Imagine raising kids who are growing toward full devotion to Christ, who can meet the challenges their generation faces and be leaders for the Kingdom! Think of a place where children have so much fun learning about how awesome God is that they don't want to miss a single week. Imagine a place where the music is so contemporary and engaging that children leave humming the tunes and singing the words that help them remember biblical truths all week; where video and drama are effectively used to teach this media-driven generation about how to live the Christian life at home, at school and in their neighborhoods. Think of a ministry where children are intentionally shepherded in small groups where they are known and loved; where adult volunteers serve with great joy and passion knowing they are influencing the next generation of Christ's followers.

There are many things that contribute to a thriving, relevant, prevailing children's ministry like the one described above. A child-targeted environment, solid, Bible-based, relevant teaching, strong leaders, committed volunteers, a clear vision and mission, and core values are a few of those things.

That is the kind of place we, at Willow Creek Community Church, wanted our children's ministry to become. Promiseland is the result.

That is our vision.

To develop our strategy we listened to:

Children, who told us that our classes were boring (that is, our methods were outdated and relevant application to their everyday lives was missing)!

Adult volunteers, who loved serving children, but were experiencing burnout as they tried to keep up with all the preparation they needed to do to teach their classes.

The first step we needed to take was to develop a clear, concise mission to be the foundation of how Promiseland works.

Mission & Core Values

Promiseland is the children's ministry of Willow Creek Community Church, where the goal is to be the BEST hour in every kid's week.

Promiseland is also committed to supporting children’s ministries in local churches around the world through the Willow Creek Association.

As fellow children’s ministry practitioners, together we can build children’s ministries that PREVAIL!