A Child's Way equips future and current children's ministry leaders with a framework for children's spiritual formation grounded in the conviction that children are spiritual beings already capable of a meaningful relationship with God.

Edited by longtime children's ministry director Henry Zonio and featuring contributions from leading scholars in children's spirituality, this multi-contributor volume bridges the gap between academic research and ministry practice. It challenges children's ministry practitioners to stop asking, "How do we get children to become spiritual?" and start asking, "How do we recognize and learn from the spirituality already present in them?"

This book encourages ministry leaders to nurture children's innate capacity to connect with God, implement innovative practices for their spiritual formation, engage diverse dimensions of children's lives, and integrate at-home family routines and congregational participation into children's ministry.

What you'll find in A Child's Way:

• A framework for children's spirituality that believes children are active participants in God's kingdom, not passive learners on the way to becoming spiritual adults
• Multidisciplinary insights from theology, biblical studies, religious education, disability studies, and sociology
• Topics like theology of the child, neurodivergence, cultural diversity, intergenerational relationships in the church, parental influence in faith formation, and spiritual formation in the family
• Practical tools and ideas involving play, spiritual disciplines, service, reflection, listening, and participation that create space for children to encounter God in ways that acknowledge their agency, imagination, and humanity

A Child's Way explores what happens when those involved in children’s faith formation take children's spirituality seriously. Structured to move from theoretical foundations to real-world application, this book is designed for use in seminary courses and is equally valuable for ministry practitioners ready to move beyond programming and meet children where God already has.

About the Contributors

This volume includes contributions from children's spirituality experts including Rebecca Nye, Cheryl Minor, Holly Catterton Allen, Karen-Marie Yust, David Csinos, Amy Lindeman Allen, Valerie Grissom, and Stacey Davis.