Dan Lovaglia - Relational Childrens Ministry: Turning Kid-Influencers Into Lifelong Disciple Makers

PRAISE FOR RELATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY

Dan has it right. His observations and practical advice can help church ministry leaders immeasurably.

JACK D. EGGAR, president/CEO, Awana

This is perhaps the most sobering and inspiring book on childrens ministry to date. An essential read for anyone working with children in the church today.

DR. GARY M. BURGE, professor of New Testament, Wheaton College

Dan reminds us that real spiritual growth happens through relationships, and gives practical help and direction on how to realign ministries to this mission.

MINDY STOMS, Promiseland director, Willow Creek Community Church

Amid all the stories about young people leaving the church, this book offers great encouragement for revitalizing the formation of the young.

VINCENT BACOTE, associate professor of Theology, Wheaton College

Dan does an excellent job of saying what most of us are thinking, but then takes it a step farther with compellingly clear guidance to implement effective plans in our ministry.

HEIDI M. HENSLEY, childrens pastor, Bayside Church

This book challenges the status quo, providing powerful insights and encouragement to take your ministry to the next level.

DAVID KIM, founder, SproutBox

Dan reminds us that childrens ministry is a vital part a local church and that discipleship of the next generation is nonnegotiable.

ED RAMSAMI, pastor, HeronBridge Community Church, South Africa

Jesus Christ has called us to make disciples who will mature in the Christian faith and reproduce their kind. Dan understands that children and youth comprise a fertile field where we can work.

LYLE W. DORSETT, Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism, Beeson Divinity School

Dan is on a mission to challenge childrens ministry leaders to disrupt what they have been doing for years to make sure theyre truly leading the next generation toward a lifelong relationship with Jesus.

RICHARD ROSS, PhD, professor of student ministry, Southwestern Seminary

Dans experience, wisdom, effective communication, and discipleship savvy converge in a great childrens ministry book. A solid guide for practitioners of community-oriented discipleship.

GREGORY C. CARLSON, chair and professor of Christian ministries, Trinity International University

Finally, someone is offering solutions to the exodus of kids and teens from the faith community. This book is a must have.

DAVID RAUSCH, creator of GO! Kidmin Curriculum, Mooblio

Dan invites pastors, parents, and any interested party to discuss questions which demolish some of our cherished assumptions. Out of this comes a stronger model of relationship and growth for children.

PETER WORRALL, associate professor of education, Moody Bible Institute; author, Twenty Things Wed Tell Our Twentysomething Selves

Dan is a voice to be reckoned with. The ideas he shares in this book will empower families and church leaders to transform our kids into lifelong disciple makers.

STEVE CARTER, teaching pastor, Willow Creek Community Church; author, This Invitational Life

This book will help catapult the kidmin community into deeper dialogue and to a more effective and biblical way of relationally engaging and discipling kids and families today and for years to come.

MATT MARKINGS, vice president of ministry resources, Awana

Dan is honest, real, and vulnerable about the importance of relationships in transforming the lives of children and youth. He helps everyone from the newest kid influencer to the veteran to keep first things first.

PHIL JACKSON, MDiv, pastor, The House Covenant Church; founder/president, Firehouse Community Art Center Chicago

Dans commitment as an equipper of church leaders and communicator of the truth is best captured through his passion to faithfully live in the tension of proclamation and demonstration of what he desires to see in others developed.

KABWE M KABWE, pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Zambia

Dan has written a must-read book for parents and all who have the precious opportunity to influence a child.

NANCY MATOSSIAN, family and childrens ministry coach, FAM Network, a division of HomeWord

If you want an easy, comfortable, feel-good book, dont read this one. If you want a book that challenges your thinking, encourages your soul, transforms your childrens ministry, and transforms you at the same time, grab Dans book right away.

KEITH FERRIN, author, speaker, blogger, storyteller

Dan guides church leaders back to the center, where kids and families can grow together in vibrant faith.

MATT GUEVARA, executive director, International Network of Childrens Ministry

Dan concisely delivers a model and vision for what churches can do to meet the unique needs and demands of this generation of children.

NANCY J. KANE, L.C.P.C., associate professor, Moody Bible Institute

Dan has done a great service for all of us who work in our churches ministry with children.

SCOTTIE MAY, associate professor of Christian formation and ministry, Wheaton College

ZONDERVAN

Relational Childrens Ministry

Copyright 2016 by Daniel M. Lovaglia

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ePub Edition March 2016: ISBN 978-0-3105-2268-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Lovaglia, Dan, 1975

Title: Relational childrens ministry: turning kid-influencers into lifelong disciple makers / Dan Lovaglia.

Description: Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015038335 | ISBN 9780310522676 (softcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Church work with children.

Classification: LCC BV639.C4 L68 2016 | DDC 259/.22dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015038335

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Art direction: Juicebox Designs

Interior design: Kait Lamphere

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To my family and the family of God, for today and long into the future.

My gratitude pours out to my wife Kate and sons Avery and Aaron for sharing an honest life with me, one keystroke and chapter at a time.

To each of my parents, grandparents, and relatives, thank you for sacrificially gifting me with grace and truth to become the person I was uniquely created by God to be.

Thank you to the kid-influencers who impacted my faith trajectory and keep traveling the unscripted discipleship adventure beside meif only every name and story could be included.