Ministry-To-Children.com

Workshop: How To Plan Major Events

Jenny Funderburke — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:14:05 +0000

In this 21 minute presentation, you will learn the 9 steps for organizing major events in your children’s ministry. You can download the notes from this workshop, PowerPoint or share the video with your team using this link. http://youtu.be/ssvIek3PkA4

Group Discussion

Leave a comment below to share your response to this training. For example, you could discuss a recent major event in your church and how these steps may have improved the outcome.

More Resources

The following links will help you learn more about this topic.

Watch our presentation about identifying and recruiting ministry volunteers.
Read about planning a church camp
Read about planning Vacation Bible School
Read about planning a Fall Festival
Read about planning big ministry events from CM Buzz
Read about planning ministry events form Children’s Ministry Magazine
Download sample event budgets from Children’s Ministry Online

Review Activity for Kids with Special Needs

Amy Fenton Lee — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:40:29 +0000

Want a fun way to reinforce a Bible lesson that requires little preparation and all kids love? Keep Yes/No sticks on hand for every Bible lesson. Either during the story or at the end of small group time, pass out sticks so that each child has a yes for one hand and a no for the other. Pose questions to the group that can be answered with either a yes or no response:

“Did Eve eat a banana in the Garden of Eden?”
“Did Jonah obey God the first time?”
“Did Jesus come alive on the 3^th day after the cross?”

Yes/No sticks give children the opportunity to stay engaged while incorporating movement and without noise. Because questions are posed to the entire group, every child has the opportunity to answer every question. The kids love seeing which peers answer each question correctly and nearly always a fun sense of competition emerges. More importantly, this activity is helpful for kids who prefer non-verbal communication.

Click above to download

For a child who has a communication disorder (oftentimes undiagnosed) such as a speech delay or apraxia, they may understand everything going on around them but struggle to respond verbally. This activity is also great for a participant with ADHD or just the active boy whose hands may otherwise find a less desirable activity. And because this exercise can be completed without a voice response, there is better chaos control, which is important for participants who are easily over-stimulated or have sensory issues associated with a loud environment.

Simple strategies like these may be the difference between failure and success for the child with special needs and the volunteers who serve them. (P.S. This activity is a great way to stretch a small group time when you’ve got more time on your hands then plans!)

Amy Fenton Lee blogs at www.TheInclusiveChurch.com to help churches successfully include children with special needs. For more tips like this one check out Amy’s new volunteer training DVD “Surviving to Thriving: Successfully Including the Child with Special Needs” available at www.whatisorange.org.

Object Lessons from the Movie “Avengers”

Guest Writer — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:38:25 +0000

**This is a guest post from Nick Diliberto from PreteenMinistry.net

I recently took my two boys to see the movie, The Avengers. We loved it! In the movie Thor, Black Widow, the Hulk, Hawkeye, Captain America and Iron Man team up to stop the evil Loki from destroying the world. The Avengers is #1 at box office right now and you can bet that many of the preteens in your group will be going to see it. Why not use it as an opportunity to point kids to Jesus?

Here are some ideas and themes from the movie that you can use to teach preteens about God and Jesus. Use as a guide, insert into an upcoming lesson or as inspiration to write your own lesson.

BOLDNESS

The Avengers all are given special powers. The Hulk & Captain America are strong & powerful; Iron Man can fly and Hawkeye can shoot arrows that blow up things.

When it comes to following Jesus, we need power beyond ourselves. Like superheroes, we are given a special power from God. We may not be able to fly or have super human strength. But God does give us boldness to follow Jesus. Jesus calls us to forgive and forget rather than getting revenge. He wants us to invite our friends to church who aren’t Christ followers. Jesus wants us to do the right thing even when everyone around us isn’t. Living our lives the way Jesus teaches in the Bible takes boldness. And we can’t just choose to be bold. We can’t muster up courage on our own. But we can rely on God’s power to give us boldness.

SERVICE

The Avengers took risks in order to serve the human race. They risked their lives time and time again, with nothing to gain for themselves. They also served each other. Black Widow was looking out for Hawkeye when he turned evil. As a result, he had the opportunity to help defeat Loki and his Alien team. Thor was looking out for his brother Loki, trying to convince him to stop his evil plot.

We might not be superheroes, but we do have opportunities everyday to serve others. Maybe the new kid at school needs a friend or the bully needs some compassion extended to him. If we pay attention, God will show us ways to serve others in our everyday lives. As we do this, we can even imagine that we are a superhero serving mankind!

TEAMWORK

At first, The Avengers had a difficult time working together. They were arguing and fighting each other. But eventually they pulled together, therefore being more effective fighting evil. In one scene, Iron Man & Captain America helped repair the engine of a flying aircraft carrier. They needed each other, not being able to accomplish the task alone.

In life, teamwork is important. When playing baseball, basketball, football or any other sport – teamwork is the key to success. In the church, teamwork is necessary as well. God gives everyone special talents, gifts and abilities that work together to reach the world and point people to Jesus.

Nick Diliberto is the creator of PreteenMinistry.net, which provides creative curriculum and resources for preteen ministry. He is also the preteen columnist for Children’s Ministry Magazine and Children’s Pastor at Seven San Diego Church.

The K-W-L Chart: A Great Bible Teaching Tool

Kristin Charles — Sat, 19 May 2012 03:04:41 +0000

If you’re looking for a different teaching approach on a Sunday morning, The K-W-L Chart just may be the way to go. The K-W-L Chart is a traditional teaching strategy that is effective in determining a student’s current knowledge, generating an interest in subject matter, and recalling valuable lessons learned. It can be utilized to teach any type of Biblical content.

The K-W-L Chart is a visual tool that can be easily drawn up on a blackboard, white board, or a poster for later reference purposes. It is a simple chart made up of three columns. On the left, a column is designated as “K” for KNOW. The middle column is “W” for WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN. On the right, a column is designated as “L” for WHAT YOU LEARNED.

Before a lesson is presented, students brainstorm what they KNOW about a subject or Biblical account. This is a good preliminary assessment tool of your students’ basic knowledge of the subject. All of these facts would be compiled into the first column under “K,” WHAT WE KNOW. For example, if you are studying the life of Esther, the students might say:

She was a queen
She helped save people
She starred in a Veggie Tales movie
She is a book in the Old Testament
She was brave
There was someone named Haman involved with her life.

Following the brainstorming session, students ask questions about the topic or account. These questions will be written under the “W” column and include “WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO LEARN.” This column, in particular, generates interest in the subject because students are inherently inquisitive. In addition, it gives them a framework for the lesson and allows them to be active listeners, engaged in finding their own answers.

If we follow along with our example, student questions may include:

How did Esther save her people? Was what she did dangerous?
Was she really in a beauty pageant?
Who is Haman after all?
What does this have to do with our lives today?

At this point, the teacher would teach the bulk of the lesson. He or she could use any manner of teaching and may choose to read an account out loud, utilize reading circles, act it out, perform a readers’ theatre, use puppets, watch a movie or clip, etc.

Once the lesson is presented, the “L” component of the chart is composed and students brainstorm “WHAT WE LEARNED.” This is a great way to reinforce concepts taught and provides for meaningful discussion. It may be helpful to write down the answers in very brief statements next to the corresponding questions. Answers, in this case, may include:

The Jewish people were going to be killed. Esther foiled the plan by bravely going before the King.
Yes, she was in a beauty contest. The King had to find a replacement Queen and she was selected.
Haman was the Prime Minister of Persia. He wanted all of the Jews to be killed.
Sometimes we have to speak up for what we believe in; having faith in Jesus takes courage; our age doesn’t matter – God uses anyone who is willing and humble to accomplish His will.

And there you have it! The K-W-L Chart, which can be easily adapted for any Bible lesson. Let us know if you have incorporated this particular teaching strategy into your ministries and how.

How to Partner with Parents in Kids’ Ministry

Mimi Bullock — Sat, 19 May 2012 01:38:45 +0000

Great success in evangelism brings big challenges for kids’ ministries. One of those is working with parents, many of whom choose not to come to church – at least in the beginning. The church today is often the only moral voice in the life of a child; at this critical juncture, it’s easy to fall prey to a dangerous mindset. We give so much love and attention to our ministry kids, sometimes; we seem more like replacement parents.

It’s a logical pattern of thought but here’s where we can fall down. We can’t parent everyone and God never intended us to. Our job, as ministers, is to empower parents with the gospel, provide support and be an example to them, all while ministering to kids. I know from experience, partnering with parents is not our first instinct but it needs to be our focus. Here are some effective tips for partnering with parents through your kids ministry.

1. Welcome parents to your ministry.

It’s disconcerting when parents ask to sit on a class but you shouldn’t always object. A friendly, welcoming attitude demonstrates your willingness to serve the entire family, not replace an insecure parent. Also, carve out a small space in your kids’ church for parents. Have materials handy for Mom or Dad to take home like your statement of faith or an event calendar.

2. Provide leadership resources for parents.

Parents new to the church, or to church period, might not have a clue about buying a Bible or praying with their kids. Offer a recommended resource list to parents to help them in their growing faith. A free music CD or a list of handy websites can help too.

3. Keep continuing biblical education in mind during planning.

Offer parents suggestions on how to supplement the lessons. That can be in the form of take-home sheets, posting lesson titles and blurbs on social networks or mailing out newsletters. Give parents the opportunity to reinforce Bible verses – they may even learn from them!

4. Make regular contact – with the whole family. I offer a free Mom’s Day Out for parents who need to shop at Christmas and the occasional movie night at our facility. We also host picnics, visit homes and include new families in our events. Making regular contact is a good way to partner with parents.

5. Pray for the entire family. Parents may never know or appreciate that you pray for them but God does! Pray for family healing, stronger family ties and a deeper walk with God – for everyone.

Partnering with parents actively grows churches. Take a holistic approach and watch your numbers grow!

What Kids Need to Know about “Same-Sex Marriage”

Tony Kummer — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:16:21 +0000

Times have changed. Today’s kids live will inherit a world where gay marriage is accepted and affirmed, even by the President of the United States. Christians who maintain the biblical witness against this practice will be labeled “bigots.”

So, what are the basics that every kid needs to know when they encounter these topics? What can we teach to prepare children to respond with truth and grace to world gone crazy?

The following is just a starting point. I’d love to hear your response in the comment section below, especially if you have started talking with your children about these topics. We’ve even posted a roundtable discussion about this issue.

These talking points should be customized depending on the age of your kids and their specific questions.

“Marriage is God’s idea”

Before there was any human government or even churches. God invented marriage between Adam & Eve. It was supposed to be one man and one woman, promising to love and care for one another in a special way for all their lives. He said it was a pattern for all their children to copy. Marriage was a good gift from our Maker. It helps us to have strong families and live happy lives. When men & women follow God’s plan, it shows a little of God’s own faithfulness and love. The Bible event talks about human marriage to explain the way Jesus loves his church. At the core this is a theological issue

“Some people say ‘No’ to God’s ideas”

When humans began to disobey God, marriage become much harder. Since we are all sinners, it becomes very hard to put others first and get along in marriage. There are many ways people have gone against God’s plan. The Bible specifically talks about divorce, adultery, and homosexuality. There do not fit with God’s plan and are called sin by different passages in the Bible. Many people think they have freedom to change God’s design in whatever way they want.

“It is not mean to disagree.”

We must love all people, but not hide God’s truth. There are many smart and nice people who don’t agree with what the Bible teaches. To speak up for what you know is not wrong, especially when done with attitude of respect. Christians should find way to be friends with all types of people, even when we disagree with something as important as marriage.

“Love means telling the truth”

Some Christians are shy to call same-sex marriage sinful. They think love and politeness prevents them from judging the choices that others make. It would not be love to hide the wisdom of God from people, especially when their choices will lead to sadness in their own lives.

“God can forgive & fix what sin breaks”

The Gospel is God’s power to both forgive and change sinners. Jesus commands all people to, “Repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15). Christ has the authority because he lived without sin and died in our place. The promise is for a total restoration of any sinner back to God. “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV)

“Sometimes the Government makes mistakes”

God has said to respect the government and even pray for leaders to have wisdom. Even so, any human government can make mistakes and choose to ignore God. We must continue to speak the truth and do what we can to love all people, even when the government is wrong.

This is just a starting point for this conversation and it’s an issue that won’t go away in this generation. Please leave a comment below to share your ideas or read our round table conversation on how it will affect children’s ministry.

I appreciate the dialogue earlier, but if we can’t agree that God has spoken clearly about marriage in Genesis 2:24… then we’re probably not going to agree on much else on the topic.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
(Genesis 2:24 ESV)

That’s the verse that both Jesus & Paul quote when teaching on the issue. Matt. 19:5; Mark 10:7; 1 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 5:31

I am personally bound by the Word of God — even if the rest of the world (and many other Christians) think it’s foolish.

How will “Gay Marriage” impact Children’s Ministry?

How will “Gay Marriage” impact Children’s Ministry?

Tony Kummer — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:07:04 +0000

With the coming political firestorm over “same-sex marriage,” it’s going to be a topic kids hear about. If your children aren’t asking yet, it’s just a matter of time. As ministry leaders, we should think carefully about how we respond and find the right balance of truth & grace.

That’s why I sent the following question to several of my friends in children’s ministry. The idea is to learn from one another and be prepared to better serve children, to whom these topics can be very confusing.

Question: What is the role of the children’s ministry when kids ask about the topic of same-sex marriage? Are there certain Bible truth’s you stress for kids that would make this issue less confusing when they encounter it later? How would you respond if several children raised the issue during your teaching?

Below are the responses from our participants. I’ve also posted my suggested talking points on this issue. You can Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. this page and carefully read through their insights. This conversation is not complete without your insight. Please share your insight in our comment section below. You are free to disagree with any or all of these writers, just do so in a respectful manner. We don’t expect anyone to agree with everything the following contributors wrote!

Response from Jared Kennedy

Jared Kennedy

In the fall of 1997, I headed off to college. I planned to room with a high school friend, but, during that summer, he confessed to me that he’d been hanging with a number of gay friends, and he was struggling with same-sex attraction. He called me out of respect, because he wanted me to know before we were roommates. I was repulsed, took a posture of judgment, and, we ended up not rooming together. I’m convinced now that my repulsion and judgment was ungodly. And the sad irony was that I was also struggling with all kinds of sexual sin. My orientation was different, but my depravity was no less.

Many Christians and whole churches have lost confidence in the gospel when it comes to how they think about and respond to homosexuality. Some single out homosexuality as “the sin.” Many have strong emotional reactions to homosexuality that flow out of deep insecurity, feelings of repulsion, disgust, and threat. These reactions expose profound unbelief both in the gospel’s power to change lives and about the depth of sin in our hearts.

A children’s ministry’s approach to homosexuality begins with having a heart of hospitality. We must welcome and treat all people with dignity and respect. We should assume homosexuals are always in our midst and avoid all homophobic speech. We should repent of our stereotypes and prejudices towards homosexuals, be ready to welcome gay or lesbian couples raising children into our worship gatherings, and pray that they will entrust their children to our care.

We must remember that the world has never seen a perfect family. Since Adam and Eve, every family has been jacked up enough to be desperate for grace. Pick up your Bible, and you’ll see stories of homicide, gang rape, polygamy, concubines, incest, and prostitution before you even get out of Genesis. When we teach kids, we should be sensitive about explaining sin with age-appropriate discretion. But we should also be clear that everyone is capable of every sin. There is no sinful behavior that given the right circumstances my sinful heart will not adopt.We should help kids to see that we often act just like the sinners in the Bible’s stories. When teaching youth about sexual sin, we also must be honest about the sexual sins popular among heterosexuals (promiscuity, fornication, masturbation, pornography, lust, etc.). We should not single out homosexual sin as worse than any other type.

There are kids in your ministry who will ask about gay marriage, and there are kids in your ministry that are struggling with same-sex attraction. When the questions come, we must be clear that homosexuality is not God’s design for human relationships (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:9-10), but we can’t be simplistic about its cause. There may be biological factors that pre-dispose a child to more feminine or masculine behavior than is usual for his or her gender. There may be family factors that make it difficult for a young person to feel confident in his or her social gender role or which make opposite sex relationships unattractive. Emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse can affect a persons understanding of their sexuality. We must be sensitive about each child’s story while affirming that each child either confirms or chooses to resist homosexual desires with their choices.

Our job is to help every family understand that they are invited into a bigger story of redemption and restoration. Every family is dysfunctional, but God has good news—no matter your family’s history, baggage, or present situation—change is possible. I know this is true, because I have changed. Over the past 15 years, God has been rescuing me from a lack of compassion and ungodly judgment as well as from sinful living. All family dysfunction can be changed. Homosexuality is no exception. The gospel is the power of God that is able to change anyone. The actual process is no different than the process of change for anything else in the life of a Christian. We need to give the kids in our ministry biblical vision of family (one that moves beyond cultural stereotypes), and they need encouragement to pursue that vision with the Holy Spirit’s help and ordinary means of grace—prayer, God’s word, repentance, faith, and community.

God didn’t make boys for Bass Pro Shops, ESPN, and Old Spice, but He does want them to grow up loving Jesus and others by leading, protecting, and working with wisdom (Genesis 2:15, 19-20). God didn’t make girls for pink doilies or Pinterest, but He does want them to grow up loving Jesus as powerful counterparts and life-giving nurturers (Genesis 2:22-23; 3:20; Proverbs 31). God didn’t ordain the Cleavers or the Cosbys as the perfect family, but he did create marriage as a life-long, loving, covenant relationship between a man and a woman—a picture of Christ and his bride, the church (Genesis 2:23-24; Ephesians 5:21-33). That’s a vision worth teaching, praying for, and pursuing as we train up the next generation.

References: “Discussion of Homosexuality” by Anonymous; “They Blew Up Walnut Grove,” in Zombies, Football, and the Gospel by Reggie Joiner.

Jared Kennedy blogs at http://sojournkids.com. He is the husband of Megan and the father of three girls-Rachael, Lucy, and Elisabeth. He leads SojournKids as Family Pastor at Sojourn Community Church, a multi-site congregation in Louisville, KY

Response from Nicole VanderMeulen

I received the invitation to comment on this topic as I sat at a conference titled “Children, Youth, and New Kind of Christianity” held at Calvary Baptist Church in Washington DC. The event included participants from every denomination I have ever heard of and people came from countries all over the globe to attend. One major theme that emerged is that Christians have a really bad rap. Through our hypocritical, judgmental, shaming ways we’ve done way more turning people away from church than welcoming them in. This is largely due to literal interpretation of the Bible. We are so quick to speak, yet so slow to act.

My dear friends, the Bible does say that a man and woman should be together and no man should lie down with another man, but it also says that we should sell our daughters into slavery, never eat shellfish, be put to death if we work on the Sabbath, avoid contacting menstruating women and on and on. So, please, if you choose to hold each word sacred and literal, PLEASE be consistent. Your picking and choosing of what to take to heart and what to ignore really flaws your integrity. To that end, please do not believe that you have the ability to decipher what is literal and what is metaphor. You don’t.

Alternately, consider looking not at single verses or specific Biblical facts, but try to examine the repetitive themes and big truths found in our sacred book. You’ll see over and over where God and Jesus gave forgiveness, grace, and love. Don’t forget the greatest commandment, “love your God and second to that, love your neighbor as yourself”. In fact, Jesus was often found associating with prostitutes, the sick, beggars, tax collectors and the like, the people that society viewed as “wrong” or “bad”.

While this is certainly how I would help children explore what the Bible might have to tell us about homosexuality, that wouldn’t be my first strategy for addressing the subject. This conference I was attending reiterated for me the importance of helping children think for themselves rather than telling them what to think. I would probably start by asking some questions like, “What do you think about two women or two men being in love?” “What do you think God thinks about it?” “Does it matter what we think about it?” “Are there greater sins than others?” “Do we all sin?” “Is it our job to judge or love others?” “What if someone you knew (best friend, mother, brother, etc.) told you they were gay? Would that change what you thought?” “Is it ok to hurt others when we don’t agree with them?”

As I continue to pray for a world of love, peace, acceptance, and social justice, with Christians right where we have been called to be, leading the effort, I leave you with this thought. “We should be fixing ourselves and helping others, not the other way around.”

Nicole VanderMeulen serves as the Children’s Ministry Coordinator at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Renton, Washington.

Response from Amy Dolan

Amy Dolan

I was thrilled to hear the President’s comments last week on gay marriage. His words, in my opinion, were just the kick in the pants we’ve needed when it comes to serving all types of families in the church. We’ve been teasing the subject for awhile, wondering “What will I do when a family with gay parents comes to my church and wants to dedicate their child, volunteer in the ministry, and be fully participating active members in the church?” And now, with the President’s comments at the forefront of most American’s minds, we can consider the subject one of our most important priorities.

Here’s the thing: It’s time. Whether gay families are active participants of your church or not, it’s time to consider how we might serve all types of families by loving, serving, caring, helping, and training so that all parents might be the spiritual leaders and influencers that their children so desperately need.

As children’s and family leaders, we talk a whole lot about parents as the primary spiritual influencers, and occasionally we complain about parents who don’t recognize and embrace their role. As the church, we so deeply desire coming alongside parents providing training and encouragement for the long road of parenthood ahead.

But, my observation has been that this practically only applies to traditional two-parent-mom-and-dad families. Most conferences I attend, books I read, churches I observe, and conversations I have include parent training aimed at these types of families. My hope is that we’d include all types of families in order that all types of children would grow in their faith and become lifetime followers of Jesus.

Something to keep in mind: When a gay family steps into any of our churches, it’s a risk. And when that family is open about who they are, it’s an even bigger risk. Yet, when they do, and when they ask for our help in raising their children, I think, it highlights their commitment and strong desire to raise faith-filled Godly children.

Let’s listen. Let’s ask questions and listen to each family’s answers. What has their story been thus far, both in life and in faith? What are their dreams for their children? How can the church help accomplish the family’s dreams?

And then let’s serve. Let’s do our best to encourage and empower parents so that regardless of their journey thus far, they are strong and able to raise spiritually strong children.

It’s time. Time for us to be mindful as we live out our calling to the fullest, and to serve families in the church for the sake of spiritual growth for all children.

Read more from Amy on her blog or follow @adolan on Twitter.

OMC Game: Bring Camp Fun to Your Church

Tony Kummer — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:00:01 +0000

Tonight we played the OMC game to mark the end of our Spring session of kids ministry programs. It was a blast, even with only 30 children playing.

OMC stands for Organized Mass Choas. It’s a game developed by the CentriKid camps and published by LifeWay. Here’s how it works:

Set everything up in a large outdoor space. You’ll need water balloons, pool noodles, shaving cream, and other random outside items.
Divide the kids into any number of teams.
Each child draws a task card. Often these require silly or messy activities. When they complete it they get another.
When the time is complete, the team with the most completed cards wins.

The whole system of the game is brilliant. We’ve played it at camp several times, but this was our first attempt to bring the fun back to our regular church group. I’ve had a free copy from LifeWay waiting for this end-of-year field day.

The starter kit form LifeWay includes printable directions, a shopping list, and DVD with directions. You also get several hundreds of the game cards. With just about an hour of planning, I was able to create an insanely fun experience for our children’s ministry.

This would be a perfect “old-clothes” day activity for VBS. The larger your group the better, but I think it could work with groups as small as 10. But that might require you to remove task cards that involve multiple players.

You can read more about the game on the CentriKid blog. If you’ve ever tried it, we would love to hear your reaction too. Just leave a comment below.

What Do Kids Really Think About Your Ministry?

Mimi Bullock — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:25 +0000

A few years ago, I was asked a question that radically changed the way I operated my children’s ministry. (Nothing like a change of perspective to adjust your viewpoint, just look at Ezekiel; I’m thankful that at least, God didn’t have to tug me by the hair to get my attention.)

A kids’ ministry conference speaker asked the gathered teachers a question: “What do kids think about your children’s ministry?” Some of us laughed nervously, others looked puzzled. The question seemed simple but I honestly didn’t know. I promised myself to find out.

I knew what I wanted kids to think about the ministry – and me. I wanted them to know I loved them, that God loved them and that living for Him was a wonderful lifetime experience. Seemed simple enough. I tested the waters by making a special collection box and placed it in the welcome area in the kids’ church. I asked children to tell me what they thought about their kids’ church by writing me anonymous notes.

Here’s what I heard:

“I like the snacks. I like the games too. Sometimes I want to play games but my teacher won’t let me.”
“I wish I knew how to pray better. I like children’s church. I like the music.”

I found those answers revealing. They seemed okay but then I read these:

“I don’t understand sometimes but my teacher is nice. I really like the pictures she shows us.”
“I wish we had more crafts and stuff. I like making things.”
“My friend won’t come back because he thinks church is stupid. He thinks I’m stupid too.”

WOW! Next as the speaker suggested, I took a walk around kids’ church. Instead of thinking like an adult, I tried to imagine having a kids’ perspective. My friendly kids’ church was not completely kid-friendly.

Posters and decorations were too high on the wall. No kid could comfortably see them. Over time, kids ignore rules posters unless you moved them around.
My room needed color – and a decorating upgrade! It was time to paint over Bugs Bunny and change a few things.
It wasn’t easy to navigate. First timers felt overwhelmed for a reason, there was no clear direction for them to follow. We had a welcome area, game area, teaching area and lots of extra spots but first time visitors might find all these confusing. I needed clear signs.

Next, I reviewed the kids’ written comments. I added instructions to our prayer time roster. I enlisted help gathering ideas for crafts. I dealt with the peer pressure some of my kids felt by bringing them the Word. (“Only a fool says in his heart that there is no God.”)

As a kids’ ministry leader, it is our responsibility to think like a kid. Working the daily or weekly ministry grind can make you forget who you are trying to reach. Thinking like a kid, learning what kids really think about my children’s church helped me become a better teacher. I suggest everyone give it a try. It could change everything!

Lesson: Paul’s Life Well Lived (Acts 18-28)

Kelly Henderson — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:12:40 +0000

The following lesson is a review of Paul’s ministry from Acts 18-28. The students will have an opportunity to remember the many ways Paul, empowered by the Holy Spirit, faithfully served Jesus in each circumstance he faced as he shared the Good News.

The lesson was prepared for older students and can be adapted. The following is only a suggested guide to help your class review Acts 18-28. Click here to see all the lessons in this curriculum series.

Bible Story: Paul’s Life Well Lived
Scripture: Acts 18-28
Target Age Group: Age 9 – 11 (U.S. 3rd – 5th Grade)
Learning Context: Sunday School
Target Time Frame: 60 minutes
Printer Friendly Bible Lesson: Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. this lesson plan
You Can Help: Please share your feedback and suggestions to improve this children’s Bible lesson. Click here to respond

Supply List: Bibles, butcher paper, crayons, markers, blank index cards for activity #2

Learning Goal: Students will learn that Paul’s life models a life that was well lived as a follower of Jesus. A life well lived for Jesus will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Learning Activity #1: As students arrive direct them to butcher paper (taped to the top of a table if possible) and have them choose a scene from Acts 18-28 that is one of their favorite. They can write their favorite memory verse along with their picture if they want.

Learning Activity #2: Ask the students to call out different events from the life of Paul. For each, write a few words (or sketch a picture) on a blank index card. Once you have about 10, have the children arrange the pictures that represent Paul’s journey from Acts 18-28 in proper chronological order. They should check their work using the book of Acts.

Optional Coloring Sheet: Download and print our free coloring story cards about the conversion of Paul on the road to Damascus.

Test: Review Questions

Memory Verse: Matthew 25:21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”

Bible Lesson: Paul’s Life Well Lived

Our lesson today is an overview of Paul’s life from Acts 18-28. (Choose volunteers to read the following selected verses or have a sword drill type activity allowing students to race to get to the passage first.)

Philippians 3:12-14 “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Does anyone want to take a guess the author of the book of Philippians is? (Paul) Can you guess where he wrote this book? (While under house arrest in Rome)

2 Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.”

Act Out Review Scenes

We have been journeying through Acts and have witnessed Paul’s life as a follower of Christ. His life has been an example for all believers to model. He was empowered with the Holy Spirit and enabled to do all God asked him to do. As a way to end our journey with Paul we will play charades with different scenes of his third missionary journey and trip to Rome.

(Have scenes already written on slips of paper for students to pick and act out for the class. If possible let the students choose a scene when they arrive so they can familiarize themselves from the Scripture passage to help them act out the scene when it’s their turn. Some scenes may need choosing some other students to help.)

Suggested scenes:

Paul making tents with Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:2-3)
Seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-16)
Riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41)
Paul raises Eutychus from the dead (Acts 20:8-10)
Agabus prophesies about Paul being arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 21:10)
Paul is arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 21:27-34)
40 Jews plan to secretly kill Paul but his nephew overhears their plan and tells Paul (Acts 23:12-22)
Paul’s trial before King Agrippa and Bernice (Acts 26)
Paul’s shipwreck (Acts 27)
Paul bit by viper at Malta (Acts 28:2-6)
Paul preaches while under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30-31)

Group Discussion

It has been fun to learn about Paul together. From what we have learned about Paul what would he want us to do with what we have learned? Obey the Lord Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to control you and empower your life as you follow Jesus.

What one thing have you learned from Paul’s life that you are putting into practice in your life as you follow Jesus? (Allow students to share)

Close in prayer.