25 of the Best Children’s Ministry Names and How to Choose Yours

What’s in a name? When it comes to children’s ministry, names matter—a whole lot.

Consider this: Do you think kids would rather go to the children’s ministry at NewSpring Church or KidSpring, whose mascot is a lime-green colored spring named Iggy?

How about this one: The children’s program at Church of Christ versus Junction—a train-themed worship area for children? Where do you think parents would be more inclined to drop their kids off? 

Even more than appealing to the imaginations and fun-loving nature of children, though, these names work for their respective churches because of the meaning behind them (more on that later…).

Compelling children’s ministry names satisfy the need for children to see church as a fun and safe place, while also appealing to parents’ desires for their children to learn about and know God.

The best children’s ministry names align with the overall vision of the church while pointing to the specific vision for the children’s ministry you’ve worked so hard to cultivate.

How to Choose a Name for Your Children’s Ministry

Tie in to the Brand of Your Church

Several factors should be considered as you decide on a children’s ministry name.

For instance, is there a tie-in you can make to the brand of your church? Perhaps your church is focused on serving the community or teaching God’s word. How might your name reflect this?

At NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina, the staff landed on KidSpring for their new name (a rebranding effort that came about as the church was launching a new campus).

The church enlisted the help of a marketing company, which spent time asking about the vision for the children’s ministry (helping children experience “Jesus on their level”).

“We knew we needed a name that would be recognizable in our communities as something great for kids and that would tie us back to NewSpring,” a member from KidSpring explained.

Tie in to Scripture

At Church of Christ Flagstaff in Arizona, the children’s ministry drew creative inspiration from Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go….” The church decided on the name Junction, using a train theme to decorate their ministry space.

The church sees this very critical mission of training up a child as a joint venture between parents and church. The tag line for Junction is “The Junction—where Faith and Family come together. “ 

In addition to the Scripture tie-in, the church also drew inspiration from their surroundings. “Flagstaff, AZ, has over 100 trains go through town on any given day,” a member of the church said. “We were looking for a way to connect our children’s ministry name and theme with our community.”

On a deeper level, the name also lends itself to a more existential theme: Following Christ is like embarking on a journey, especially at the beginning when one is young and just leaving the train station, so to speak.

Of course, there is one caveat to this advice: Your kids need to be excited about the theme, so make it kid-friendly!

25 Real-Life Children’s Ministry Names

Below you’ll find a list of children’s ministry names compiled from churches around the U.S. These might give you some ideas for your own children’s ministry.

Announcing Your New Name

After you decide on the perfect name for your children’s ministry, the next step is announcing it to your congregation.

At Church of Christ Flagstaff, the staff knew they had made a splash with their new name when greeters started asking families “have your kids checked out the Junction yet?” instead of “have your kids checked out our children’s church?”

Replace the Generic Phrase “Children’s Ministry” With Your Name

The easiest place to start is with the staff, volunteers, and laypeople who serve at your church.

Explain how simply swapping these words out will greatly help your visibility and get people excited about your children’s ministry.

Of course, if your space is decorated on par with your name, that will give a visual association to help people remember it. But we all know the real reason we decorate is for the kids (well, maybe for ourselves a bit, too)!

Decorating with your theme can be as simple as ordering wall decals and banners. If you’re really ambitious, you could commission the youth group to help you paint.

Say It with Swag

The unveiling of a new children’s ministry name is a great opportunity to get creative with swag.

A good place to start is with those heaven-sent volunteers of yours. The best swag is functional while also prominently featuring your name and logo.

Perhaps your volunteers carry keys or are required to wear a name tag at church. They might benefit from a lanyard. Or maybe they run around with kids enough that a water bottle would be most appreciated. 

Themed t-shirts can do a lot more than take the guesswork out of getting dressed early on Sunday morning.

The Junction says designing a t-shirt their volunteers can wear while they serve was the best thing they did. Consider the ways t-shirts helped the Junction:

Every parent dropping their child off can tell instantly how many leaders are in the room and who they are. (This is an added bonus for our adults that have young appearances.)

Our kids know who is in charge. (We also wear these t-shirts for VBS and the first day of camp.)

They advertise the Junction when our volunteers go to church before and after serving. Our volunteers are our recruiters, and people know who to ask because of the shirt.

It creates a “tribe” or a place to belong. We are a team, we get to tell the next generation of church leaders about Jesus.

Make It Count

At NewSpring, which is a multi-site church with thousands of members and a subsequent parking situation, parents of children in KidSpring are given parking tags.

Similar to handicap parking permits, these tags tell parking attendants to allow certain cars closer access to the building so parents don’t have to shuffle children from the back forty into the church.

The brilliant thing about these tags is they serve a very real need while also displaying the children’s ministry name and logo—all throughout the week.

Little things like this make a big impact. Using your new name and logo throughout your children’s ministry space (and theme) can really help! You can see ideas for children’s ministry room designs here.

Finally, a new name announcement is also a great time to put a spotlight on your ministry from the pulpit in the “big people service.” While you’re at it, it never hurts to ask for volunteers, either! (“Look—you get to wear this cool shirt and hang out with kids. It’s fun!”) Unlock that excitement!

Blessings on your naming endeavor!

How to Get Heard and Supported by Your Church Leadership

So, you want to be heard. You have a ministry vision you want to implement. You are considered a leader in your church…but you don’t always feel that way when you’re around other senior leaders. (Heavy sigh.) Hear this clearly: You can get heard. (And ministry leader, Keith Ferrin, is going to help you.)

Download your free guide

Free Guide

How to Get Heard and Supported by Your Church Leadership​

So, you want to be heard. You have a ministry vision you want to implement. You are considered a leader in your church…but you don’t always feel that way when you’re around other senior leaders. (Heavy sigh.) Hear this clearly: You can get heard. (And ministry leader, Keith Ferrin, is going to help you.)

Download your free guide

Free Guide

How to Get Heard and Supported by Your Church Leadership​

So, you want to be heard. You have a ministry vision you want to implement. You are considered a leader in your church…but you don’t always feel that way when you’re around other senior leaders. (Heavy sigh.) Hear this clearly: You can get heard. (And ministry leader, Keith Ferrin, is going to help you.)

Download your free guide

Free Guide