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

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,...

4 Tips for Leading Teenagers in Small Groups

4 Tips for Leading Teenagers in Small Groups

The first time you're in charge of a small group of teenagers, you might feel pretty intimidated. It's a big responsibility, and there's so much to remember—names, talking points, and rules for your icebreaker. Beyond that, there's the stuff you...

Discipleship

5 Ways to Celebrate Advent with Kids

5 Ways to Celebrate Advent with Kids

The Christmas season is a time for sharing memories, gathering with our loved ones, and a few last-minute trips to the store to buy those gifts you forgot about. But anyone who has ever wrapped a gift for a kid knows Christmas is more than just a single day. The...

5 Ways to Celebrate Advent with Teenagers

5 Ways to Celebrate Advent with Teenagers

The Christmas season is a time for sharing memories, gathering with our loved ones, and a few last-minute trips to the store to buy those gifts you forgot about. But anyone who has ever wrapped a gift for a teenager knows Christmas is more than just a single day. The...

20 Ideas for Discipling Teenagers

20 Ideas for Discipling Teenagers

No matter how long you've been serving in youth ministry, one of the first things you hear about is discipleship—what it is, how to make it easier, and how to get teenagers to invest in discipleship on their own. At its core, discipleship is helping people grow and...

Leadership

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...

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...

Families

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...

How to Plan a Parent Workshop Event

How to Plan a Parent Workshop Event

You want every parent to trust you. Each time they drop off their kids or teenagers with you, you'll want them to feel secure and safe knowing you'll take care of kids and that you have their best interests in mind. One of the best ways to show parents you care about...

4 Things to Include in Your Ministry’s Parent Handbook

4 Things to Include in Your Ministry’s Parent Handbook

Imagine this ... A new family comes to your ministry. They're full of questions about how you teach and disciple students, what your program looks like, and the ways they can expect you to communicate with them. Congratulations! You have a family...

Events

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...

How to VBS: Breakout Notes from CPC25

How to VBS: Breakout Notes from CPC25

If you attended our "How to VBS" workshop at Children's Pastors Conference (CPC)'25 or wish you could have, we’ve got you covered! This guide includes all the highlights and practical takeaways you need to create a successful Vacation Bible School...

4 Tips to Get More Teenagers to Your Events

4 Tips to Get More Teenagers to Your Events

Planning a youth ministry event is a mixture of excitement, anticipation, and more than a few nerves. We can spend countless hours curating the perfect event, but having a great idea is just the beginning. We also need people to show up. If you've ever spent time...

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

A Free Fall Calendar for Kids Ministry

A Free Fall Calendar for Kids Ministry

In kids ministry, communication is everything. With so many events, programs, and lessons happening throughout the fall, it’s important to keep parents, volunteers, and your kids in the loop. But with all the moving parts, making sure everyone knows what’s happening and when can be a real challenge. That’s when a clear, easy-to-use calendar can be your best buddy. Whether you’re planning a fall festival, your teaching series, or holiday events, having a shared calendar is the perfect way to...

Grow Kids Music: Worship Songs for Children’s Ministry

Grow Kids Music: Worship Songs for Children’s Ministry

How often is music a part of your children's ministry? If you're like most ministries, music is a regular part of your weekly environment—and for good reason! You can use songs for... Leading kids in worship Memorizing Scripture Building spiritual habits at home And so much more! Sure, you might use music to help you with different discipleship goals, but let's focus on the most obvious purpose for music in ministry—leading kids in worship! We're so excited to announce new songs from Grow Kids...

Free Resource! Learn Your Ministry Strengths (And How to Grow!)

Free Resource! Learn Your Ministry Strengths (And How to Grow!)

As ministry leaders, we don't always have time to pause and reflect. But even if those moments don't happen very often, we've probably all had a moment when we looked around at everything that keeps us so busy and wondered... "Why doesn't it seem like this is working?" "Why isn't my group more engaged?" "Why can't I get my volunteers to show up?" "Why don't parents seem to care? "I feel like something's wrong, but I'm not sure what it is." "Do I just need a nap? Or do we need a different...

Sneak Peek: The 13 New Series Themes in Grow Students Volume 8

Sneak Peek: The 13 New Series Themes in Grow Students Volume 8

Take a look around you. What do you see? What sounds do you hear? How does the space feel to you? Your environment helps inform and store all of the information you take in about a place. It's why a doctor's office feels different than a concert venue—one feels clean and bright while the other feels dark and full of energy. This isn't just true for our favorite (or least favorite) places to be but also for our ministry spaces. On Sundays, we might think learning starts with the sermon, but in...

Sneak Peek: The 13 New Series Themes in Grow Kids Volume 8

Sneak Peek: The 13 New Series Themes in Grow Kids Volume 8

Take a look around you. What do you see? What sounds do you hear? How does the space feel to you? Your environment helps inform and store all of the information you take in about a place. It's why a doctor's office feels differently than a concert venue—one feels clean and bright while the other feels dark and full of energy. This isn't just true for our favorite (or least favorite) places to be but also for our ministry spaces. On Sundays, we might think learning starts with the sermon, but...

4 Youth Ministry Discipleship Activities from Grow Students Volume 8

4 Youth Ministry Discipleship Activities from Grow Students Volume 8

When it comes to helping teenagers grow in their faith, we believe there are four spiritual habits to target. These habits are the decisions, behaviors, and rhythms that help us grow spiritually over time. If you're like most people, when you hear "spiritual habit," you start to think about reading the Bible, prayer, or going to church. These are important spiritual habits, but they're not the only ones that matter. While there's no definitive list of spiritual habits, we think these four are...