Grow Curriculum Blog | Resources and Tips for Ministry Leaders
An Annual Strategy for Your Youth Ministry Events

An Annual Strategy for Your Youth Ministry Events

Events are a pretty big deal for most youth ministries. They’re a way to have fun, connect with students and their families, get new people in the door, and create some excitement. Events matter, but we’ve got to keep things in perspective. That’s why we’re fans of...

Teaching

13 Ways to Teach Teenagers More Effectively

13 Ways to Teach Teenagers More Effectively

If you've spent any time in youth ministry, you've probably asked yourself this question—Are they learning anything? It's a question that drives youth pastors everywhere to adjust and refine their programs. It's pretty easy to tell when teenagers...

13 Ways to Teach Kids More Effectively

13 Ways to Teach Kids More Effectively

If you've spent any time in children's ministry, you've probably asked yourself this question — Are they learning anything? It's a question that drives kids pastors everywhere to keep adjusting and refining their programs. It's pretty easy to tell...

Copyright and Fair Use for Churches

Copyright and Fair Use for Churches

Let's say you've got a video you want to show during your teaching time. How do you go about doing it? If you didn't know, there are many rules and laws around what's legal and not concerning playing music, videos, and other media in your church...

Volunteers

A Strategic Volunteer Communication Plan For Your Ministry

A Strategic Volunteer Communication Plan For Your Ministry

When we think about training and communicating with our volunteers, we often picture in-person meetings or big events. And those moments matter. But if we want to keep our vision in front of our volunteers all year long, we need to think about training and support in...

3 Steps to Take with Every New Volunteer

3 Steps to Take with Every New Volunteer

We recently asked thousands of church leaders about their biggest struggles in ministry. Their answer? Volunteers. And not like, "We wish we had more!" (They do.) But more like... "We wish we knew what to do with them." Finding great volunteers is its own challenge,...

4 Tips for Leading Kids in Small Groups

4 Tips for Leading Kids in Small Groups

The first time you're in charge of a small group of kids, you might feel pretty intimidated. It's a big responsibility, and there's so much to remember—names, talking points, and rules to your icebreaker. Beyond that, there's the stuff you can't always prepare for,...

Discipleship

How to Help Teenagers Spend Time with Others

How to Help Teenagers Spend Time with Others

There are so many great reasons why many of us stepped into youth ministry. Maybe it was the promise of regular pizza parties, the unmatched chaos of dodgeball, or the strange joy of watching a teenager actually laugh at one of your jokes. These are all valid...

How to Help Kids Spend Time with Others

How to Help Kids Spend Time with Others

We all want to help kids grow — it's why we said "yes" to Kids Ministry to begin with. All of us want to be a part of helping kids make the decision to follow Jesus and then get them started on a path towards growing and living out their faith. But that's easier said...

How to Help Teenagers Spend Time with God

How to Help Teenagers Spend Time with God

There are so many great reasons why many of us stepped into youth ministry. Maybe it was the promise of regular pizza parties, the unmatched chaos of dodgeball, or the strange joy of watching a teenager actually laugh at one of your jokes. These are all valid...

Leadership

How to Build Your Own Scope & Sequence!

How to Build Your Own Scope & Sequence!

Designing a teaching calendar for your ministry can feel overwhelming. There's no shortage of Bible stories to choose from, holidays to plan around, and spiritual habits you want to reinforce. It’s tough to know where to start — or how to make it all work together....

3 Ways to Use Grow Hubs in Family Ministry

3 Ways to Use Grow Hubs in Family Ministry

Your big event is coming up, and you're so ready. You've spent hours tweaking the schedule, designing and testing new games, and writing your lesson. And then you see a text message that replaces that feeling of preparedness with a sense of panic. Hey, what time am I...

The 7 Core Values of Stuff You Can Use

The 7 Core Values of Stuff You Can Use

Author: Elle Campbell, Co-Founder  Here at Stuff You Can Use (the people who make Grow Curriculum), our team is committed to creating something good — not just good products for the churches we serve, but a behind-the-scenes company culture that is good for our...

A Free Spring Calendar for Kids Ministry

A Free Spring Calendar for Kids Ministry

Spring in kids ministry is a season of excitement—Easter celebrations, family events, spring break activities, and new lessons. With so much going on, being sure parents, volunteers, and kids stay informed is critical. But let’s face it—keeping track of everything can...

Families

A Strategic Parent Communication Plan for Your Ministry

A Strategic Parent Communication Plan for Your Ministry

When we think about connecting with families, we often picture in-person conversations or family-focused events. And those moments matter. But if we want to keep our vision in front of families all year long, we need to think about communication in a more consistent,...

3 Tools Parents Need from You This Year

3 Tools Parents Need from You This Year

Engaging with parents is a vital part of kids and youth ministry—and it isn’t always easy. Parents and caregivers play a huge role in the faith development of their kids, which means the way we communicate, support, and partner with them really matters. When we work...

How to Plan a Parent Discussion Group

How to Plan a Parent Discussion Group

When we think about training and leading parents, we might picture an environment where one person is at the front of the room sharing their knowledge with others — like a teacher in a school. While this is a necessary part of our parent strategy, it's not the only...

Events

How to Plan a Weekend Retreat

How to Plan a Weekend Retreat

If you’ve ever watched students open up around a bonfire or heard a breakthrough story during a small group session, you already get it—retreats can be amazing. A weekend retreat helps students break out of their routines, bond with each other and their leaders, and...

10 Ministry Events You Should Be Planning

For a well-rounded and holistic approach to your ministry events, there are 10 different kinds of events we recommend including in your annual event strategy. That's because different kinds of events can help you achieve different goals. We'll get to those 10 kinds of...

5 Creative Easter Crafts for Kids

5 Creative Easter Crafts for Kids

Looking for actually-fun Easter crafts for kids that don’t make your volunteers cry or your preschoolers melt down halfway through? Well, you’re in the right place. Whether you're planning for a Sunday morning, a community egg hunt, or a classroom activity, these...

Environments

5 Board Games for Youth Ministry

5 Board Games for Youth Ministry

If you're looking for a way to help your teenagers and volunteers grow together, a great board game might be what you need. Keeping a few board games around your meeting space is always a good idea. While a board game might not be our first thought...

5 Board Games for Children’s Ministry

5 Board Games for Children’s Ministry

If you're looking for a way to help your kids and volunteers grow together, a great board game might be what you need. Keeping a few board games around your meeting space is always a good idea. While a board game might not be our first thought when...

Popular Posts

3 Ways to Use Grow Hubs in Family Ministry

3 Ways to Use Grow Hubs in Family Ministry

Your big event is coming up, and you're so ready. You've spent hours tweaking the schedule, designing and testing new games, and writing your lesson. And then you see a text message that replaces that feeling of preparedness with a sense of panic. Hey, what time am I supposed to drop my kid off for that event? You sent the emails. You announced it in your weekly program. You printed RSVP cards and handed them out as families picked up their kids. You even held a parent meeting about your event...

10 Ministry Events You Should Be Planning

For a well-rounded and holistic approach to your ministry events, there are 10 different kinds of events we recommend including in your annual event strategy. That's because different kinds of events can help you achieve different goals. We'll get to those 10 kinds of events in just a second, but let's start by talking about our goals. When planning an event, it's important to know what your goals are. For every event you plan, we recommend choosing no more than 3 goals from this list....

The 7 Core Values of Stuff You Can Use

The 7 Core Values of Stuff You Can Use

Author: Elle Campbell, Co-Founder  Here at Stuff You Can Use (the people who make Grow Curriculum), our team is committed to creating something good — not just good products for the churches we serve, but a behind-the-scenes company culture that is good for our team members, too! Stuff You Can Use is committed to a culture defined by goodness. The Hebrew word for "goodness" you'll see often in Scripture is tov. In the book A Church Called Tov, it’s described like this: a culture of...

5 Creative Easter Crafts for Kids

5 Creative Easter Crafts for Kids

Looking for actually-fun Easter crafts for kids that don’t make your volunteers cry or your preschoolers melt down halfway through? Well, you’re in the right place. Whether you're planning for a Sunday morning, a community egg hunt, or a classroom activity, these Easter crafts are: Easy to prep Engaging for all ages (yes, even toddlers) Designed for minimal mess and maximum smiles Let’s hop right in! 🐇 1. Neon Basket Weaving Bright, bold, and way more fun than a plastic bucket. Instead of...

A Free Spring Calendar for Kids Ministry

A Free Spring Calendar for Kids Ministry

Spring in kids ministry is a season of excitement—Easter celebrations, family events, spring break activities, and new lessons. With so much going on, being sure parents, volunteers, and kids stay informed is critical. But let’s face it—keeping track of everything can get overwhelming fast. That’s why a simple, easy-to-use calendar is a lifesaver! Whether you’re planning Easter crafts, volunteer schedules, or parent engagement nights, a shared calendar helps you stay organized and keeps...

A Free Spring Calendar for Youth Ministry

A Free Spring Calendar for Youth Ministry

In youth ministry, spring is full of new opportunities—Easter celebrations, retreats, and fresh teaching series. With so much happening, keeping parents, volunteers, and students in the loop is essential. But all these moving parts can quickly become overwhelming without a clear plan. That’s why having a simple, easy-to-use calendar is so important! Whether you’re planning an Easter event, scheduling volunteer meetings, or organizing spring break activities, a shared calendar ensures everyone...