What does best practice for Children's Church look like?
Through the work of two grant programs - - Faithful Preaching Project and Children’s Sermons by Children - - the Sharing Faith Initiative seeks to empower preachers and congregations in Texas and beyond to deepen their faith-sharing practices.
Upcoming Sharing Faith Workshop
On September 24 over Zoom, the Children's Sermons by Children grant will host an online workshop asking "what does best practice look like for Children’s Church within each framework?" This virtual panel and small-group brainstorming session will explore current research and practical approaches to Children’s Church with active ministry leaders and researchers.
The presenters will discuss different models, ways to strengthen your current program, and how to begin conversations about change. We hope you will join us for this sharing of ideas and information. There's no perfect model for doing children's church, so come explore and imagine with curious leaders just like you.
Ready to breathe new life into your Advent and Christmas preaching?
Join Anna Carter Florence and Jake Myers of Columbia Theological Seminary for a lively, in-person two-day workshop exploring the upcoming Advent and Christmas lectionary texts. Together, we’ll discover fresh, accessible ways to read Scripture, move from text to sermon, and engage familiar stories in new ways. We’ll also reflect on images of the preacher and share conversation about how the light of the world is illuminating our congregations—and our own lives as servant leaders. Sponsored by the CTS Preachers’ Studio for Renewal and the Faithful Preaching Project at Austin Seminary. Space is limited—sign up today!
Now accepting applications for the 2027 Children in Worship Cohort
The Children's Sermons by Children grant is also recruiting pairs of participants - a children’s minister and senior/worship pastor - from various churches to join a six-month-long cohort community to explore the role of children in worship through guided conversations. This group will meet twice monthly on Zoom and create a supportive space where participants can reflect on how faith is experienced and shared within their congregations.
The Children in Worship Cohort requirements:
One pair of church staff members willing to commit to twice-monthly meetings together. This pair will be composed of (a) your congregation's children's ministry leader and (b) the senior pastor/worship leader.
Each member of the pair needs the ability to meet online through Zoom, separately or together.
In order to facilitate conversation, churches in the cohort should have gone through the Listening Tour or should schedule a Listening Tour visit.
Applications will close on November 1, 2026 and the cohort will be announced by November 15, 2026. A church’s application to the cohort is not complete until both applications have been submitted.