Children & Families Ministry
In the Gospel of Mark, the disciples are annoyed that people are bringing children close enough to Jesus that he might touch them. Jesus, indignant, responds: “Let the children come to me; do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:14-15).
Jesus makes clear that children have a relationship with God, insights into Jesus’ mission for the world and a central place in the body of Christ.
How does your congregation form children to be disciples? What practices, knowledge and experiences help children to fall more deeply in love with Jesus and live into the person God created them to be? How do you listen to children to guide your ministry? How are children engaged in worship, in addition to age-specific activities?
Children’s ministry is never only about children. Most of the time, of course, they come to church with treasured grownups. How do you support these adults in their ministry of caregiving? What resources equip and empower them to live into their roles as the primary sources of faith formation for the children in their care?
CHILDREN & FAMILIES LEADERSHIP
The Rev. Kelly Ryan
Missioner for Discipleship
The Rev. Kelly Ryan
Missioner for Discipleship
984-263-5423
EMAIL
The Rev. Kelly Ryan serves diocesan congregations as the missioner for discipleship. The position was created as part of, and is made possible by, the $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. the diocese received in October 2024 to reconceive the way it supports congregations as they seek to form disciples of all ages. Instead of traditional programming, the project is designed to spark congregational imagination around intergenerational worship and its connection to holistic Christian formation, to support connections among congregations, and to equip and empower congregational leaders to design and lead inclusive, sensory-rich worship rooted in The Episcopal Church’s liturgical traditions.
Kelly previously served at Duke Divinity School as director of the Thriving Congregations Coordination Program and as senior director of Communications and executive editor for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, as well as a communications coach for Lilly Endowment grantees. For more than two decades, she has served children and their families as a catechist, tutor, mentor and hospital volunteer.
Since ordination as a vocational deacon in 2024, Kelly has served as deacon and children’s minister at St. Joseph’s, Durham. She holds a Master of Divinity, a certificate in Christian Education, and an MA in Christian Practice from Duke Divinity School, as well as a BA in journalism and political science from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
RESOURCES
EVENTS
RELATED ARTICLES
Nurturing the Gifts of Children in Worship
By the Rev. Kelly Ryan I sat down in the second pew, took a deep breath and prepared to sink peacefully into worship. And then a mom, with two young …
Disciple: ‘Let the Little Children Come’
A new Lilly Endowment grant will help congregations imagine and design worship for all ages By the Rev. Kelly Ryan The 6-year-old walked toward the altar rail and looked around. …
Equipping Families as “Faith Formers”
In Lifelong Faith: Formation for All Ages and Generations, John Roberto writes, “The family is the primary mechanism by which Christian identity becomes rooted in the lives of young people …
