Children's Ministry Reading Room

Note: this content was originally curated by Arnold Neufeldt-Fast and is no longer being maintained. Some links may not work. Content posted for archival purposes only.

This page is designed to provide Children's Ministry resources to those without easy access to a theological library. Many of the links below connect you to scanned, published books and articles made available by Google Books (often 75% of content). This virtual bibliography collects these materials on one page.

NB: For bibliographic management and notetaking while reading, Zotero is highly recommended ("a free, easy-to-use Mozilla Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources"). For page snapshots and printing of Google Book pages, try Microsoft's snipping tool (paste text into Word -- or Zotero).

Core Reading

• May, Scottie, Beth Posterski, Catherine Stonehouse, and Linda Cannell. Children Matter: Celebrating their Place in the Church, Family, and Community. Eerdmans, 2005 (and copy).
• Annotated Bibliography for Children's Ministry by Carole Joyce, Luther Seminary.
• [Canadian context] Bibby, Reginald. “Restless Gods and Restless Youth: An Update on the Religious Situation in Canada." Annual Meeting of the Canadian Sociological Association (Ottawa, May 2009). Pp. 14.
• Willimon, William. "Making Christians in a Secular World." Christian Century (October 22, 1986): 914.

The Child: Biblical and Theological Perspectives

• Bakke, Odd Magne. When Children Became People: The Birth of Childhood in Early Christianity. Tr. Brian McNeil. Fortress Press, 2005.
• Berryman, Jerome W. Children and the Theologians: Clearing the Way for Grace. Church Publishing, 2009.
• Brueggemann, Walter. "Will our Children Have Faith?." In: Hope Within History. Westminster John Knox, 1987. Ch. 5, pp. 92-108.
• Bunge, Marcia J. "The Dignity and Complexity of Children: Constructing Christian Theologies of Childhood." In: Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World's Religious Traditions. Ed. Karen-Marie Yust, Aostre N. Johnson, Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, and Eugene C. Roehlkepartain. Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. Ch. 5, pp. 53-68.
• Bunge, Marcia J., ed. The Child in Christian Thought. Eerdmans, 2001.
• Bunge, Marcia J., Terence E. Fretheim, and Beverly Roberts Gaventa, eds. The Child in the Bible. Eerdmans, 2008.
• Brennan, Patrick McKinley, ed. The Vocation of the Child. Eerdmans, 2008.
• Lindner, Eileen W. "Children as Theologians." In: Rethinking Childhood, ed. P.B. Pufall, R.P. Unsworth. Rutgers, 2004. Ch. 3, pp. 54-68.
• Marty, Martin E. The Mystery of the Child. Eerdmans, 2007.
• Moltmann, Jürgen. "The Promise of the Child." In: In the end, the Beginning: The Life of Hope. Tr. Margaret Kohl. Fortress, 2004. Ch. 1, pp. 3-18.
• Richards, Anne, and Peter Privett, ed. Through the Eyes of a Child. Church House, 2009.
• ... under construction

Children's Ministry (General)

• Beckwith, Ivy. Postmodern Children's Ministry: Ministry to Children in the 21st Century. Zondervan, 2004.
• Berryman, Jerome W. Godly Play: An Imaginative Approach to Religious Education. Augsburg, 1995.
• Breeding, MaLesa, Dana Kennamer Hood, Jerry E. Whitworth. Let All the Children Come to Me: A Practical Guide Including Children with Disabilities in Your Church Ministries. David C. Cook, 2006.
• Dawn, Marva J. Is it a Lost Cause?: Having the Heart of God for the Church's Children. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997.
• Hunt, Susan. Heirs of the Covenant: Leaving a Legacy of Faith for the Next Generation. Good News, 1998.
• Kennemur, Karen. "Teaching Children." In: The Teaching Ministry of the Church. 2nd ed. Ed. William R. Yount. B&H Publishing Group, 2008. Pp. 303-323.
• Krych, Margaret A., ed. The Ministry of Children's Education: Foundations, Contexts, and Practices. Augsburg Fortress, 2004.
• Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. "Lausanne Occasional Paper No. 47: Evangelisation of Children." In: A New Vision, A New Heart, A Renewed Call, Vol. 2. Ed. David Claydon. William Carey Library, 2006. Pp. 311-376.
• Richards, Lawrence. Children’s Ministry: Nurturing Faith Within the Family of God. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988.
• Snyder, Eleanor K. Including Children in the Life of the Congregation: A Contemporary Mennonite Exploration. DMin Thesis, Emmanuel College, Toronto, 1999 (pdf).
• Westerhoff, John H. "The Sunday School of Toromorrow." Christian Century (June 4-11, 1980): 639-642.

Children and Worship

• Bales, Susan Ridgely. When I was a Child: Children's Interpretations of First Communion. UNC Press, 2005.
• Castleman, Robbie. Parenting in the Pew. Guiding Your Children into the Joy of Worship. Expanded ed. Downers Grove: InverVarsity Press, 2002.
• Juengst, Sara C. Sharing Faith with Children: Rethinking the Children's Sermon. Westminster John Knox, 1994.
• Ng, David, and Virginia Thomas. Children in the Worshiping Community. Westminster John Knox Press, 1981.
• Stewart, Sonya. Following Jesus: More about Young Children and Worship. Louisville: Geneva Press, 2000.
• Stewart, Sonya, and Jerome Berryman. Young Children and Worship. Philadelphia: Westminster John Knox Press, 1989.

The Child in the Context of Family Ministry

• Anderson, Herbert, and Susan B. W. Johnson. Regarding Children: A New Respect for Childhood and Families. Westminster John Knox Press, 1994.
• Garland, Diana R. Family Ministry: A Comprehensive Guide. InterVarsity Press, 1999.
• Sell, Charles M. Family Ministry. 2nd ed. Zondervan, 1995.
• ... under construction ...

Children in Crisis

• Holderread Heggen, Carolyn. Sexual Abuse in Christian Homes and Churches. Herald Press, 1993 (available ebook to Tyndale students only via NetLibrary).
• Lester, Andrew D., ed. When Children Suffer: A Sourcebook for Ministry With Children in Crisis. Westminster John Knox Press, 1987; also Pastoral Care with Children in Crisis. Westminster John Knox Press, 1985.
• ... under construction ...

Children, Faith & Developmental Psychology / Sociology

• Astley, Jeff, and Leslie J. Francis, eds. Christian Perspectives on Faith Development: A Reader. Gracewing, 1992.
• Blazer, Doris A., ed. Faith Development in Early Childhood. Rowman & Littlefield, 1989.
• Bornstein, Marc H., ed. Well-being: Positive Development Across the Life Course. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003 (also copy).
• Browning, Don S., and Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, eds. Children and Childhood in American Religions. Rutgers, 2009.
• Bushnell, Horace. Christian Nurture. New York: Charles Scribner, 1879.
• Cavalletti, Sofia. The Religious Potential of the Child. 2nd ed. Tr. P.M. Coulter and J.M. Coulter. Chicago: Liturgy Training, 1993; The Religious Potential of the Child 6 to 12 Years Old. Chicago: Liturgy Training, 2002.
• Coles, Robert. The Moral Life of Children. Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000 (copy 1; copy 2).
• Elkind, David. Ties That Stress: The New Family Imbalance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard, 1995; All Grown Up and No Place to Go: Teenagers in Crisis. 2nd rev'd ed. Chicago: Da Capo, 1998; The Hurried Child. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo, 2001.
• Erikson, Erik. The Erik Erikson Reader. Ed. Robert Coles. W. W. Norton & Company, 2000 (also copy).
• Fowler, James W. Faith Development and Pastoral Care. Fortress Press, 1987 (other impt. texts by Fowler are not available as Google previews).
• Heller, David. The Children's God. University of Chicago Press, 1988.
• Holt, John. How Children Fail. Rev'd ed. Chicago: Da Capo, 1982 (Reprint 1995).
• Kohn, Alfie. No Contest: The Case Against Competition. Rev'd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 1992.
• Watts, Fraser N., Rebecca Nye, and Sara B. Savage, eds. Psychology for Christian Ministry. Routledge, 2002 (also copy 1; copy 2).

Children and Spirituality

• Adams, Kate, Brendan Hyde, and Richard Woolley. The Spiritual Dimension of Childhood. Jessica Kingsley, 2008.
• Anthony, Michael, eds. Perspectives on Children's Spiritual Formation: Four Views. B&H Publishing Group, 2007.
• Coles, Robert. The Spiritual Life of Children. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
• Downs, Perry G. Teaching for Spiritual Growth: An Introduction to Christian Education. Zondervan, 1994.
• Erricker, Jane, Cathy Ota, Clive Erricker, eds. Spiritual Education: Cultural, Religious, and Social Differences: New Perspectives for the 21st Century. Sussex Academic, 2001 (also copy 1 and copy 2).
• Fuller, Cheri. Opening Your Child's Spiritual Windows: Ideas to Nurture Your Child's Relationship with God. Zondervan, 2001.
• Hay, David, with Rebecca Nye. The Spirit of the Child. Rev'd ed. London: Jessica Kingsley, 2006.
• Heyde, Brendan. Children and Spirituality: Searching for Meaning and Connectedness. Jessica Kingsley, 2008.
• Lawson, Kevin E. In Right Relationship with God: Childhood Conversion in Evangelical Christian Traditions, in: Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World's Religious Traditions. Ed. Karen-Marie Yust, Aostre N. Johnson, Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, and Eugene C. Roehlkepartain. Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. Ch. 9, pp. 108-121.
• Myers, Barbara Kimes. Young Children and Spirituality. Routledge, 1997 (and copy).
• Roehlkepartain, Eugene C., Pamela Ebstyne King, and Linda Wagener, eds. The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence. SAGE, 2005.
• Scott, Daniel. "Spirituality and Children: Paying Attention to Experience." In: Multiple Lenses, Multiple Images: Perspectives on the Child across Time, Space and Disciplines. Ed. Hillel Goelman, et al. University of Toronto Press, 2004. Ch. 8, pp. 168-196.
• Stairs, Jean. "Children's Spirituality: Listening for the Soul of the Child." In: Listening for the Soul: Pastoral Care and Spiritual Direction. Fortress, 2000. Ch. 6, pp. 155-186.
• Stonehouse, Catherine. "After a Child's First Dance with God: Accompanying Children on a Protestant Spiritual Journey." In: Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World's Religious Traditions. Ed. Karen-Marie Yust, Aostre N. Johnson, Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, and Eugene C. Roehlkepartain. Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. Ch. 8, pp. 95-107.
• Wyller, Trygve, and Usha S. Nayar, eds. The Given Child: The Religions' Contributions to Children's Citizenship. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2007.
• Tyndale students have full-text access to the International Journal of Children's Spirituality; see: Tyndale's eJournal Database; choose EBSCOhost database.

Christian Education: General Resources

• Astley, Jeff, and Leslie J. Francis, eds. Critical Perspectives on Christian Education: A Reader on the Aims, Principles and Philosophy of Christian Education. Gracewing, 1994.
• Anthony, Michael J., and Warren S. Benson. Exploring the History & Philosophy of Christian Education: Principles for the 21st Century. Kregel, 2004.
• Astley, Jeff, and Leslie J. Francis, ed. Critical Perspectives on Christian Education: A Reader on the Aims, Principles and Philosophy of Christian Education. Gracewing Publishing, 1994.
• Church of England Mission Theological Advisory Group, ed. Presence and Prophecy: A Heart for Mission in Theological Education. Church House, 2002.
• Daniel, Eleanor Ann, and Warren S. Benson, eds. Foundations for Christian Education. College Press, 1999.
• Dykstra, Craig R. Growing in the Life of Faith: Education and Christian Practices. 2nd ed. Westminster John Knox Press, 2005.
• Francis, Leslie J., and Adrian Thatcher, eds. Christian Perspectives for Education: A Reader in the Theology of Education. Gracewing, 1990.
• Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Tr. Myra Bergman Ramos. 30th ed. Continuum, 2000.
• Keely, Barbara Anne. Faith of Our Foremothers: Women Changing Religious Education. Westminster John Knox, 1997.
• LeFever, Marlene D. Learning Styles: Reaching Everyone God Gave You to Teach. David C. Cook, 2002; Creative Teaching Methods. Rev'd ed. David C. Cook, 1996.
• Melchert, Charles F. Wise Teaching: Biblical Wisdom and Educational Ministry. Continuum, 1998.
• Osmer, Richard R. The Teaching Ministry of Congregations. Westminster John Knox Press, 2005 (and copy); A Teachable Spirit: Recovering the Teaching Office in the Church. Westminster John Knox Press, 1990.
• Palmer, Parker. The Courage to Teach. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 1998/2007.

• Tye, Karen B. Basics of Christian Education. Atlanta, GA: Chalice Press, 2000.
• Williamson, Clark M., and Ronald J. Allen. The Teaching Minister. Westminster John Knox Press, 1991 (and copy).
• Yount, William R., ed. The Teaching Ministry of the Church. 2nd ed. B&H Publishing Group, 2008.

Practical Guides to Children's Ministry

• Carey, Sharon, ed. Group's Emergency Response Handbook for Children's Ministry. Group, 2007.
• Glover, Voyle A. Protecting Your Church Against Sexual Predators: Legal FAQs for Church Leaders. Kregel Publications, 2005.
• Jutila, Craig. Leadership Essentials for Children's Ministry. Group, 2001; (ed.), Children's Ministry That Works. Revised ed. Group, 2002.
• Jutila, Craig, Pat Verbal and Jim Wideman. Children's Ministry in the 21st Century. Group, 2006 (and copy).
• Miller, Sue, with David Staal. Making Your Children's Ministry the Best Hour of Every Kid's Week. Zondervan, 2004.
• Staal, David. Leading Kids to Jesus: How to Have One-on-One Conversations about Faith. Zondervan, 2006.
• (NB There are many other hands-on books available for children's ministry on Google Books.

Children's Literature

• Granahan, Louise M. Children's Books That Nurture the Spirit: Choosing and Using the Best. Wood Lake Publishing, 2003.
• Schakel, Peter J. The Way into Narnia: A Reader's Guide. Eerdmans, 2005.
• Thomas, Virginia, and Betty Davis Miller. Children's Literature for All God's Children. Westminster John Knox, 1986.
• Veith, Gene E. The Soul of the Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe. David C. Cook, 2005.
• ... under construction

Qualitative Research with Children

• Freeman, Melissa, and Sandra Mathison. Researching Children's Experiences. Guilford, 2008 (and copy).
• Graue, M. Elizabeth, and Daniel J. Walsh. Studying Children in Context: Theories, Methods, and Ethics. SAGE, 1998.
• Greene, Sheila, and Diane Hogan. Researching Children's Experience: Methods and Approaches. SAGE, 2005.

Articles, Essays

• See Tyndale's eJournal Database --search "children's ministry" or chilren's spirituality" - many full-text articles available. Note: for Tyndale students and faculty only. (Choose EBSCOhost database; log in; choose "EBSCOhost" and then "All" databases; over 170 full-text theological journals (including the International Journal of Children's Spirituality, Religious Education, etc.) available to you from home; for a few additional journals, go back to Tyndale Journal Database and choose the ProQuest Religion or JSTOR databases); see list of Tyndale's academic ejournals with full-text articles for download.
• Theological Journals Search (theological journals for which full text is freely available on the Internet; search "children's ministry"; links to many good articles).

Children's Ministry Webpages

• Children, Youth and Family Ministry Resources, Luther Seminary
• ... under construction

Other

• For Tyndale students only: Gale Virtual Reference Library
  • Advanced Teaching Methods for the Technology Classroom, 2007.
  • Encyclopedia of Education, 2nd ed., 8 vol., 2003.
  • Encyclopedia of Educational Leadership and Administration, 2 vol., 2006.
  • Psychology of Classroom Learning: An Encyclopedia, 2 vol., 2009.
  • World Education Encyclopedia, 2nd ed., 3 vol., 2001.