I just caught this video on YouTube from John Piper about Bible teaching with non-literate people groups. I think the topic has a strong connection to children’s ministry and how we relate God’s Word to younger children who haven’t learned to read yet.
Dr. Piper goes into many details related to missions work, but there is an obvious connections with kids ministry. It reminded me of the importance of story telling as a mode of teaching kids. When children internalize the Gospel stories, they are equipped to tell their peers about Jesus. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section.
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I completely agree with him. I teach Kindergarten, most of my students are pre-literate when they come to me. I use lots and lots of visuals, acting out, props, realia etc… You make the Word of God come alive to them in order for them to grasp the message. How did Jesus teach? He used language and stories that the people of His time could relate to, he kept them engaged and drew on their previous knowledge.
Thank God that children are born from their infancy so that they are trained by their parents and teachers in order to grow up and morally sound (Proverbs 22:6).
Why children ministry is so important in the Lord’s Church? In my opinion, it gives the children sharp brain to know how to live a good moral life and better life in Christ as Christians. Children who are taught without knowing how to read and write learn from their parents and teachers at home, school churches, and other recreational centers. Kids who can’t read are taught by their teachers with aids and teaching materials. Such as Bible story books with illustrations, pictures, toys, VCD, TVs and others.
I was called in children ministry for the past nineteen years. I spent almost three years in the kid’s class. I was then postponed by my Church Leaders to Intermediate class. Since then I have been there till date. I have gained a lot of experiences in children ministry. Just because I could see it was a call of the Lord. There are also a lot of blessings in children ministry when one devotes his or her time for it. I therefore encourage any newly Sundays School Teachers to work hard in the children ministry and shouldn’t expect reward from any human but rather from God.