All books listed are reviewed by Don Ratcliff except for those with a picture, which are reviewed by Jennifer Orona.

Allen, Holly (Ed). (2008). Nurturing children's spirituality: Christian perspectives and best practices. (Cascade).
Taken from the second children's spirituality conference: Christian perspectives, this book surveys a wide variety of research studies by North American and international scholars. This is one of the best surveys of the field to date.
Chapters
1. Exploring children's spirituality from a Christian perspective--Holly C. Allen
2. "The spirit of children past": A century of children's spirituality research--Donald Ratcliff
3. Children's spiritual development: Advancing the field in definition, measurement, and theory--Chris Boyatzis
4. The Christian nurture of children in the second and third centuries--James R. Estep
5. "Forbid not the little ones": The spirituality of children in Celtic Christian tradition--Maria Crabtree
6. Theological perspectives on childrn in the church: Reformed and Presbyterian--Timothy Sisemore
7. Theological perspectives on children in the church: Anabaptist/Believers churches--Holly C. Allen
8. Unfettered wonder: Rediscovering prayer through the inspired voices of children--T. Wyatt Watkins
9. Making stories come alive--Jeffrey Feinberg
10. Turning down the noise: Reading and the development of spirituality in children--Linda Callahan
11. Children's ministry models, learning theory, and spiritual development--Michael Anthony
12. Equipping children for ministry--Jane Carr
13. Documenting children's spiritual development--Judy Helm, Stacy Berg, and Pam Scranton
14. Parenting styles and children's spiritual development--Sungwon Kim
15. A qualitative understanding and application of the Deuteronomy 6 commandment for parents--Marcia McQuitty
16. God across the generations: The spiritual influence of grandparents--Holly C. Allen with Heidi Oschwald
17. The place of forgiveness in the reintegration of former child soldiers in Sierra Leone--Stephanie Goins
18. Voices unheard: Exploring the spiritual needs of families with disabilities--MaLesa Breeding and Dana Hood
19. The African American church and its role in nurturing the spiritual development of children--La Verne Tolbert and Marily Brownlee
20. Reimagining the spirit of children: A Christian pedagogical vision--Karen Crozier
21. The church's contemporary challenge: Assisting adults to mature spirituality with their children--John Westerhoff
22. THE story and the spiritual formation of children in the church and in the home--Catherine Stonehouse and Scottie May
23. "The spirit of children future"--Donald Ratcliff

Bakke, O. M. (2005). When Children Became People (Fortress).
The author of this book makes a strong case that children were first defined as people because of the influence of early Christianity. He makes use of original documents and social histories in this first-rate addition to the history of childhood.
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Children in the Greco-Roman world
3. Patristic teaching about the nature of children and their characteristics
4. Abortion, infanticide and expositio, and sexual relations
5. Making "Athletes of Christ"
6. Children's participation in worship
7. Children and a life of religious perfection
8. Early Christians and the humanity of children


Balla, Peter. (2006). The Child-Parent Relationship in the New Testament and its Environment (Hendrickson).
Drawing from a wide variety of sources, including archaeology, extra-biblical sources, as well as the Scripture, the author portrays First Century Christian families and their expectations of children, in contrast with the cultures surrounding them. Much of the book relates to grown children and their parents, rather than youngsters.
Chapters:
1. From Homer to the end of the Greek classical period
2. Greek and Latin sources from the Hellenistic period to the Third Century A.D.
3. Jewish sources in the centuries around the turn of the era
4. The Gospel tradition
5. Traditions in the Pauline corpus
6. The rest of the New Testament

Barna, George. (2003). Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions: Why Children Should Be Your Church’s #1 Priority (Gospel Light).
Written by renowned Christian researcher George Barna, this book presents a well-researched and well-documented case through statistics, facts, and logical conclusions. It moves from details about the current intellectual, physical, economic, emotional, and spiritual realities that North American children face, then to the importance and necessity of ministry to children. Barna rounds out his case with a call to action on the part of families, pastors, and churches.
Chapters
1. The State of American Children
2. The Spiritual Health of Our Children
3. Why Kids Matter
4. What Kids Need
5. Taking on Appropriate Responsibility
6. How Churches Help to Raise Spiritual Champions
7. Better Performance through Evaluation
8. It’s Time to Produce Some Spiritual Champions

Balswick, Jack O., King, Pamela E., & Reimer, Kevin S. (2005). The Reciprocating Self: A Theological Perspective of Development (InterVarsity Press).
A ground-breaking work on human development from a Christian perspective, this book claims “that human beings are created to live in reciprocating relationships with God and others” (:3) and encourages a positive focus on development by providing a teleological perspective of development in community. The authors understand that relationships in community are central to healthy development, and that true development requires giving back to the community. Based on a Trinitarian framework of relationship, this insightful work integrates theological and psychological perspectives, examining the Triune nature of God and applying biblical principles to human development throughout the lifespan.
Chapters
Part One: Toward an Integrated Model of Human Development
1. The Developmental Dilemma
2. The Reciprocating Self: A Trinitarian Analogy of Being and Becoming
3. Reciprocating Relationships
4. The Reciprocating Self and Developmental Theory
5. The Reciprocating Self in Social Context
Part Two: Life-Span Stages
6. Infancy: The Emergence of the Reciprocating Self
7. Childhood: The Reciprocating Self Goes to School
8. Adolescence: More Reciprocity Than You Think
9. Emerging Adulthood and Young Adulthood: The Solidifying of the Reciprocating Self
10. Middle Adulthood: The Generativity of the Reciprocating Self
11. Late Adulthood: The Senescing of the Reciprocating Self
Part Three: Building the Scaffold: Applications for Ministry
12. Special Issues in Human Development: Morality
13. Differentiated Faith: Spiritual and Religious Development
14. Turning Steeples into Scaffolds: The Reciprocating Religious Community

Brewster, Dan. (2005). Child, Church and Mission: A Resource Book for Christian Development Workers (Compassion International).
An excellent work by a respected practitioner, trainer, and theorist in holistic child development, Child, Church and Mission serves as the core textbook for Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary’s course of the same name. It focuses on child development from a biblical perspective, the relationships between children and churches, theories of mission and children, and education for advocacy.
Chapters
Section One: Development in Biblical Perspectives
1) Lesson One: Why Children?
2) Lesson Two: What the Bible Says About Children
3) Lesson Three: The Ministry of Child Development
4) Lesson Four: A Spiritual Understanding of Poverty
Section Two: The Child and the Church
5) Lesson Five: The Role of the Church
6) Lesson Six: Why Caring for Children Is the Particular Responsibility of the Church
Section Three: The Child In the Church
7) Lesson Seven: Faith Development in Children
8) Lesson Eight: Characteristics of Child-Friendly Churches
9) Lesson Nine: Child Protection in Church Environments
Section Four: The Child and Mission
10) Lesson Ten: Mission – What the Church Is Called to Do
11) Lesson Eleven: Practical Issues in Mission and Children
Section Five: Avenues for Advocacy
12) Lesson Twelve: Non-Confrontational Advocacy
13) Lesson Thirteen: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
14) Lesson Fourteen: Networking on Behalf of Children

Brennan, Patrick. (2008). The vocation of the child. (Eerdmans)
The purpose of childhood and the calling of the child are the topics considered in depth in this book. The emphasis is upon the child as person, member of the family and community, and a child of God. The editor, a professor of law, brings fifteen additional scholars to this project to consider many related questions.
Chapters
1. The vocation of the child: Theological perspectives on the particular and paradoxical roles and responsibilities of children
2. In search of real children: Innocense, absence, and becoming a self in Christ
3. Luck, obedience, and the vocation of childhood
4. The office of child in the Christian faith: A theology of childhood
5. Christ the pediatrician: Augustine on the diagnosis and treatment of the injured vocation of the child
6. Thomas Aquinas and the paradigms of childhood
7. Children play with God: A contemporary thomistic understanding of the child
8. Hope for unbaptized infants: Holy innocents after all?
9. the rights of children in medieval canon law
10. The duties of love: The vocation of the child in the household manual tradition
11. Children, chores, and vocation: A social and theological lacuna
12. Who should decide what the child will become?
13. Soul for soul--the vocation of the child in lasallian pedagogy
14. The vocation of the child as a learner
15. The best interests of the child: Modern lessons from the Christian tradition

Bunge, Marcia (2001). The Child in Christian Thought (Eerdmans).
An outcome of a research initiative associated with the University of Chicago and funded by the Lilly Endowment, "The Child in Christian Thought" was a project directed by Marcia Bunge between 1998 and 2000. The writings that came out of this project addressed the marginalization of children in contemporary theology by encouraging scholars to investigate the theology of children throughout church history.
Chapters
1. The least and the greatest: Children in the New Testament--Judith Gundry-Volf
2. The ecclesial family: John Chrysostom on parenthood and children--Vigen Guroian
3. "Where or when was your servant innocent?": Augustine on childhood--Martha Stortz
4. A person in the making: Thomas Aquinas on children and childhood--Cristina Traina
5. The child in Luther's theology: "For what purpose do we older folks exist, other than to care for . . . the young?"--Jane Strohl
6. "The heritage of the Lord": Children in the theology of John Calvin--Barbara Pitkin
7. Complex innocence, Obligatory Nurturance, and Parental Vigilance: "The Child" in the Work of Menno Simons--Keith Miller
8. "Wonderful Affection": Seventeenth-Century Missionaries to New France on Children and Childhood--Clarissa Atkinson
9. Education and the Child in Eighteenth-Century German Pietism: Perspectives from the Work of A. H. Francke--Marcia J. Bunge
10. John Wesley and Children--Richard Heitzenrater
11. Children of Wrath, children of grace: Jonathan Edwards and the Puritan culture of child rearing--Catherine Brekus
12. "Be Converted and Become as Little Children": Friedrich Schleiermacher on the Religious Significance of Childhood--Dawn DeVries
13, Horace Bushnell's Christian Nurture--Margaret Bendroth
14. African American Children, "The Hope of the Race": Mary Church Terrell, the Social Gospel, and the Work of the Black Women's Club Movement--Marcia Riggs
15. Reading Karl Barth on Children--William Werpehowski
16. "Infinite Openness to the Infinite": Karl Rahner's Contribution to Modern Catholic Thought on the Child--Mary Hinsdale
17. "Let the Children Come" Revisited: Contemporary Feminist Theologians on Children--Bonnie Miller-McLemore

Bunge, Marcia. (2008). The child in the Bible. (Eerdmans).
An amazingly comprehensive overview of how children are described throughout the Bible. As with her first volume, this book represents a stunning breadth of scholarship.
1. "God was with the boy"
2. Exodus as a "text of terror" for children
3. That the children may know: Children in Deuteronomy
4. To discipline without destruction: The multifaceted profile of the child in Proverbs
5. "Look! the children and I are as signs and portents in Israel": Children in Isaiah
6. "Israel my child": the ethics of a biblical metaphor
7. Children in the Gospel of Mark, with special attention to Jesus' blessing of the children
8. "What then will this child become?"
9. Children in the Gospel of John
10. "Tell me a story": Perspectives on children from the Acts of the Apostles
11. Finding a place for children in the letters of Paul
12. Like a child: Paul's rhetorical use of childhood
13. A place of belonging: Perspectives on children
14. Children and the image of God
15. Child characters in biblical narratives: The young David and the little Israelite servant girl
16. "He placed a little child in the midst"
17. Adoption in the Bible
18. Vulnerable children, divine passion, and human obligation

Cavalletti, Sofia (2002). The Religious Potential of the Child: 6 to 12 Years Old (Liturgy Training Publications).
This book extends Cavelletti's approach to school-aged children, based upon the methods of religious education suggested by Maria Montesorri. This version of the book was edited by Margaret Brennan and the director of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Tina Lillig. An update on the research related to this approach was presented by Kathleen Garness in June, 2003 at the Children's Spirituality Conference: Christian Perspectives.
Chapters
1. The questions of the child
2. Time and the Bible
3. The globality of biblical history
4. A history of the covenant, part I
5. A history of the covenant, part II
6. Historical events and the typological reading of scripture
7. The covenant in the parables
8. Why liturgy?
9. Our living of history, part I
10. Our living of history, part II
11. Our living of history, part III
12. Moral life and the liturgy, part I
13. Moral life and the liturgy, part II
14. The continuum of the catechesis

Couture, Pamela D. (2000). Seeing Children, Seeing God: A Practical Theology of Children and Poverty (Abingdon Press). (Abingdon Press).
A thoughtful and well-written study, this book examines the biblical foundations of pastoral theology with regard to children at risk. It traces the theme of orphans and vulnerable children throughout the Old and New Testaments, discusses the role of mercy in Christian spiritual life, and applies these concepts to contemporary circumstances. Couture strongly emphasizes the view that mercy is a means to grace, a practical outworking of faith, and a requirement for Christ-like living.
Chapters
1) A Map of Children’s Poverties
2) Finding God, Finding Godchildren: Caring and the Means of Grace
3) Mercy, Piety, and Care in the Christian Bible
4) A Practical Theology of Children and Poverty

Erricker, Jane; Cathy Ota; Clive Erricker (2001). Spiritual Education: Cultural, Religious, and Social Differences (Sussex Academic).
This book, the first in a series, presents many of the papers presented at the First International Conference on Children's Spirituality, held in Chichester, England. The conference was a landmark event in the study of children's spirituality, and has continued to be held each summer, alternating between a location in the United Kingdom and other countries. Thus the second conference (summer, 2001) was held in Haifa, Israel, and the third in Winchester, U.K. (summer, 2002). The conference emphasizes spirituality across a wide variety of religions, as well as secular spirituality. This is a rich resource of materials from which one can draw ideas and methods that fit one's specific context of spiritual education.
Chapters
1. The nonverbal nature of spirituality and religious language--Jerome Berryman
2. When your children ask--A Jewish theology of childhood--Sandy Sasso
3. Toward a pedagogy of the sacred: Transcendence, ethics, and the curriculum--Hanan Alexander and Miriam Ben-Peretz
4. Who nurtured the child? Without attachment there can be no intimacy--Cynthia Dixon
5. Children, doorposts, and hearts: How can and should the religious traditions respond to spirituality in a postmodern setting?--Mark Chater
6. Listening to . . . listening for . . .: A theological reflection on spirituality in early childhood--Elaine Champagne
7. Youth spirituality as a response to cultural crisis--David Tacey
8. Spirituality versus individualism--The challenge of relational consciousness--David Hay
9. Storytelling, voice and qualitative research: Spirituality as a site of ambiguity and difficulty--Daniel Scott
10. Religious nurture and young people's spirituality: Reflections on research at the University of Warwick--Eleanor Nesbitt
11. The corruption of innocence and the spirituality of dissent: Postcolonial perspectives on spirituality in a world of violence--Liam Gearon
12. "Theory of mind" or "Theory of the Soul"? The role of spirituality in children's understanding of minds and emotions--Sandra Bosacki
13. The prospects of spirituality in a globalized, technologized world--Wong Ho
14. The experience of religious varieties: William James and the postmodern age--Jack Priestly
15. Spirituality and the notion of citizenship in education--Jane Erricker
16. Postmodernism, spirituality and education in late modernity--Paul Yates
17. Searching for the spirit--Tony Eaude
18. Autism and childhood spirituality--Laura Morris
19. Youth and adulthood in children's and adults' perspectives--Wim Westerman
20. The conflict between pedagogical effectiveness and spiritual development in Catholic schools--Cathy Ota
21. The spiritual education of Khoja Shi'a Ithnasheeri (KSI) youth: The challenges of diaspora--Clive Erricker

Haight, Wendy (2002). African-American Children at Church (Cambridge University Press).
This is a ethnographic/developmental study of children's socialization and participation in a predominantly African-American church. The work provides strong evidence against the negatively biased assumptions of African-American teachers, and contributes to the understanding of children's experiences and development within a religious community. 
Chapters:
1. Introduction
2. The African-American church and the socialization of children's resiliency
3. Research strategy
4. African-Americans in Salt Lake City: A historical and social overview
5. The teachers
6. Adults' perspectives on spiritual socialization
7. Narratives related during Sunday school
8. Socialization and participation in storytelling
9. Adult-child verbal conflicts
10. Other contexts for socialization and participation
11. The computer club: Implications of research for practice
12. Enhancing university students' understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity: Implications of practice for research

Hyde, Brendan (2008). Children and Spirituality: Searching for Meaning and Connectedness. (Jessica Kingsley Publishers).
In the general area of children's spirituality, yet incorporating content very relevant to distinctively Christian spirituality of children as well, this is a milestone volume both theoretically and methodologically. Hyde, a professor at the Australian Catholic University, builds upon both classic (St. Teresa) and recent (Rebecca Nye) work on spirituality for his theoretical base. Methodologically, Hyde's research is perhaps the most thorough analysis to date of children's hesitation to discuss spirituality (see chapter nine). Highly recommended for researchers and practitioners alike.
Chapters
1. Introduction
2. Mapping the terrain
3. Research on the spirituality of childhood
4. An approach for understanding the expressions of human life
5. The felt sense
6. Integrating awareness
7. Weaving the threads of meaning
8. Spiritual questing
9. Factors that inhibit spirituality
10. Nurturing the spiritual dimension of children's lives

Jenson, David (2005). Graced Vulnerability: A Theology of Childhood (The Pilgrim Press).
This book is a major contribution to the theology of children, emphasizing what children are, rather than holding the traditional emphasis in theology of what they will become. The author speaks "as an adult claimed by children, changed by them, and constantly in relation with them" (p. xiv). The vulnerability of children, and need for advocacy is a major theme throughout.
Chapters
1. Consider the children
2. Fragments of vulnerability and difference
3. The vulnerable child of God
4. Vulnerability and violence
5. Practices of vulnerability
6. To change and become like children

Marty, Martin. (2007). The Mystery of the Child. (Eerdmans).
Marty presents the awe and wonder that surrounds children, in contrast with the common emphasis upon problems and concerns. He emphasizes how adults, including parents, can benefit from appreciating the mystery of children, including the intricate relationship between nature and nurture.
Chapters
1. The subject of care
2. Care as a problem
3. Care as control
4. The child as mystery
5. The mystery of change
6. Wonder in the provision of care
7. The child's self--in circumstances
8. Care for the child in context
9. Receptivity "Beyond good and evil"
10. The abyss of mystery: Postscript and prescript

May, Scottie; Posterski, Beth; Stonehouse, Catherine; and Cannell, Linda. (2005). Children Matter: Celebrating Their Place in the Church, Family, and Community (Eerdmans).
An immensely valuable new resource--perhaps the finest book on children's ministry available. Provides not only biblical, theological, and developmental referents for ministry, but also outlines how ministry varies by context and describes the most important models of ministry available today. All four authors are leading experts in the field of children's ministry who are very familiar with the best research in this area.
Chapters
1. Metaphors shape ministry
2. Children in the Bible
3. Theology and children
4. The child's development
5. Historical roots of ministry with children
6. Children in context
7. Children in the faith community
8. Children in the family
9. Children and story
10. Children and curriculum
11. In worship
12. In learning and teaching
13. In specialized ministries
14. All children matter
15. In leadership

McConnell, Douglas (Ed.) (2007). Understanding God's heart for children: toward a biblical framework. (Authentic Books).
Without question, the best overview of child theology and theology about children to date. See a full review at childfaith.net/theology/childtheologyreview.pdf
Chapters
1. Created with dignity
2. Placed in families
3. Caring in community
4. Well-being in society
5. A hope for the generations
6. Members in God's church
7. Participants in god's mission
Conclusion (click to read)

Mecum, Shelly. (2001). God's Photo Album: How We Looked for God and Saved Our School. (HarperCollins).
A teacher at a Christian school in Hawaii provided her students with cameras and asked them to find God in their lives. This is one of the most innovative approaches to researching children's perspectives of spirituality that has ever been produced.
Chapters
1. I See God Up in the Palm Tree Singing
2. He is the Rock
3. I Have Learned That God Lives in the Hard Rock Cafe
4. God is Here Taking Care of the Living and the Dead
5. God's Lovely Dreams for the Future
6. I See God Waiting for Someone to Talk To
7. I See God Playing Hide-and-Go-Seek
8. Another of God's Creatures Has the Chance to Claim the Sky
9. It's You I See!
10 God Spreads his Love to All of Us
11. I Felt God's Presence All Around Me
12. I See God's Heart
13. I Find God in Imagination
14. Finding God, I'm in Tears Again
15. God is Everywhere--and Then Some

Mercer, Joyce. (2005). Welcoming Children: A Practical Theology of Childhood. (Chalice Press).
Much of Western society is driven by a consumer mentality, and that view of humanity extends significantly to children. While the church might be expected to resist this trend, considerable evidence is provided to indicate that the church also perceives children as consumers. Mercer makes the case that churches should resist the consumer mentality, and emphasize the inherent value of children. The church must work to include children.
Chapters
1. Starting small
2. Whover welcomees one such child
3. A problem of amvbivalence
4. What child is this?
5. Educating children in congregations
6. Practicing liturgy as a practice of justice with children
7 Toward a feminist practical theology of childhood


Miles, Glenn, and Josephine-Joy Wright. (2003). Celebrating Children! (Paternoster Press).
This invaluable resource provides timely and accurate facts and reports on a large number of the issues facing children at risk and their caregivers. Issues discussed include contextualization, child development, Biblical perspectives about children, policy development, advocacy, current beliefs and trends in the field, holism, self-care for caregivers, networking, and many others. It also provides helpful diagrams, examples, and case studies from a variety of different countries.
Chapters
Part One: Understanding the Child in Context
1) What Is a Child?—Kathryn Copsey
2) How Do Children Describe Themselves?—Glenn Miles
3) What the Bible Says about Children—Josephine Joy-Wright, Tri Budiardjo, and Andreas A. Yewangoe and friends
4) The Development of Children in Their Families and Communities—Glenn Miles
5) Factors That Optimize Development—Susan Greener
6) Key Theoretical Frameworks and Their Application—Keith White
7) The ‘Rights’ of the Child and the Christian Response—Paul Stephenson
Part Two: Key Issues in Listening to Children
8) Listening to Children and Enabling Their Involvement—Josephine Joy-Wright
9) Involving Children in the Process of Assessment and Therapy—Gundelina Velazco
10) The ‘Right’ of the Child to Speak and Be Heard—Laurence Gray
11) Involving Children in Programme and Policy Planning—Steve Gourley
12) The Purpose of Advocacy for and with Children—Glenn Miles
13) The Ethical Issues of Listening to Children—Glenn Miles
Part Three: Risk and Resilience
14) Strategic Trends Affecting Children—Bryant L. Myers
15) A Tool for Analysing Why Children Are ‘At Risk’—Glenn Miles
16) Theoretical Frameworks Defining Risk and Resilience—Keith White and Josephine-Joy Wright
17) An Integrated Biblical and Theoretical Typology of Children’s Needs
18) The Effects of Failure to Meet Children’s Needs—Susan Greener
19) Exploring and Releasing Children’s Strengths, Gifts and Potential—Josephine-Joy Wright
Part Four: Holistic Mission to Children
20) The Churches’ Ministry to Children and Their Families—Ros Besford and Paul Stephenson
21) Practical and Spiritual Lessons for the Church—Patrick McDonald
22) The Basis for the Design of Child Development Programmes—Andrew Tomkins
23) Children ‘at Risk’ Because They Have Not Heard the Good News: The 4/14 Window—Dan Brewster
24) Discipleship: Helping Children to Find Their Place in the Church—Wanda Parker
25) Rediscovering Children at the Heart of Mission —Keith White
26) What the Bible Says about Why Children Suffer—Glenn Miles with Coleen Houlihan
Part Five: Working with Children: Practical Issues
27) Identifying and Assessing the Skills and Qualities of Those Who Work with Children—Tom Riley and Josephine-Joy Wright and the experience of Novi Most International
28) Caring for the Medical Needs of ‘Children at Risk’—Andrew Tomkins
29) Key Practical Skills: Discipline, Supporting Parents and Sharing Your Faith—Steve Bartel, Josephine-Joy Wright and Cheryl Barnes
30) Child Protection—Heather MacLeod
31) Selection Criteria, Monitoring and Training of Staff—Rushika Amarasekera
32) Information Systems: Data Collection, Protection, Storage and Usage—Emily McDonald and Sally Clarke
Part Six: Development, Evaluation and Monitoring of Programmes
33) Research Methods—Alastair Ager and Josephine-Joy Wright
34) The Principles of Evaluative Practice—Sue Birchmore
35) The Principles of Good Practice in Programmes Working with Children—Glenn Miles and Paul Stephenson
36) Organizational Assessment and Evaluation of Strengths and Weaknesses—Gustavo Crocker
37) Prevention and Rehabilitation Working Together—Andrew Tomkins
Part Seven: Development of Self and Staff
38) Staff Strengths, Vulnerabilities and Needs—Kelly O’Donnell
39) Practical Guidelines for Christians Working with Children—Josephine-Joy Wright and Eileen Taylor
40) Motivation, Spiritual Refreshment, Encouragement and Rest—Steve Bartel
41) Emotional Awareness and Meeting Our Own Needs—Josephine-Joy Wright
42) Conflict Resolution with Colleagues and Children—Sharon Prior and Colin Bennett with Steve Bartel
43) Group Processes, Socio-Cultural Variables and Team Dynamics—Cressida Pryor
Part Eight: Case Studies from around the World: Children and Projects
44) Children at Risk of Not Receiving the Basic Needs of Food, Health, Education and Shelter—Andrew Tomkins, Peter Sidebotham, Pamela MacKenzie, and Don Strongman
45) Children at Risk Because of Prejudice and Inequity—Raymond Samuel, Alastair Ager, Wasan and Chariya Saenwian, and Ojoma Edeh
46) Children at Risk Because of Abuse and Exploitation—Carmen Rivera and Paul Stephenson, Subhadra Tidball, Patricia Green, Valeria Peres, Belinda Johnson, and George Hosking
47) Children at Risk Because of Their Unsafe Environment—Ela Balog, Steve Bartel, Josephine-Joy Wright, Gill Grant and Heather Mkandawire, Keith White, Amanda Jones and Trudie Rossouw, David and Pauline Pearson, and Nigel Williams


Miller-McLemore, Bonnie. (2003). Let the Children Come: Reimagining Childhood from a Christian Perspective. (Jossey-Bass).
An important book on nuture of children in home and church, highlighting a variety of perspectives on children. The author is a prominent feminist theologian, and this book constitutes a "bridge between historical and contemporary theological understanding" [from the slipcover of the book].
Chapters
1. Depraved, innocent, or knowing: History reinvents childhood
2. Popular psychology: Children as victims
3. Christian faith: Children as sinful
4. Christian faith: Children as gift
5. Feminism and faith: Children as the labors of love
6. Feminism and faith: Children as agents
7. Care of children as a religious discipline and community practice

Ratcliff, Donald (2005).ChildFaith: Experiencing God and Spiritual Growth with Your Children (to be published in 2009).
A book for parents that describes children's spiritual experiences, development, and nurture from birth to the teen years. A wide variety of innovative approaches are outlined. Many research studies, including those of the author, are cited in the manuscript. See the related web page at: www.childfaith.net (an extended outline is available there)
Chapters
1. The Spiritual Growth and Experience of children
2. Baby Faith: Forming Strong Roots of Faith in Infancy
3. Crawling, Walking, and Running Toward God: Toddlers and Preschoolers
4. Salvation: Moment and Memory
5. Co-creating Life in God: You, Your School-Aged Children, and God
6. Telling, Acting, and Applying Bible Stories
7. Daily and Weekly Rhythms of Faith: Children's Rituals
8. Touching, Smelling, and Eating: The Biblical Holidays
9. Communion or Commotion: Children, Parents, and Church
10. Handel's Messiah and Visiting a Sheep Farm: Family Field Trips
11. Potential Faith Partners: Brothers, Sisters, Friends, Grandparents, and Schools
12. ChildFaith for Parents

Ratcliff, Donald (Senior Ed.) (2004). Children's Spirituality: Christian Perspectives, Research, and Applications (Cascade/Wipf and Stock).
Robert Coles comments on this book: "Here are essays on young people that tell of their various ways of seeking God's presence in their ongoing lives--an aspect of faith observed and discussed with intelligence and sensitivity. Here is a book many of us will greatly value--its wisdom an important presence in our effort to understand children."
Chapters
1. Identifying Children's Spirituality, Walter Wangerin's Perspectives, and an Overview of this Book--Donald Ratcliff with Scottie May
2. Children and Mature Spirituality--Jerome Berryman
3. Historical Perspectives on Children in the Church: Resources for Spiritual Formation and a Theology of Childhood Today--Marcia Bunge
4. Biblical Perspectives on Developmental Grace for Nurturing Children's Spirituality--Klaus Issler
5. Unless You Become as One of These: Biblical Perspectives on Children's Spirituality--Shelley Campagnola
6. Christian Perspectives on Children's Spirituality: Social Science Contributions?--Rebecca Nye
7. A Sociocultural Perspective on Children's Spiritual Development--Wendy Haight
8. Exploring Scientific and Theological Perspectives on Children's Spirituality--Eugene Roehlkepartain
9. Children in Wesleyan Thought--Catherine Stonehouse
10. Children's Spiritual Experiences and the Brain--Scottie May and Donald Ratcliff
11. How Shall We Study Children's Spirituality?--Chris J. Boyatzis and Babette T. Newman
12. The Co-construction of Spiritual Meaning in Parent-Child Communication--Chris J. Boyatzis
13. The Child's Concept of God--Joyce E. Bellous, Simone de Roos, and William Summey
14. From Doctrine to Practice: The Influence of the Doctrine of Original Sin on Puritan Child-Rearing--Timothy Sisemore
15. Six Children Seeking God: Exploring Childhood Spiritual Development in Context--Dana Hood
16. Children in Congregations: Congregations as Contexts for Children's Spiritual Growth--Joyce Ann Mercer, Deborah L. Matthews, and Scott Walz
17. Nurturing Children's Spirituality in Intergenerational Christian Settings--Holly Catterton Allen
18. A Narrative of Children's Spirituality: African American and Latino Theological Perspectives--Karen Crozier and Elizabeth Conde-Frazier
19. Narrative and the Moral Education of the Christian Child--Victoria Ford and Esther Wong
20. The Ecology and Social Dynamics of Childhood Spirituality--James Estep and Lillian Breckenridge
21. Using Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Faith-Based Early Childhood Settings--Joyce Ruppell
22. Spiritual Influences in Helping Children to Cope with Life Stressors--Sara Pendleton, Ethan Benore, Katherine Jonas, Wendy Norwood, and Carol Herrmann
23. Ministering to Unchurched, Urban, At-risk Children--Gary Newton
24. Looking Back, Looking Forward: Reflections on the Conference and Anticipation of the Future--Kevin E. Lawson
Appendix 1: Children's Ministry Models--Scottie May and others 
Appendix 2: Theological Life of the California Child--Earl Barnes with Miss Ora Boring (published 1892) 

Roehlkepartain, Eugene; King, Pamela; Wagener, Linda; Benson, Peter (editors). (2005). The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence (Sage).
A landmark volume that summarizes most of the key research work to date on children's spirituality, with chapters written primarily by the researchers involved. The Forward is written by Robert Coles, and the board of review is essentially a Who's Who of Children's Spirituality.
Chapters
1. Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence: Moving to the Scientific Mainstream--Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, Peter L. Benson, Pamela Ebstyne King, and Linda M. Wagener
2. Toward a Developmental Analysis of Religious and Spiritual Development--W. George Scarlett
3. Stages of Faith From Infancy Through Adolescence: Reflections on Three Decades of Faith Development Theory--James W. Fowler and Mary Lynn Dell
4. Spiritual Development: Intersections and Divergence With Religious Development--David Hay, K. Helmut Reich, and Michael Utsch
5. On Making Humans Human: Spirituality and the Promotion of Positive Youth Development--Richard M. Lerner, Amy E. Alberts, Pamela M. Anderson, and Elizabeth M. Dowling
6. Philosophical Issues in Spiritual Education and Development--Hanan A. Alexander and David Carr
7. Measurement and Research Design in Studying Spiritual Development--Richard L. Gorsuch and Donald Walker
8. The Demographics of Spirituality Among Youth: International Perspectives--Laura H. Lippman and Julie Dombrowski Keith
9. The Changing Global Context of Adolescent Spirituality--Suman Verma and Madelene Sta. Maria
10. Spiritual and Religious Pathology in Childhood and Adolescence--Linda M. Wagener and H. Newton Malony
11. Non-Western Approaches to Spiritual Development Among Infants and Young Children: A Case Study From West Africa--Alma Gottlieb
12. Spiritual Experiences and Capacities of Children and Youth--Tobin Hart
13. A Neuropsychological Perspective of Spiritual Development--Andrew B. Newberg and Stephanie K. Newberg
14. Attachment and Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence--Pehr Granqvist and Jane R. Dickie
15. Cognitive-Cultural Foundations of Spiritual Development--Carl N. Johnson and Chris J. Boyatzis
16. The Relationship Between Moral and Spiritual Development--Lawrence J. Walker and Kevin S. Reimer
17. The Relationship Between Spiritual Development and Civic Development--Thomas M. Donnelly, M. Kyle Matsuba, Daniel Hart, and Robert Atkins
18. The Relation Between Spiritual Development and Identity Processes--Janice L. Templeton and Jacquelynne S. Eccles
19. Personality and Spiritual Development--Teresa T. Kneezel and Robert A. Emmons
20. Ethnicity, Culture, and Spiritual Development--Jacqueline S. Mattis, Muninder K. Ahluwalia, Sheri-Ann E. Cowie, and Aria M. Kirkland-Harris
21. The Family as a Context for Religious and Spiritual Development in Children and Youth--Chris J. Boyatzis, David C. Dollahite, and Loren D. Marks
22. Mentors, Friends, and Gurus: Peer and Nonparent Influences on Spiritual Development--Kelly Dean Schwartz, William M. Bukowski, and Wayne T. Aoki
23. Congregations: Unexamined Crucibles for Spiritual Development--Eugene C. Roehlkepartain and Eboo Patel
24. Religious Coping by Children and Adolescents: Unexplored Territory in the Realm of Spiritual Development--Annette Mahoney, Sara Pendleton, and Heidi Ihrke
25. Resilience and Spirituality in Youth --Emily Crawford, Margaret O'Dougherty Wright, and Ann S. Masten
26. Delinquency: A Quest for Moral and Spiritual Integrity?--Ronnie Frankel Blakeney and Charles David Blakeney
27. Spiritual Development and Adolescent Well-Being and Thriving--Pamela Ebstyne King and Peter L. Benson
28. Religion, Spirituality, and Children's Physical Health--Doug Oman and Carl E. Thoresen
29. Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapy With Youth: A Child-Centered Approach--Lisa Miller and Brien Kelley
30. Bridging the Gap: From Social Science to Congregations, Researchers to Practitioners--Dean Borgman
31. Integrating Spiritual Development Into Child and Youth Care Programs and Institutions--Daniel G. Scott and Douglas Magnuson
32. Bridging to Public Policy and Civil Society--Steve Hornberger, Roberta Furtick Jones, and Robert L. Miller Jr.
33. Childhood Spirituality: Strengthening the Research Foundation--Donald Ratcliff and Rebecca Nye
34. The Science of Child and Adolescent Spiritual Development: Definitional, Theoretical, and Field-Building Challenges--Peter L. Benson

Yust, Karen-Marie. (2004). Real Kids, Real Faith: Practices for Nurturing Children's Spiritual Lives. (Jossey-Bass).
Youst summarizes a three-year research study of children's spirituality, combining those results with insights from theology, to provide parents with informed suggestions on nurturing their children's spirituality.
Chapters
1. What's faith got to do with childhood?
2. Creating a spiritual world for children to inhabit
3. Telling stories that draw children into a life of faith
4. Helping children name God's presence in their lives
5. Praying with children
6. Supporting children as they grow in spiritual awareness
7. Acting out our spirituality with children
8. Finding a faith community to call your own


Yust, Karen-Marie; Johnson, Aostre; Sasso, Sandy; Roehlkepartain, Eugene (Eds.). (2006). Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World's Religious Traditions (Rowman & Littlefield).
An overview of how the five major religious traditions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism) view children and adolescents, as well as the spiritual changes perceived by those traditions, rituals and practices intended to nurture spirituality, and how ethical actions are related to the inner life. The book also considers who should bear the responsibility for spiritual nurture and the social/cultural influences upon spiritual development. 
Chapters
1. Traditional wisdom
2. Awakening latent spirituality
3. The child as compassionate bodhisattva and as human sufferer/spiritual seeker
4. Learning to be righteous
5. The dignity and complexity of children
6. Filling the heart with the love of God
7. Saintly children
8. After a child's first dance with God
9. In right relationship with God
10. From naming to initiation
11. The child on loan
12. Entering the world, entering Torah
13. Educating the warrior
14. Young minds, youthful Buddhas
15. Narrative and imagination
16. Sanctifying time
17. Schooling the heart
18. Sacred celebrations
19. Reformed spirits
20. A way of mind and life
21. Singing hope and practicing justice
22. Repairing the world
23. Nurturing young people's spirituality as a force for social change
24. Children and the five pillars of Islam
25. Value-creating education
26. At home with faith and family
27. Sunday school for Buddhists?
28. Personal responsibility with communal support
29. Understanding dharma, performing karma
30. Transforming bar/bat mitzvah
31. Teaching correct principles
32. Scarce discourse
33. Identity jihads
34. Countering a malforming culture
35. Resistance and resilience
36. Spiritual economies of childhood
37. Born with a knife in their hearts

Also see David Sim's massive bibliography on the child in American Evangelicalism

If you know of other books that summarize or report research related to children's faith, religion, and spirituality, we would appreciate suggestions for additions to the database. You may contact us here . Thank you.