the book as my church's Children's Ministry Director. There are several things I appreciated about the book, and in the desert that exists on the topic, I am thankful he wrote it. Some of the things I appreciated were as follows: his historical overview of children's ministry in the United States, explaining the different philosophies behind kids ministries that exist or have existed in the past, his emphasis on creating a hospitable atmosphere, his exhortation to be passionate about kids ministry and praying for volunteers, and his chapter on child-safety was invaluable. I felt the same way in the conference talk and even more so, when I saw it in written form, but I believe the way he encourages teachers to craft lessons is lacking and that this is due primarily to the lack of educational philosophy that exists in the world today and that unfortunately seeps into our Sunday schools. I would encourage a Children's Ministry Director to study the educational philosophy behind the Charlotte Mason Method and then incorporate these principles to create lessons as an alternative.

[Rachyl · Rating 5 out of 5]

✍️Quick Synopsis:
Jared Kennedy answers some of the basic questions to start or continue a children’s ministry with the mindset of glorifying Christ.

💭My Thoughts:
I recently started working for my church’s children’s ministry and found this book to be super helpful in setting the foundation of what should be the theology and practices of a ministry aimed at kids. It was a healthy mixture of research about how children learn at different ages and what the Bible tells us about raising and reaching children. I also found the advice for serving your volunteers to be super insightful and helpful!

[Elisha Blade · Rating 5 out of 5]

a must read for parents

I think every parent should help out in children’s church at least once, but I also think they should be equipped and this book gives a wonderful foundation of how to help/volunteer and what it should look like for those who are in charge of our children. If you aren’t helping you should know what it needs to look like and this book is wonderful for any Christian parent to get a glimpse behind children’s ministry. It’s at home and at the church.

[Cody Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

New ideas for an experienced Children’s Pastor

I have been in children’s ministry for almost 15 years. The last 7 as a children’s pastor. I believe I have a pretty good idea of what I am doing but this book has definitely added to my knowledge and given me more ideas to try and new things to implement into my ministry

[Kellyanne Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone from church gave me this book as we are starting our children’s Bible class. The four discussion questions are especially helpful. Developing a key point from personal study to reiterate to the kids is also a great idea. I appreciated the history about teaching children the Bible and how child development is incorporated.

[carrcoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

“As parents and teachers of children, it’s our responsibility to find Christ every time we teach children the Bible.”
“If we give the impression that getting your family discipleship strategy right is the way to produce perfect, Christian children, then we’re presenting a false gospel.”

A very practical & helpful read! Lots of tools to return to!!

[Meranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very practical and accessible. I found the content very helpful.

I listened to the audio (which has some issues. It seemed like it was unedited, as a cough was even left in the recording and there were portions where the same line was repeated, as if the narrator was correcting himself), but will purchase a physical copy to have on hand as a resource.

[Lauren Bruna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! Gave great insights into children ministry and practical tips for auditing where a ministry can grow! As an OT student, I loved that Jared incorporated
developmental milestones into what is appropriate for children to learn! Meeting kids where they are at is so important! Charts and graphs included throughout were great for me as a visual learner also!

[Mark A Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong, soundly written primer covering the “what” and “how” (as well as the “why”) of children’s ministry. A helpful resource.

[Resthie Rachmanta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good combination of principle and practical things for a gospel-based children ministry. Not only helpful for church but also for parents.

[Lori Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, so helpful and practical

[Seth Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal resource for those in children’s ministry. It’s well-informed, insightful, practical, and will leave you excited to be a part of raising up the next generation of believers.

[Myra Loy · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 than 3. Thorough and informative, but if you've been in children's ministry for a while, some of the information felt redundant/cursory. I did, however, appreciate some of the more practical tools the book provided and was able to add them to my proverbial toolbox.

[Derek Klumpenhouwer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn’t say this book was what I was expecting. At times it felt like “kids ministry for beginners”. It’s a fine book that I am sure will help people, especially those starting out, but I didn’t find it helped shape kids ministry to be on mission. Basically, just a misleading title

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75