The Cohort
The Cohort
See what our Love of Children Cohort offers church leaders wanting to work together to create a more inclusive church community for children and families, along with resources to guide them.
Love of Children Cohort
We are gathering children’s ministers and leaders from across the full diversity of UCC congregations to journey together for one year, building up a supportive network to sustain their work and continuing their learning to more effectively serve their children and families.
The cohort will dive into these key areas through readings, discussions, webinars, and two site visits:
• Understanding children
• Understanding the leader
• Understanding the caregivers
• Understanding the context
• Educational framework
• Storytelling with spirituality
• Children in worship
• A theology of childhood
• Faith in action
• Collaborative practices
• Ministry supports
Interested in joining the 2026 Love of Children Cohort? Applications are now open!
Why make a cohort?
After surveying the state of children’s ministry in the United Church of Christ, two of the clearest obstacles that emerged were isolation and a lack of support. The Love of Children Cohort represents the beginning of our efforts to address these needs. By creating a group that is intentionally organized around connecting people who are passionate about this work and providing opportunities and resources to learn skills and information that are key to innovative children’s ministry in today’s world, we are planting a seed that can flourish into new connections and new models for how we care for our youngest members.
Who is welcome in the cohort?
Anyone who is involved in Children’s Ministry! We know that there are many different contexts for ministry in the United Church of Christ – Dedicated Children’s Ministers, Children’s Directors who do not have a ministry background, volunteer leaders, solo Pastors who are responsible for every area of ministry, and more. We believe that all of these contexts have wisdom to offer the wider church, and can benefit from being in community with other pastors, leaders, and volunteers.
Video Modules for Church Leaders
These video resources have been compiled from virtual talks given by leading experts, writers, educators, and speakers passionate about raising a new generation of dedicated church leaders. Click through each module for highlights that will give you important food for thought as you reimagine how to minister to children and families well.
Module 1
The Impact of Social Context on Emotional Growth
Learn about the importance of social context on emotional growth, why mental health concerns are more acute today among youth, and the relationship between active listening and being a safe space for youth in need of it.
Module 2
Storytelling with Spirituality
Learn about storytelling as the primary practice of the Christian faith, the ways in which stories cultivate hope, how storytelling functions as a relational practice, and how you can guide young people to find God’s presence through reflective storytelling practices.
Module 3
Meaningful Inclusion of Children in Worship
Learn about how including children in worship impacts the life and community of the Church, the history of children’s inclusion in the Church, and the shifts in perspective required to fully include children in all facets of the church.
Learn More About Joining
Applications for the 2026 Love of Children Cohort open in July 2025, but you can learn more now by filling out this form, and we’ll get in touch with what you need to know about joining our network of church leaders.