► A student should read Matthew 18:2-6, 10-14 for the group. What are the warnings we see in these verses? How would you describe the importance that God sees in children?
Sometimes people say that children are important because they are the next generation, the future of the church, and the future leaders. All that is true; but first of all, children are important because they are people. Sometimes adults seem to forget that children are people with eternal souls and unknown potential.
[1]A traveler stopped in a small village. He saw an old man sitting beside the street and said, “I have never heard of this village before. Were any great men ever born here?” The old man said, “No, only babies.”
God gave the people of ancient Israel a covenant. He promised to bless and care for them. He gave them requirements to obey.
God wanted the covenant to be for all generations. He told them, “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
Raising children to follow God’s will was important for the covenant, because many of God’s blessings were conditional and depended on his people’s continued obedience. If the next generation chose to not be loyal and obedient to God, then they would lose the benefits of a relationship with him. That meant that careful teaching of the children was necessary.
► What do you think the Israelites could do to make sure that their children would make the decision to follow God?
God gave them some directions for training their children.
"You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deuteronomy 11:19-20)."
What point was God making? They were to teach diligently, constantly, and consistently, not just occasionally. They were to have reminders of God’s law posted in visible places. They were to see scripture everywhere. They were never to forget or ignore God’s commands.
Consistent teaching meant that they would not have decorations or entertainments or behaviors contrary to God’s law.
So, these verses emphasize that parents are responsible to teach their children God’s values constantly and consistently and to guard them from teachings and examples that would do the opposite.
► This commandment was given to parents. What applications should we make to the ministry of the church?
First, we know that the training of children is first the responsibility of parents. The church should teach parents how to teach their children. We should never assume that children should get spiritual instruction only from the church because parents cannot do it.
Secondly, the church should minister to children in the context of their family as much as possible. Help children by helping their parents. When doing evangelism, the church should try to attract families to the church.
Some children from non-Christian homes come to the church and begin to follow Christ. When that happens, the church should try to minister to the family. If the parents do not respond, the church must be a spiritual family for the children. The members of the church should be like older relatives who show spiritual care.
Evaluating a Church’s Ministry to Children
► How can you evaluate the success of children’s ministry in a particular church?
Your ministry to children is not necessarily successful even if...
Your teachers have great abilities.
The number of children and teachers is increasing.
Children are learning biblical information.
The teachers use high-quality material.
Children enjoy the ministry.
Those characteristics should exist if a ministry to children is successful. If a ministry lacks them, there will be problems. However, it is possible for a ministry to have some, or all, of those characteristics but still be failing.
Your ministry to children is successful if...
The children are converted and have assurance of salvation.
The children are gradually maturing spiritually.
As the children get older, they follow Christian principles.
Your ministry has not succeeded with a child who...
Is not a follower of Christ.
Chooses worldly role models.
Follows impure entertainment and relationships as he gets older.
Rejects God’s will for his life and follows personal ambitions.
Shaping a life to match God’s truth is the work of discipleship. It is to develop a person into a mature follower of Jesus. The moment of conversion does not automatically integrate God’s truth throughout a person’s thought patterns, attitudes, assumptions, and lifestyle. That integration of truth takes time. That is the real task of discipleship.
The First Necessity for Ministry to Children
► What do you think is the first thing you need for ministry to children?
A ministry for children quickly forms a group of participants that includes the children and the adults who are involved. That group has natural leaders, people who influence the others by their personalities, even if they are not in official positions. Among the adults and among the children there are natural leaders.
The first necessity for the ministry is a Christian environment with a positive spiritual atmosphere. There you can nurture Christians who are immature mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially.
That means that the adults must be people who are spiritual examples. You cannot use people for children’s ministry who are not serious believers. You cannot include children who strongly influence the others to reject your message.
Your ministry to children is already failing if...
Adults who are helping the ministry are there because of a special ability or other reason, but are not good spiritual examples.
Children without interest in spiritual things dominate the conversation and social interaction of the group.
All spiritual activities are led only by adults with no significant participation by children.
Only a few children want to cooperate and show spiritual interest, and they are not socially accepted by most of the others.
Look at the group of children and ask yourself these questions. If a new boy started coming to our ministry, which children in the group would he most likely follow? If a new girl were enrolled, whom would she tend to follow? Would those influences be good or bad?
The first necessity of the ministry is a positive Christian environment. Children’s ministry must be started with this first necessity in place. If the ministry already has lost that, it must somehow make a new start, or it will not achieve the right purpose.
The Principle of Communicating Life
The knowledge of God comes through relationships.
When God spoke to Jacob, he identified himself. He did not say, “I am the God of the universe,” or, “I am the God who created the world;” though either of those statements would have been true. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.” (Genesis 28:13) God reveals himself through people.
Abraham became a man of faith and others believed in God because of him. His servant Eliezer prayed to the God of his master Abraham (Genesis 24:12).
There should be people who come to know God better because he is your God.
Sometimes we assume that discipleship is merely telling people what they need to know and what they should do. It isn’t. First, you have to show them a life that they want to follow. If they want to live like you do, then they will listen to your directions about how to do it.
Discipleship is communication of life. A lifestyle, with its motives and core values, is being transferred from a discipler to a disciple.
The principle of life transference states that discipleship occurs when a teacher implants his lifestyle, with its motives and core values, into a student.
First-century Jewish rabbis understood that discipleship was life transference. When a young man wanted to be the disciple of a rabbi, he would ask the rabbi to accept him. If accepted, he would begin to share the life of the rabbi. He would be with him most of the time, not just learning his doctrine but learning his approach to life.
Jesus varied from the custom of that time by choosing men who had not asked to be his disciples. But, he followed the custom of discipling by sharing life together for the purpose of life transference.
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, some of his disciples were arrested and taken before the same court that had convicted him. The Sanhedrin probably thought that their problems were over since Jesus had been eliminated. They assumed that a few threats would be enough to intimidate and silence Jesus’ followers. As they examined the disciples, they could see that they were not highly educated men, certainly less educated than any member of the court. But, the scripture says that the Sanhedrin observed of them that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). Jesus had stamped his life upon them.
What did they see of Jesus in those disciples? Was it his mannerisms or style of speaking? Maybe; but there was more. They saw a courage that came from a sense of divine calling. They saw a steady commitment to truth at any cost. They saw a respect for authority but a rejection of compromise and hypocrisy. Surely the hearts of those corrupt politicians and religious hypocrites must have been shaken as they realized that their problems were just beginning. Jesus had multiplied and perpetuated his influence through discipleship.
Dr. Paul Brand was observing some of his young medical students as they practiced examining and diagnosing patients in a hospital in India. As he watched one of them deal gently with a patient, he was amazed at a certain expression that came onto the intern’s face. The expression perfectly matched the face of Dr. Pilcher, the surgeon who had trained Dr. Brand in England. Dr. Brand explained to the interns that he had reacted with such surprise because he knew that Dr. Pilcher had never been to India, and he didn’t understand how the intern could so imitate him. Finally, one of the interns said, “We don’t know any Dr. Pilcher, but Dr. Brand, that was your expression he was wearing.”[1]
It is what you teach when you are not trying to teach that will have the most effect. You teach the most when you are not trying to teach anything. As someone has said, “You teach a little by what you say, more by what you do, and most by what you are.”
Beware of the power of your example. You are always teaching. You disciple mostly by your lifestyle.
You show a disciple how to respond to his problems by the way you respond to your problems.
Kindness, courtesy, and patience are important for helping children. Some people are more able to be kind, courteous, and patient with children than others.
You show that you value a person if you give him full attention. Don’t act hurried when you talk to him. Consider what your body language is saying if you are turning away, walking to your next task, working on something while he is talking, or switching your attention to someone else.
Practice good listening habits. Signs of good listening are eye contact, a concentrated expression, ignoring distractions, and responding to the speaker’s humor or other emotions.
If you really have to hurry and cannot stop to listen, you can explain. That will not offend them if you usually give them the attention they need. But if in general you feel too busy to take time for them, thinking you need to get something done, you need to stop and consider what your real work is.
► What children are part of your life? What are some ways you can show them that they are important? Do you have some habits that you should change?
Our availability to God is more important than our abilities. God needs our availability more than our abilities. God will give the abilities needed to fulfill his calling.
Young people tend to be unsteady in many things. From one day to the next they may switch from seeming spiritual to seeming rebellious, from generous to selfish, or from mature to childish. That is not because they are being hypocritical. They are still in development, and their personality is not consistent.
Young people are unsteady, but they need you to be steady in your expectation. If on their bad days you tell them they will never be worth anything, you lower their expectation of themselves. They don’t yet know what they are going to be, and your evaluation influences what they become.
Talk much about God’s special plan for their life. Tell them God has given each of them special abilities. Talk about the satisfaction of finding God’s will.
A young person with leadership potential may have many ideas but not do well at discarding the bad ones. An aspect of maturity is the ability to distinguish between good ideas and bad ones. Help him learn wisdom, but don’t discourage him from having ideas.
Above all, remember that God has the ultimate plan for every person, and he is working to bring it about. Pray for discernment so that you can work with God’s plan of development for the student. Pray for miracles of grace and providence in the student’s life that will turn him in the right direction.
[1] Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, In His Image. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 18-19
[2]“When a person no longer has sympathy for the young, his usefulness on the earth is about over.”
- George MacDonald
Improving Teaching Methods
► What are some characteristics of a good teaching style? When you see someone teach, how do you know he is a good teacher?
The teacher has control of the teaching style. There are several aspects of style that the teacher should carefully plan.
(1) Rate of Instruction
People are like vases with narrow necks. If you pour too quickly, some does not go in. If you teach information too quickly, they will not learn it. As a person learns new information, he must connect it to what he already knows. He must also think about how this information applies to his life. Therefore, there are limits to the speed that a person can learn information.
It is better to make one point in an unforgettable way than to cover many points that they will forget. It is better for them to learn how to really apply one major concept than to hear masses of information in which they see no significance.
(2) Group Discussion
Most people need some discussion with others while they learn. They need to be able to ask questions and to repeat a concept in their own words. If a teacher’s style of teaching does not allow interaction from the listeners, they will not learn as much.
You can introduce a theme with a question, like “Why is it important to...?” or “What is the most important thing you know about...?” Don’t spend a lot of time on the introductory discussion, but use it to get them interested.
After presenting some information, you can ask a question that makes them explain the concept their own way. For example, “What was the mistake the person in the story made...?” or “Why is it important for us to...?” Ask questions that must be answered with explanation, instead of questions that are answered with a yes or no. The questions need to be easy enough that most of them get good answers from the children. They will lose interest if their answers are usually wrong.
Do not pressure a student to share something personal. Instead, try to create an atmosphere in which he will feel free to share personally.
Don’t allow certain ones to do all of the talking. You can direct a question to a silent member: “What do you think, Charles?” You should encourage participation by others: “What do the rest of you think?”
Don’t allow people in the class to have their own discussions while ignoring the group.
Don’t allow anyone to interrupt even a child who is speaking.
Try to affirm every comment in some way before criticizing it. If it needs correction, try to correct by expanding it.
(3) Relevance
Always ask yourself the question, “Why does this material matter?” If you don’t know, they won’t either. What difference should it make in them? Are there specific applications they should make to their lives? If you can’t think of any, they probably won’t either.
If they see that the topic is relevant to them, they will listen better. In order to control the class, concentrate more on making it interesting than on maintaining discipline.
(4) Significance
Show the results of the truth you are teaching. What happens when people know it and follow it? What happens when people reject this truth?
Inspire them with great themes. Avoid spending too much time on the smaller issues. Tell them stories about others who have lived by the truth you are sharing. They won’t remember your outlines, but they will remember your stories.
Provide heroes for them. They are looking for people to admire and imitate. Tell about heroes of faith—not just those who saw great miracles, but those who accomplished great things by God’s power. Help them see that the church’s mission to spread the gospel and make disciples is the greatest challenge and most fulfilling work in the world.
(5) Visuals
If possible, use colorful pictures when telling stories. When teaching concepts, write main words and statements on a board. They will remember them better if they see and hear.
(6) Action
People learn by doing. Children can learn by making something or acting out a story. The teacher can even direct them in acting out a Bible story as she tells it. This takes time, so you may not be able to have action for the whole story every time, but you should look for ways to put in some action every time.
► Some members could talk about recent lessons or sermons they have presented and describe how they should have used these aspects of style better. Some could describe what they are already doing to apply these aspects.
A Gospel Method for Children: The Wordless Book
Each page of the wordless book is a different color and represents part of the gospel.
Below is a summary of the message that goes with each page. When you use the Wordless Book, you should add more explanation and let the child interact and ask questions.[1]
Note: some people put the gold page first, then black, and continue through the others in the same order listed here.
Black: Black reminds us of sin, the bad things we have done. The Bible says that everyone has sinned. Because of sin, we are in trouble with God. (At this point, you should ask the child to admit that he is a sinner.)
Red: The good news is that Jesus, the Son of God, died for us so we can be forgiven. Red represents the blood of Jesus. Jesus died, but he rose from the dead and is preparing heaven for us.
White: When God forgives us he makes us clean in our heart. He takes away all the sins we have done. You can pray and ask God to forgive you. God is ready to forgive you if you are sorry for your sins.
Gold: Gold represents heaven, the place that God is preparing for us. When our life here is finished, we will live with God in heaven where there is never sadness, pain, or evil.
Green: When you are forgiven, you are a child of God. You will grow in your relationship with him. Green represents growing. You will learn more about God and learn how he wants you to live. You should read your Bible, pray every day, and listen to others who know how to live close to God.
[1] For other information about what to say when you use the Wordless Book, visit these websites:
(1) Look again at the material in this lesson under the title “The Principle of Communicating Life.” Consider your interaction with children, not just in teaching, but anytime you encounter them. What do you need to change? Have a conversation with someone who knows you well. Show him (or her) the material and explain your evaluation of yourself. Ask for their honest opinion. You need to report that you did this assignment, but you can choose whether or not to give details of your evaluation.
(2) Prepare a lesson or sermon for children. Design it carefully to use the six aspects of style. Be prepared to explain how you designed it.
(3) Find a way to buy or make a wordless book. Learn the presentation and present it to at least three people. Write a paragraph describing each experience.
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