Salvation Sundays in Kids Church

Teaching salvation to children is usually a first priority when you begin leading a children’s ministry but over time the desire to lead kids to the cross can get pushed to the back burner. We want to “keep it interesting” and opt for relevant lessons to help children deal with common problems or life situations. (Those are all honorable ideas, by the way. ) At least, this was the case with me. Somehow, teaching salvation to my group became a second priority. Since I regularly have the same core group in attendance, I thought, “They’ve heard this all before.”
Fortunately, a mentor of mine mentioned how successful “Salvation Sundays” were in their ministry. Her excitement caused me to question my current curriculum. I adopted a few of her ideas and made them my own. Now, each month, the last Sunday of the month is dedicated to teaching children about salvation through Jesus Christ. We end the service with an altar call and welcome kids to make Christ their Savior. It’s been stupendous! Perhaps these ideas will work for you too.
Salvation Object Lesson: You’ll need two foam blank poster boards and markers for this demonstration. You may also need an easel to display the boards. Draw a giant heart in the center of each board. Talk to the class about how sin stains your heart. Write some sins inside the heart, like lying, stealing or cheating. Don’t get too specific on sins (that can become a conversational can of worms) but do fill up the heart. Explain to kids that like a permanent marker, sin doesn’t just wipe away. It’s there for good unless you accept Jesus as your Savior. Only he can erase sin. Finish this object lesson by removing the scribbled, colored heart and replacing it with the blank one. ask kids which heart they would like to have.
Heart Stickers: Send all kids home with a heart sticker on their hand or shirt. Encourage them to talk to parents and friends about getting a new heart with Jesus!
Read Salvation Verses: Write down several verses about salvation on a sheet of paper. Invite volunteers to come forward and read the verses aloud. Remember faith comes by hearing the Word of God.
These are just a few ideas mean to get you started thinking about teaching salvation to your children. Of course, this doesn’t mean you are limited when you should teach salvation. It’s just a good idea to dedicate at least one Sunday a month to this important foundation of our faith.