9 Things They Didn't Teach Me in College About Children's Ministry [Paperback]

Ryan Frank (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2011

This book is for children's ministry volunteers, paid ministry staff, and those interested in children's ministry—not just college graduates. The author shares nine things he didn't learn in college, but learned from experience. Written with lots of humor and real-life stories, new and veteran children's ministers will find their leadership skills exploding to a new level. This book features:

• Real-life inspirational stories from dozens of churches

• Practical ideas children's ministers can immediately use

• Interviews with other children's ministers

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ryan Frank served fifteen years as the children's pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Sweester, IN.  He now serves as the Executive Director of Innovative Ministries for Awana. Ryan is the Executive Director of Kidzmatter, Inc., and the Executive Editor of K! Magazine, a magazine for those who minister to children. He also serves on the board of directors for the International Network of Children's Ministry (providers of the Children's Pastors' Conference) and the American Children's Ministers' Association. Ryan graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a degree in Christian education. He is married and has two daughters. Ryan regularly speaks at church and children's ministry conferences on topics ranging from leadership to teaching preschoolers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Standard Publishing (January 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0784729794
• ISBN-13: 978-0784729793
• Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 5.5 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #593,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Gotta read May 18, 2011

By Meamom

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was very helpful. Having an education in child development many told me I should try teaching. I never felt I had it in me, but when God called me to lead a children's ministry I needed some pointers. This book definitely helped me get things in perspective.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gem of a Resource!! February 7, 2011

By Susan M. Cutshall

Format:Paperback

I've been in Children's Ministry for 16 1/2 years and I wish I had this book when I started!! It's written in a way that is easy to understand and connects with the reader immediately! Each chapter encouraged me and helped me focus on specific ways that I can be a better children's minister. Thank you, Ryan Frank!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Never went to college March 9, 2013

By myrna atchison

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I found this book highly informative.
It gave me a lot of new information, and will give me more confidence to talk to the Pastor about what I want to
accomplish, and how to go about doing it. He is all for letting us try new things, and will back us if informed.
We do experience problems with a couple of parents, good advice about handling that.

5.0 out of 5 stars great book December 30, 2012

By Brandi

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

this was a short book, but full of awesome ideas. my church was looking for puppet information on skits, this book had a resource for a free website with free puppet skits.

this guys book was great!!!!! i would reccomend it for any children's ministry leader/teacher. i've been doing this for 7 years, and even i benefited from this book. i would re-read it every year to stay fresh and excited about your chirldren's ministry!!

5.0 out of 5 stars 9 Things Review April 14, 2011

By Barbara Graves

Format:Paperback

Ryan covers everything from recruiting volunteers to working successfully with your senior pastor. He gives you some very practical advice on how to encourage those around you as well as how to keep yourself encouraged by defining true success at the very start. I love how he also brings in several of today's leaders in the world of children's ministry to share their wisdom in many areas. One of my favorite points that Ryan makes is that you can't just duplicate what someone else is doing successfully and guarantee that it will work for your church. But he gives many ideas, suggestions, and launching points from which you can start, then tweak that concept to fit the need and the culture of the kids and families that you are serving where God has placed you.

If you are new to children's ministry, get this book and read through it quickly. It will help you identify some areas that you will want to pay close attention to as you are learning and training others. It's a quick book, just over a hundred pages, and they're half-size pages, too! Even someone who doesn't like to read will be able to finish this one! If you are a veteran of children's ministry, you will want to order a few of these and give them to those that you are training to be leaders themselves. Wouldn't you have been happy if someone had given you this book back when you began?

5.0 out of 5 stars 9 Things Over Coffee April 13, 2011

By Donald Douglas

Format:Paperback

Reading this book felt alot like sitting down with a good friend over coffee to chat about children's ministry. Ryan Frank shares things he has actually learned doing ministry that he wasn't taught in college...9 things to be exact. He shares valuable insights from what makes a successful children's ministry to encouraging your team to family ministry.

My favorite chapter was Chapter 2 - People Over Paper. In this chapter, Ryan talks about the importance of relationships in ministry.

Here are just a few of the nuggets he shared in this chapter:

Stop and do an attitude check. Do you have the attitude of a servant or is it all about you?

Sometimes the greatest thing we can do for people is to love them.

Communities are created when Christians lock arms and serve God together.

If you want more volunteers, make heroes of the ones you've got.

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Kidmin Resource April 11, 2011

By Doug Olson

Format:Paperback

I did not go to college for Children's Ministry so when I began reading this book I was interested in hearing about Children's Ministry from this perspective. Ryan Frank has done an outstanding job of providing a concise, easy to read collaboration that is sure to help even the most seasoned Children's Ministry Director/Pastor. Each chapter or element that Ryan writes about is key to being a successful Children's Minister. He included interviews and side bars that enhance the subject he is writing about. Even though the book is short in length, 124 pages, it is big on making sure you have the tools you need to be all that God wants you to be in ministry.

Even though I have never met Ryan, much of the time spent reading this book felt as if he were sitting across the table from me comparing notes about the things I needed to learn and those that still need tweaking. I highly recommend this book for those beginning in Children's Ministry. Many of the 9 concepts are those that will grow as you grow in ministry. Many are so practical and key right out of the box.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, easy to read & practical April 10, 2011

By Greg Baird Kidmin360

Format:Paperback

My friend Ryan Frank recently came out with a new book called 9 Things They Didn't Teach Me In College About Children's Ministry (Standard Publishing). If you've been in KidMin for very long you probably could write your own version of this book because there are so many things that are not taught in college about real-world ministry, and about children's ministry in particular.

What I like about Ryan's book is that it hits on some of the most important aspects of leading effectively in Children's Ministry. This is a terrific primer for someone getting started in KidMin, and serves as an excellent refresher for those of us that have been around for awhile.

Here are the topics Ryan addresses (the "9 Things"):

-How Big Is Your Church? Defining Successful Ministry
-People Over Paper: Polishing Your People Skills
-Fighting Staff Infections: Working Effectively With A Senior Pastor
-The World Is Flat: Networking Whys and Hows
-The Big Ask: Recruiting Volunteers For The Long Haul
-The Starbucks Model: Creatively Training Volunteers
-Movement Causes Friction: Biblically Resolving Conflicts
-What's That Hum? Thinking About Budgets
-You Don't Have To Start From Scratch: Talking About Family Ministry

Having a workable understanding of each of these topics is critical to success as a Children's Ministry leader. 9 Things addresses them in a fun, engaging & practical manner, giving you real-world insight from Ryan and many of his friends. He includes many step-by-step walk-throughs to to easily apply solutions to some of the toughest situation, and examples of how he and others have done just that.

I would highly recommend 9 Things for anyone leading in Children's Ministry.... It's an easy read but strong on content and application. Read more ›