Alright, I’ve got two great books sitting on my shelf that I will be reading next and reviewing… and giving away! They are new books from two of my favorite people when it comes to spiritual formation. I need some help, though. Which one should I read first? Which one do you want to see first?
Here are the books:
The first book on my nightstand is Formational Children’s Ministry by Ivy Beckwith. Here is the description from Amazon.com:
Much ministry to children looks more like mere entertainment than authentic spiritual formation. But what if children’s ministries were rooted in a mind set whereby we taught children, with our words and actions, how the story of God, the story of church history, the story of the local community, and the story of the child intersect and speak to one another? What if children’s ministry was less about downloading information into kids’ heads and more about leading them into these powerful, compelling stories? Beckwith aims to help ministers and parents create a ministry that captures children’s imaginations not just to keep them occupied, but to live as citizens of the kingdom of God. In addition to providing theological reasons for formational children’s ministry, the book offers examples of how Ivy and other practitioners are implementing a formational model.
I think this is the book that those of us who read Postmodern Children’s Ministry were waiting for from Ivy, and here it is!
Here’s the next book on my nightstand:
Don and Barbara Ratcliff have come out with an amazing book for parents that helps them understand the stages of spiritual development of their children and how to capitalize on those stages along the way. The book is called Childfaith. I’ve read the first chapter to this book and can’t wait to dive into the rest of it! Here is the description from the back of the book:
Parents can encourage the spiritual growth and experiences of their children through activities both inside and outside the home. Parents in turn can benefit in the process because their own spiritual growth is in many ways similar to that of their child. Children can minister to parents and other adults because they also hear from God and can be used by God. this book provides the foundation for parental nurture of children’s spirituality as well as for children’s influencing their parents’ spiritually. this book explores a wide variety of methods that can encourage mutual spiritual growth of parents and children. Such avenues toward spiritual growth include reading bible stories, celebrating biblical holidays, participating in church activities, and taking family field trips. Part of this book considers age-specific activities as well.
OK, so which book should I read first and review? Leave your comments below or email or whatever. I’ll tally the results over the next couple of days and let you know which one will be first and which one will be second!
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A few days ago, I wrote a review of Formational Children’s Ministry as part of the book blog tour for it. I already had obtained a copy of the book for myself before being asked to be a part of the blog tour. Today, I received the complimentary copy from Baker Books. I don’t need it since I have a marked up copy already.
