About
The Engaging Children Initiative equips ministry leaders to creatively engage children in prayer and worshipful experiences through the arts, movement, playful curiosity and story. Children of all abilities and their families will feel welcomed in congregational worship and the life of the church.
What does the Engaging Children Initiative do?
The Engaging Children Initiative adds intentionality and supportive resources to the La Crosse Area Synod’s on-going mission to cultivate life-giving relationships rooted in God’s love. Congregations of all sizes are empowered to do this ministry of creative engagement in partnership with Luther Park Bible Camp and Sugar Creek Bible Camp, which will offer opportunities to equip congregational leaders to creatively engage children. Networks of ministers and lay leaders from a variety of congregations will develop peer-to-peer mentoring networks, strengthening worship and prayer practices that attend to and respect how children experience God and express their faith while intentionally connecting to the daily lives of children and their families.
The Project’s Four Phases
Phase 1: Spring 2025 - Summer 2026
Camps and Congregations that already engage children in worship through art, music, movement and curiosity will serve as learning laboratories. staff and volunteers from these sites meet regularly to learn from and support one another. We will use an action-reflection model to experiment and expand our practices.
Survey data from synod wide survey and observational data from learning laboratories will be incorporated into principles and best practices. Experts in children’s faith formation and children’s worship will engage project participants and the wider public.
Phase 1 assessments:
Synod-wide parent survey
Survey of camper parents
Congregational learning laboratory site visits
Congregational learning laboratory parent focus groups
Parent assessments at learning laboratories
Camp site visits at Sugar Creek and Luther Park Bible Camps
Phase 2: Fall 2026-summer 2027
Additional congregations will be recruited for project participation in cohorts. Under the guidance of learning laboratory staff or volunteers, these cohorts will meet approximately four times, utilizing principles and best practices gained in phase 1, cohorts will experiment and expand their engagement of children in worship. Experts in children’s faith formation and children’s worship will teach project participants and the wider public.
Phase 2 assessments: site visits and parent focus groups at learning laboratory sites and cohort sites, camp site visits, camper parent assessments.
Phase 3: Fall 2027 - summer 2028
Congregational cohorts will expand, with a special focus on ecumenical partners.. Under the guidance of learning laboratory staff or volunteers, these cohorts will meet approximately four times, utilizing principles and best practices refined in phase 2, cohorts will experiment with and expand their engagement of children in worship. Experts in children’s faith formation and children’s worship will teach project participants and the wider public.
Phase 3 assessments: Congregational cohort site visits and parent focus groups, camper parent survey, camp site visits, synod-wide parent assessments
Phase 4: Fall 2028- 2029
We anticipate that cohort participants will continue to share, learn together and support one another with principles and best practices gained from project participation.
Initiative staff and learning laboratory participants will develop further resources to share with the wider church.