Formational Children's Ministry - A Book Review

I met Ivy three years ago at a gathering of children ministry leaders with very different views. Prior to that meeting my perception was that both Ivy and I have different views of children's ministry in the local church. During that meeting I discovered we had much more common ground than first perceived. Since that time I have sought out her wisdom more than once of how a child is spiritually formed. Ivy's is a voice of great value when you take seriously spiritually forming the children in your ministries.

Ivy's new book Formational Children's Ministry: The Search for the New Model is insightful and thought provoking. In this book Ivy expresses some frustration with the common model in children's ministry of "teaching" children and successfully argues that children's ministries should be a place where we help children with their relationship with God by leading them into the powerful stories of God. The book explains the importance of the "story", the use of "ritual and being in "relationship."

One thing I like about Ivy is her ability to balance her thought with opposing views in children's ministry. Throughout the book as Ivy introduces new concepts she consistently balances that with common practices, and the pros and cons of utilizing a new model.

I highly recommend Ivy's new book. While I will not utilize all the ideas in my church as they would not align with our culture, and some I did not agree with. I did find Ivy's book very helpful in expanding the lens that I look through when creating a strong, spiritually forming, Sunday morning experience.

Legal Disclosure: Baker Books provided me with a free copy of Formational Children's Ministry for the purpose of reviewing. The opinions expressed are solely mine"