Children are not only the church of tomorrow, they are a vital part of the church today. It’s so important to minister to children, but sometimes we forget that kids can also serve others. This lesson plan will help children understand how they are gifted by God and placed in a church for their role–just like grown up believers. Don’t miss the other lessons in this series, “Tough Questions Kids Ask.”
TARGET AGES: 10-14
OBJECTIVE: To help students understand they have a role in church and give them the knowledge they need to explore and fulfill their role.
MAIN IDEA: God has given every Christian the ability to fulfill a role and serve within their church.
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES: Ephesians 6:13-18 (review), 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 & 26, Romans 12:3-8, Colossians 3:23-24, 2 Peter 1:10-11
MATERIAL(S): Index cards
Introduction (5 minutes)
OPENING PRAYER: “God, please open our hearts today as we explore how you want us to serve and fulfill our roles in the church. Amen.”
PREVIOUS LESSON REVIEW: Remind students that we previously learned about trusting God when bad things happen. Also, we can choose to have the right responses to bad situations even when they are undeserved and unexpected. Ask, “Did anything bad happen this week? Do you think God was pleased with your reaction?” Allow time for the class to discuss. Emphasize that when we put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-18) we will be more prepared to deal with bad situations.
Lesson (15 minutes)
- Say, “Have you ever stubbed your toe? How did it affect your whole body? The bible tells us that we are like parts of the body – when one part (person) doesn’t do its job, the rest of the body is affected.” Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 & 26. Encourage students to focus on how they need to contribute to the body of Christ instead of focusing on others’ contributions or being served.
- Comment, “So, how do we figure out what God is calling us to do to serve?” Allow time for comments and discussion. Remind students that they need to first be growing in their individual relationships to Christ through daily prayer, bible reading, and scripture memorization to effectively go forward with evaluating their role. Read Romans 12:3-8. Emphasize that a good indicator of a possible role is to evaluate individual talents and strengths. Ask each student, “What is something you are good at and enjoy doing?” With each response, provide practical ways God could use the student as a servant within the church. Also, encourage students as they may feel they’re too young to have a role in the church (praying and helping others is something that everyone can do).
- Say, “Once we know our roles, we are to work hard and persevere through our roles.” Read Colossians 3:23-24 and 2 Peter 1:10-11. Ask, “So why should we work hard (because we serve Christ, not others)?” Explain that even though our roles may change throughout our lives, we still need to remember that we do it for Christ (and not for praise or success).
- Provide a list of roles within the church that could be filled by the students. Ask, “Do any of these opportunities interest you? What other roles could we add?” Encourage students to continue seeking the Lord concerning their role in the church until they are confident of their calling. Also, tell them it’s okay to “explore” possible callings by working alongside other Christians who are eager to help them discover their role.
Conclusion (5 minutes)
RECAP: Comment, “We are all important and have a role of service within our church. Seek the Lord, read his word, and actively pray for God to reveal your unique role.”
CLOSING PRAYER: “Lord, give us strength as we fulfill our roles in the church. Through your guidance, we know you will sustain us and give us joy in our callings. Amen.”
Activity (20 minutes)
GUESSING GAME: Prepare 20 index cards each with a written occupation, job, or role (suggestions include: doctor, teacher, pastor, musician, sibling, etc). Give the students hints so they can try to guess the content of each card (give harder hints for older students). Students raise their hands to guess, but are out for the round if they are wrong. The student who correctly guesses each answer receives one point. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins! Consider bringing a small prize for the winner.
More Ministry Ideas:
- Serving Others Program Idea for Kids
- 4 Ways to Mentor Kids for Leading in Ministry
- 6 Tips for Letting Kids Lead Worship
You could even use this lesson on younger kids, too.
As a technology teacher of students from Pre-K all of the way through the 12th Grade, I’m amazed at how smart kids are at an early age. Many people will read the title of this post and think, “Man, that subject will be way over their heads!” but not necessarily. They are very sophisticated an an early age.
As a matter of fact, I have found that teaching young students is far more easier than teaching high school aged students because they are so eager to learn things.
Actually, asking a question like the one you posed above, “What is something you are good at and enjoy doing?” will get a flood of great answers.
Many times, they are so innocent and funny, you’ll be laughing for days! ( Of course, I always refrain from laughing when the students are around, but sometimes they are so priceless in their responses I can’t help it.)
Anyway, thanks for sharing, this is a great lesson to use and you’ve done an awesome job detailing it for us.
God Bless,
Mark Elmo Ellis
Hello, Ministry to Children Team
This is wonderful lesson, you have been always making my children Ministry in my Church so interesting, and i real thank God for your website. Keep moving
Hilda
From SUA-CCT
Morogoro- Tanzania