Effective Children's Ministry

Some big things! Photo by Creatas/Thinkstock.com

Ken Sapp, over at CreativeYouthIdeas.com today recounted a story of the great Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln was riding home from church in his carriage one Sunday when his secretary asked how he liked the sermon. “Not very much,” said the president. His response surprised the secretary because the preacher was popular and most people considered him a very gifted speaker. When asked what the problem was, Lincoln replied, “He did not ask me to do anything great.”

Applying Bible truth

When we are communicating Bible truth, whether to kids, teens or adults, do we apply to their lives the truth we are teaching ?
Do we make sure that they know the “great thing” God wanted them to do as a result of what they had heard from us? Do they understand that, though they are young, they can do great things for God?

Asking the right questions

We often ask the children, “What have you learned today from this Bible lesson?” It’s good to do that. It helps us assess the effectiveness of our communication.
But let’s not forget to also ask the children to consider this , “What are you going to do about it?” (They don’t need to answer aloud, but they will benefit from considering it.)
Knowing something and doing something about it are two different things.

A “call to action”

Secular marketers and advertisers call it a “call to action”.

• Sign up here!
• Buy Brekky Crunch today!
• Order your copy now!

We don’t need to be so “in-your-face”! But we can point children in the right direction, and encourage them to consider what action they could take to follow up on what they have learned.

For example, wouldn’t it be great if our kids were able to say something like this?

Today I learned:
… that Moses worshipped God in the desert and up a mountain as well as in the Tent of Meeting. I can worship God anywhere.
Now I will:
… come to God at any time when I want to pray or worship him; in any place, not just church – Even silently in school or out in the back yard.

Today I learned:
…that God wants me to honour and respect my parents
Now I will:
… come in from playing outside, or clean my room, when they ask me.

Today I learned:
…Barnabas was kind to Saul when he was just converted. He introduced him to the disciples and stood up for him.
Now I will:
…be a friend to the new kids in my class and try to encourage and help them

Abraham Lincoln wanted to be asked to do “something big”. Any of the three outcomes above, and plenty more besides, are BIG things! We’d be stunting our children, rather than stretching them and encouraging them grow, if we fail to help them see the big things God is calling them to do.

Oh, and by the way, will you ask yourself, as I do, “What big thing did God speak to me about today? How can I make a start?”

Then pretty soon we’ll have some practical examples to share with our children of how God helps when you tackle the big things!

That great resource site for all things kidmin, Ministry-to-Children.com, has gathered together a bundle of ideas for your Valentine’s Day children’s ministry:

• 5 lesson plans
• 4 craft session
• 2 game ideas

All focus on Christ’s love for us, and how we can practically show our love for others.

For this wealth of ideas, visit the Ministry-to-Children Valentine’s Day ideas and resources page.

You may also be interested in:

Our own Valentine’s day Free PowerPoint Game.

This new PowerPoint game, like all the others on EffectiveChildrensMinistry.org, is completely free.

It is simple to play and has the added bonus of additional slides, suitable for a brief comment on the eternal nature of God’s love, and how it is seen in Christ’s sacrifice.

After the title image, the game is played on one slide. The children choose a number (if played as a review game, they earn the right by answering a question correctly). Once that number is clicked, it reveals a chocolate.  Ordinary chocs score 25, but heart chocs are worth 50 points!

Full instructions are included on the slides at the end, together with a suggested commentary on the bonus extra slides.

RIGHT-click on the links below to download the PowerPoint and save it to your computer.

If you do not have the PowerPoint program on your computer, you can still enjoy the game by downloading the PPS version. This is a self playing version which will start and fill your screen. Use the mouse to click and advance the slides, and then click on the cookies in the usual way.

Download the free PowerPoint game: Chocolate Hearts. (Full PowerPoint version)

Download the free PowerPoint game: Chocolate Hearts. PPS (Self running Powerpoint Show)

This video shows how some engineers changed the behaviour of people who usually preferred the escalator to the staircase.

Do you think this principle has any relevance to children’s ministry?
Feel free to comment below!

Kids love things that look like something they are not!

This great craft idea from Awana at home is pretend “spaghetti and meatballs” with “tomato sauce”. And it’s a delicious cake dessert.

This is what you start with! Image from Awana at Home

It is easy to make at home, or even with a small group in a club, because you can buy pre-baked fairy cakes and have the decorating materials ready.

To find out how to make the delicious and fun dessert, visit the Awana at Home blog, ApPARENTly Blogging, for all instructions and some gooey, mouth-watering pics.

And here is the finished product! Pic from Awana at Home

Can you guess what makes the meatball, tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese? You’ll find out here!