Theology Before Theory, Theory Before Practice
My interview on 'The Effective Ministry Podcast' and why the structure of 'The Child In God's Church' matters.
As The Child in God’s Church continues its journey out into the world, I am thankful for the people who have shown interest in the book and given thoughtful feedback on how the book is helping them think through their children’s ministry theology, strategy and practice.
Of course, it was a given that my Youthworks colleague, Al James, would invite me back on The Effective Ministry Podcast to discuss the book. However, what I really appreciated about the conversation with Al was his emphasis on the book's structure and how that helps us think clearly about ministry to young people.
The book is structured in two parts: the foundations of children’s ministry (theological and theoretical foundations) and the structure of children’s ministry (the strategy of children’s ministry that is built on these foundations).
The foundations of children’s ministry
The first half of the book sets the theological and theoretical foundations for our understanding of children and the church:
Chapter 1: The the…
