Investing in God’s Kingdom, One Family and Child at a Time
The Bible is clear that God desires spiritually strong and healthy families. Proverbs 22:6 urges parents to “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
That’s what the Children and Family Ministry (CFM) program at Moody Bible Institute is all about. CFM is a community of students and professors who share the rewarding goal of reaching unsaved families with the gospel of Christ and helping kids and parents build a biblical foundation for their faith.
In CFM you’ll receive an education with a strong biblical and theological basis as you learn to communicate God’s transformative truth to families with children. The engaging classes will teach you how to interact with and minister to children and families from a wide range of backgrounds, and you’ll gain practical skills for ministry in international and urban settings, with the disabled, and for those in crisis and trauma situations.
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“In this program, I got to learn about ministry while actually doing ministry! We not only learned in the classroom but were given opportunities to put into practice what we were learning, preparing, and discussing in the real world.”
Luke Morris
2014 CFM Graduate
Children’s Pastor, Calvary Church
West Lafayette, Indiana
Classes that will Stretch and Equip You
The CFM program teaches you how to engage and relate to children in every developmental stage so they can better understand the gospel message. Become an expert in family ministry with these dynamic courses:
- Teaching the Bible Practicum
- Faith and Learning: An Integrative Study
- Human Development
- Ministry Planning
- Issues and Counseling for Youth
- Foundations for Children and Family Ministry
- Special Needs Children and Family Ministry
- Marriage and Family Systems
- Teaching and Ministry Skills for Children and Family Ministry
- Children and Family Ministry Internship
- Children and Family Ministry Capstone
Program Plan Interdisciplinary PDF (Chicago)
See also: Associate in Children and Family Ministry Certificate in Children and Family Ministry BS in Ministry Leadership - Children and Family Ministry Concentration
Meet your Children and Family Ministry professors
Program Head Elizabeth Smith
“My students come to Moody with a kernel of a dream, and my calling is to take that dream and explode it.”
You’ll also study under professors who care about you, challenge you, and invest in your growth. Professor Smith prepares students to reach children and families for Christ. She has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and is pursuing a doctorate from Dallas Theological Seminary. Professor Smith is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois and works with couples, families, children, and youth and those families affected by disability. She is the author of God Never Changes but My Family Always Does and works with international ministries that focus on family ministry.
Read what recent graduates think about Professor Smith and the CFM program:
“Professor Smith is so good at taking the content of the classes and helping us to apply it in ways that we actually use after college. Professor Smith drilled into us the idea that our theology leads to our philosophy which then produces our methodology.”
Anna Brown
2014 CFM Graduate
Sunday School Director
Cedar Heights Baptist Church
Cedar Falls, Iowa
“Professor Smith also provided many opportunities for her students to learn and grow in diverse ways. Not only did she share specific stories and examples from her own life, but she allowed our senior class to put on a children’s ministry conference for local churches.”
Luke Morris
2014 CFM Graduate
Ways you will Flourish in this Program
As you progress through your coursework, you will:
- Help children develop a love for the Bible through theology and biblical truth
- Study family dynamics and disability ministry
- Gain hands-on ministry experience with children and families
- Grow spiritually and receive leadership training
- Help coordinate and run a yearly Moody children and family ministry conference
- Form a biblical and theological model of ministry
The valuable insights and practical skills you’ll gain will allow you to serve at:
- Churches
- Ministries to inner-city kids
- Orphanages
- Counseling centers
- Daycare facilities
- Christian camps
- Nonprofits
We understand the challenges of choosing the right school and the right program, and considering factors such as location, housing, and cost can be overwhelming. But we believe that the bachelor’s in Children and Family Ministry will prepare you for successful children and family ministry like no other program. Plus, you have the choice to study in person at our downtown Chicago campus or online from wherever you are!
“Children are so hungry for Jesus, and when His word is presented to them lovingly and clearly, they seize it joyfully! How wonderful it would be if there were more people who wanted the joy of sharing the Good News with God's precious children! So come, join the CFM major. Learn to share the gospel with children who need it. It will create more fulfillment for your heart than any other ministry!”
Alyssa B.
Children and Family Ministry Major
Financial Aid
For on-campus residential students, every class in your degree is paid for by the Chicago Tuition Grant, sponsored by faithful donors. Every residential Chicago undergraduate student is awarded this grant, worth up to $12,960 a year. Off-campus commuter students pay $399 per credit hour. Find out how to defray the remaining costs with scholarships, grants, student loans, student employment, and veterans benefits.