Effective Children's Ministry

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Among a list of prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1) is mentioned Manaen.

I have read this book many times over the years, but this year, for the first time, I am reading from the New Living Translation. Here I saw what I had never registered before, that Manaen was a “childhood companion of King Herod Antipas”.

This man had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch , the one who had John the Baptist executed.

The thought occurred to me: “What was it that made the difference in those two men’s response to God?” According to James Orr, the Greek in Acts 13:1 suggests they were “foster-brothers”, brought up in the same environment. Yet Herod became so evil and Manaen evidently trusted God for salvation and later became a trusted and esteemed leader in the church. Even his name is gracious; it means “consoler”.

That made me sit up with a jolt – something made a difference to the outcome in the two men’s lives. With God’s help, we must make a positive difference in the lives of the kids we reach and teach.

It is an awesome responsibility – because we might just as easily make a difference the other way. What if we allowed ourselves:

• A dismissive response to a child’s interruption (“Later!”)  
• A sullen expression (“Why can’t we organize the activity the way I wanted?”)
• An over-competitive edge in the group games (“My team’s going to win this one, come what may!”)
• A careless attitude to preparation (It’s 11.30pm Saturday night. I’ve just got time to read over the curriculum for tomorrow.”)
• An angry response to difficult behaviour from a child. (“That’s it! I’ve had enough of you! Out!”)

Catherine and I knew and respected an old Christian leader. We still often quote one of his favourite comments: “You can be a blessing or you can be a blot. But you can never be a blank.”
What impact am I making on the children in my care? Am I turning them off from Christianity and Christ, or am I making it easier for them to see the beauty of Christ and the delight of the Christian life?

It might be through: 

• One fun day, with kid-friendly wholesome activities and a chance for the kids to see us as “real ordinary” people.
• One VBS, where the gospel message is consistently taught in such a way that kids are immersed in the message yet don’t feel spiritual indigestion!
• One smile, one look in the eyes that says: “I’m so glad you are here today. I do appreciate you.”
• One Sunday school lesson, well-prepared and clearly applied to young lives. (Come to think of it – maybe it will be through the lesson that, though well-prepared, was diverted by the Holy Spirit along an unexpected line, but the teacher was in touch with God and knew to go with the flow and respond to the child who asked a vital question or expressed a need.)

Any one or all of these might make that difference in drawing a child nearer to Christ. One connection we make with a child, by whatever means, might be the moment that tips the balance and sets them off on a personal pursuit of God that leads them to the Saviour.

With the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can make that difference that turns a young life towards God and points that kid to the One who can change him or her from the inside out. We may never see the type of adult they become. But we can trust God to save them, keep them and help them to live for him.

This post does not really highlight a children’s evangelism resource, but I am flagging up a page you may be glad to bookmark.

The blog post  I am referring to is  seminar notes and a wealth of resources from Steven Kryger at communic8jesus.com.

We need to hear again the 13 key points that Steven lists.

Identify and communicate your values

Model these values

Introduce your children to technology

Understand the mediums

Use anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware software

Use accountability software and filters

Know what your children are doing

Keep communication lines open

Be proactive in teaching your children

Develop a set of family rules

Encourage them to visit safe places online

Pray for your children, and children everywhere

Be gracious when they stuff up

After these very practical guidelines Steven offers tested solutions which may be of help to you or parents you know.

There are links to online resources for parents, also for those who teach children and teens. There are also links to accountability and filtering software. A section on pornography rounds off a thorough and thoughtful post. That link once again…

How To Protect Our Children Online

FUN! We use the word all the time in kids’ ministry.  We want our kids to have a fun time, doing fun activities.  This is because when they are happy and absorbed, they will learn more quickly and remember more effectively. And, of course, they will want to come back next week.

Never wanting to over use any word, I was looking recently for alternatives. But somehow they didn’t seem to work the same! Congenial, amusing, diverting, jolly – none of them seems to hit the nail completely on the head. And none of them would be clearly understood by children.

I came to the conclusion that “fun” is a word kids understand very well. They may not be able to define it, but they surely know when they are enjoying it!

Naturally, there will be solemn times as we teach our clubs and classes. There will be rules and responsibilities for the children. But if the overwhelming thought they have as they leave our care is not  “What a fun time I’ve had!” can we expect them to return of their own accord?

A fun time means :

• A pleasant, friendly atmosphere where each child knows he or she is  welcomed, appreciated and valued.
• Activities which engage their interests and gives them space to stretch their creativity and hone their skills.
• Children learning something without necessarily feeling it was an effort.
• No boredom, but a varied program with some surprises.
• Friendship and fellowship at a spiritual as well as a natural level.

What would you add to the list? How would you define “fun”.

What suggestions would you have for ensuring that the time the children spend in your care is a fun time?  We’d love to know your thoughts! So feel free to add a comment below.

Catherine and I have always felt that there is incalculable benefit in listening to kids and hearing about their interests, worries and joys. So it was with great interest that I read an excellent article by Wayne Stocks (aka Dad in the Middle). He  asks the question : “Does Quality Time Always Have to Be Spiritual Time?”

In his article for Ministry-to-Children.com, Wayne writes about the value of talking and listening to kids, whether or not you speak of the gospel.

• What sort of things do kids like to talk about?
• Is ordinary, “non-spiritual”  conversation of spiritual value?
• Should we always try to weave in the gospel?

In an account of a recent real-life experience, Wayne answers these questions in a practical way. If you would like to see how relationships can be built and opportunities to bring healing into young lives can be grasped, you can read Wayne’s article here.

Entrepreneur, author and public speaker Seth Godin blogs regularly about business issues. His posts often touch on matters which are relevant to us, as communicators of the gospel. In a recent post, Seth challenged us all to pursue excellence.

In most fields, there’s an awful lot of work put into the last ten percent of quality. Getting your golf score from 77 to 70 is far more difficult than getting it from 120 to 113 or even from 84 to 77….

The last ten percent is the signal we look for, the way we communicate care and expertise and professionalism. If all you’re doing is the standard amount, all you’re going to get is the standard compensation. The hard part is the last ten percent, sure, or even the last one percent, but it’s the hard part because everyone is busy doing the easy part already.

Of course, we are not in the business of monetary compensation. But, need this principle be confined only to the commercial world? Dare we, as those ministering to children, be satisfied with the ordinary, the 90% effort. Dare we stop when the cost starts to bite?

Seth Godin speaks of the last 10%, even the last 1% effort, which sets apart one businessman, marketer or entrepreneur from all the rest. He asks, what message does that last 1% send out? We, too, could ask ourselves that question.

Seth said: “The last ten percent is the signal we look for, the way we communicate care and expertise and professionalism.”

Yes, it costs in time and effort:

• To prepare fresh and attractive visuals that make teaching memorable for the children.
• To dig deep into the Word of God, and into background study in order to present the Bible lesson in historical and cultural context.
• To ponder the Bible truth and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, recognize illustrative stories and personal experiences which will help the children identify with the principles you are sharing.
• To prepare leaflets, letters and other communications with parents which convey the relevance and quality of teaching and attention to detail in your care of the children.
• To read books, study blogs and attend training sessions in order to open ourselves to new insights and encouragement from others in kids’ ministry

Indeed, in every aspect of our work for God we are challenged to press through to produce that final 10% of effort beyond the ordinary. We do it, not because we crave kudos and admiration, but because the cause of Christ deserves it, right to the last most costly 1%, because Christ gave nothing less.

Let’s not be satisfied with the ordinary. Let’s pursue excellence in all we do, for the sake of Christ and for the sake of the children we serve.

A post by Greg Baird recently caught my eye – especially the opening lines:

We all want to quit sometimes.  Discouragement can be daunting.
Hurt.  Disappointment.  Fear.  And a number of other emotions can bring us to our knees.  We want to quit.  Just give up.

For some of us, a year of children’s clubs is drawing to a close. Some kids’ clubs close over the summer.

For others among the kidmin community, summer approaches all to soon, with VBSs (Vacation Bible Schools, or Summer Holiday Clubs) to plan, volunteers to train and next year’s curriculum to organize as well!

Do you ever feel like quitting, and making this your last year as a kids’ club leader or volunteer, or making this your last VBS?

Or maybe the deluge of discouragement you are feeling right now is coming from somewhere else, other than the children’s ministry.

Whatever is getting you down right now,  I hope you’ll surf over to Greg’s blog, read the comfort and challenge that his chosen Scripture give us, and ponder his keys to perseverance.

Once again our friends over at Ministry-to-children.com have come up with a practical and sensitive article.

To quote from the introduction:

Some of the children in our classrooms may not have a mother present in the home due to death, abandonment, military service, incarceration, custody issues, or various other circumstances.Parents can also be dealing with Mother’s Day grief, especially for those who have lost a child or their own mother recently. These feelings often will affect all the children in the family. So how can we approach the day with compassion? 

You can find  Mother’s Day & Kids Who Have Lost Their Mom here.

There is also a companion post on Father’s Day & Kids Who Have Lost Their Dad

Catherine and I once turned up at a children’s service with the wrong bag of visuals.  We had identical bags for a youth event and a childrens event – not a good idea! Fortunately Catherine is a tremendously good story-teller! So the loss of the picture cards was not an enormous handicap to her telling the Bible story.  She used her gestures and voice to dramatize the lesson, and gripped us all.

But from that day onward we kept a list of everything that was needed, and before we loaded the car we eye-balled each individual item. Oh yes, and we colour coded the bags!!

Lists are invaluable. Most of us use them when we go shopping, pack for holidays and  plan for Christmas. They are equally useful (and for us older folk, essential!) in kid’s ministry.

Doing craft? List every required items. Then you won’t find yourself without wet-wipes to clean hands after a messy activity.

Leading worship? List your visuals and equipment. I once forgot the amplifier for my electric guitar! I have also left behind electrical extension cables and overhead projector slides.

Giving a powerpoint presentation? List all the connectors, extension cables and projector screen, if required. Put your presentation notes on the list too, if you work from a sheet of paper.

Teaching a Bible lesson? List all your visual aids and presentation equipment, together with any objects or demonstrations you will be using.

Even after all our years in kid’s ministry, we still find making lists one of the best ways to ensure a trouble-free setup and a smoothly run meeting.
You might even like to transfer a list onto your computer, so you can print a checklist each time to leave to take part in a meeting.

Seth Godin is a successful and respected entrepreneur and business author. In his blog he wrote:

I stumbled on a great typo last night. “Staff in the lobby were wondering around…”
Wandering around is an aimless waste of time. Wondering around, though, that sounds useful. Wondering why this product is the way it is, wondering how you can make the lobby more welcoming, wondering if your best customers are happily sharing your ideas with others… So many things worth wondering about, so few people actually taking the time to do it. Wondering around is the act of inquiring with generous spirit.

Colin Peckham, preacher and author once told us, “In God’s work you’ve got to have time to dream.”

In kid’s ministry we can spend time preparing our crafts, planning the décor, selecting or making our visuals, studying the lesson…and a thousand and one other good and vital things. But what a joy when we have time to dream!

A relaxing environment can be hard to come by, but if we find it, then coupled with a sanctified imagination and an intimacy with God, we can dream his dreams, catch his vision, think the impossible. As Seth Godin said, wondering around can be very useful.

Catherine and I both love our allotment garden. We grow veggies, fruit and flowers  there, but the crop can be ruined by weeds and pests.
So we sat up and took note when we spotted  one article highlighted  in the Childrens Ministry magazine newsletter.

ChildrensMinistry.com is a great site, stuffed with useful resources and tips from experienced kid’s workers.

Walter Norvell, a children’s minister in Tennessee, writes  about 10 “weeds” that threaten the growth of your children’s ministry. It’s a great check list to run through from time to time.

10 Things That’ll Ruin Your Children’s Ministry