Our little church has hit crisis mode. Our elementary children’s department now has one regular attender. The preschool class is in the same shape. It’s become a vicious circle. Teachers are frustrated because there are no children and families with children don’t want to come because we have no program. To make us feel more despondent the experts tell us that children’s ministry is the heartbeat of any congregation. Without a children’s ministry, our church will die. Is there any hope for us?
Rick Chromey, in his book, “Energizing Children’s Ministry in the Small Church” gives some answers that greatly assure me. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
1. Small is good. Small churches who live in the shadow of mega-churches have often felt inferior, unimportant, and guilty. But, according to Chromey, small churches have some advantages. Teachers can relate to kids more because there aren’t so many children to keep track of. Small churches can be more innovative and sometimes impulsive. It’s easier to change a program if it isn’t working in a small church. The smaller church can get kids involved in leadership roles sooner, such as passing offering plates, playing an instrument in the praise band or taking attendance. So true! I got my start in music by playing the piano for junior church. I was playing for worship service by age fifteen. In our church, an awkward 17 year old boy, is the official attendance counter, a perfect job for him. Small can be good!
2. Small doesn’t mean traditional. There are many small churches out there that are dynamic, growing, ministering, caring for their community. Is your church small because it’s holding too tightly to traditions from the past? Or is it small because of community dynamics? A small church needs to change its way of thinking not because “that’s how mega-churches do things” but because our world is changing. If we’re going to reach our kids for Jesus, we need to present a program that is relevant to them, not stuck in the 1950’s.
3. It only takes a spark. Small churches often suffer from a defeatist syndrome. I’ve heard the rhetorical statement this week, “But what can we do?” Jesus turned the world upside down with 12 men. One Sunday School teacher had a tremendous impact on one student who led thousands to Christ – Dwight L. Moody. Jesus used the parable of the mustard seed to show the impact one little seed can have. Chromey uses the example of one spark from a car that can set dry underbrush ablaze and explode into a raging forest fire.
That’s what I’m trying to be right now. Just that one spark. God has given me a handful of teachers and a couple of students to whom I’m trying to be faithful in encouraging and teaching. One little spark. That’s all it takes.
What about you?
Monday, September 08, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Sunday School Teaching Methods: Let Them Become the Teachers
I tried something different in my high school Sunday School class today. Each week, the curriculum I’m using has a two page handout of questions from the text that I’m supposed to have the students answer in small groups. This hasn’t been working for my group of kids where I have everyone from slow learning eighth graders to college bound honor students.
The questions range from direct-from-the-Bible answers, to deep analytic questions about the Bible that require more knowledge than the text in front of them, to open ended questions anyone can answer. To handle the diversity, I’ve sometimes told the kids to pick five questions to answer in the next ten minutes, then we go over everything.
Today, I assigned each student one question each: Justin, you take number one, Robert, you’re number two, Jake, you and your first-time-here friend take number three. I gave the group five minutes to answer their own question. Then I told them, they were to read the question out loud and lead everyone in discovering the answer. Several good things happened from this approach:
1. Everyone participated, even if it was nothing more than reading a question.
2. If certain kids didn’t want to bother answering the question on their own, they still had to read the question aloud and get others to answer.
3. I got through the material a lot quicker. Surprise to me.
4. More students than usual talked and answered questions. Another surprise.
5. I’m mentoring students to become teachers. I’m teaching them how to teach, to lead.
6. Everyone went away feeling important because for one moment, they got to be in charge.
The downside? I talked too much. I had told the kids to draw out the question, to comment on the comments given, to lead the discussion, that if someone gave an incomplete answer to keep asking until they got a complete answer. I kept interrupting and making comments and taking over the discussion. One student caught me on it and told me I was doing her job. As my tag says at the top, as a teacher, I’m still learning too.
The questions range from direct-from-the-Bible answers, to deep analytic questions about the Bible that require more knowledge than the text in front of them, to open ended questions anyone can answer. To handle the diversity, I’ve sometimes told the kids to pick five questions to answer in the next ten minutes, then we go over everything.
Today, I assigned each student one question each: Justin, you take number one, Robert, you’re number two, Jake, you and your first-time-here friend take number three. I gave the group five minutes to answer their own question. Then I told them, they were to read the question out loud and lead everyone in discovering the answer. Several good things happened from this approach:
1. Everyone participated, even if it was nothing more than reading a question.
2. If certain kids didn’t want to bother answering the question on their own, they still had to read the question aloud and get others to answer.
3. I got through the material a lot quicker. Surprise to me.
4. More students than usual talked and answered questions. Another surprise.
5. I’m mentoring students to become teachers. I’m teaching them how to teach, to lead.
6. Everyone went away feeling important because for one moment, they got to be in charge.
The downside? I talked too much. I had told the kids to draw out the question, to comment on the comments given, to lead the discussion, that if someone gave an incomplete answer to keep asking until they got a complete answer. I kept interrupting and making comments and taking over the discussion. One student caught me on it and told me I was doing her job. As my tag says at the top, as a teacher, I’m still learning too.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Building Your Children's Ministry from Ground Zero
“What can we do?” The question seemed filled with hopelessness. The congregation was caught in a vicious cycle. No kids caused church leadership to cancel Junior church for the summer. Because there was no junior church, what kids did attend stopped coming. The leadership knew the church needed families with children to make the church grow but what can a church do when there are no kids and there are no teachers.
If your church is at this point, don’t despair. God wants your church to grow. He cares deeply about the children you want to reach, even more than you do. Your situation is not hopeless. If your church is lacking in families of children, here are three things your church can do to get your children’s ministry up and running again.
1. PRAY: Churches who have experienced exponential growth and revival say the first step toward revival was a commitment to prayer. Pray humbly. Pray expectantly. Pray with each other. Pray for the children. Ask God what He would have each of you do. Prayer is the first step.
2. PREPARE: Once you pray, your doors are not going to burst open with zillions of kids. You aren’t ready yet. Your congregation will need to work together to get ready for the influx of children God is going to send you. Examine your facilities. How can you update and remodel the children’s area? How can you do it in such a way that it shouts to visitors, “Children are important to us!” Choose your curriculum carefully. Plan your programs. Determine your target audience. Reach out to the children in your community. Ask, ”How can we serve the children? “ Meet them on their turf and begin building relationships with them. Plan events that will draw children to you such as carnivals, bike inspections and maintenance or a Pumpkin Patch party in October.
3. PROTECT: If you are going to reach the children in your community, children’s ministry needs to become the number one focus of your congregation. It’s a congregational effort that needs to start from the top down. Everyone, the pastor, the elders, the church board, need to be enthusiastically willing to support the building of the children’s ministry. The church budget needs to reflect that commitment. The mi9nister’s sermons need to be laced with an emphasis on outreach to children. Teachers need to be trained and the congregation needs to be willing to pay for them to be trained. Teachers need to be encouraged, appreciated and supported; otherwise, they’ll burn out. A congregation needs to put a structure into the program that protects the children that come, protects them from harm, from bullying, from ridicule, from predators. Form a task force that will determine ways your church will become a sanctuary for children. Protect your program by not allowing nay Sayers to hold sway over public opinion. When the person in the pew criticizes certain programs or the money spent on the programs, the church leadership needs to have the courage to forge on ahead anyway, to gently say, “This is the path the leadership of the church has chosen to take.”
How big is your God? He owns a cattle on a thousand hills. He can make your children’s ministry program grow. Seek him. Seek his ways. Trust him. Be willing to do what He asks you to do. When you do, you will see your program grow. It won’t happen overnight. But it will happen. Stay faithful and you will find Him faithful as well.
If your church is at this point, don’t despair. God wants your church to grow. He cares deeply about the children you want to reach, even more than you do. Your situation is not hopeless. If your church is lacking in families of children, here are three things your church can do to get your children’s ministry up and running again.
1. PRAY: Churches who have experienced exponential growth and revival say the first step toward revival was a commitment to prayer. Pray humbly. Pray expectantly. Pray with each other. Pray for the children. Ask God what He would have each of you do. Prayer is the first step.
2. PREPARE: Once you pray, your doors are not going to burst open with zillions of kids. You aren’t ready yet. Your congregation will need to work together to get ready for the influx of children God is going to send you. Examine your facilities. How can you update and remodel the children’s area? How can you do it in such a way that it shouts to visitors, “Children are important to us!” Choose your curriculum carefully. Plan your programs. Determine your target audience. Reach out to the children in your community. Ask, ”How can we serve the children? “ Meet them on their turf and begin building relationships with them. Plan events that will draw children to you such as carnivals, bike inspections and maintenance or a Pumpkin Patch party in October.
3. PROTECT: If you are going to reach the children in your community, children’s ministry needs to become the number one focus of your congregation. It’s a congregational effort that needs to start from the top down. Everyone, the pastor, the elders, the church board, need to be enthusiastically willing to support the building of the children’s ministry. The church budget needs to reflect that commitment. The mi9nister’s sermons need to be laced with an emphasis on outreach to children. Teachers need to be trained and the congregation needs to be willing to pay for them to be trained. Teachers need to be encouraged, appreciated and supported; otherwise, they’ll burn out. A congregation needs to put a structure into the program that protects the children that come, protects them from harm, from bullying, from ridicule, from predators. Form a task force that will determine ways your church will become a sanctuary for children. Protect your program by not allowing nay Sayers to hold sway over public opinion. When the person in the pew criticizes certain programs or the money spent on the programs, the church leadership needs to have the courage to forge on ahead anyway, to gently say, “This is the path the leadership of the church has chosen to take.”
How big is your God? He owns a cattle on a thousand hills. He can make your children’s ministry program grow. Seek him. Seek his ways. Trust him. Be willing to do what He asks you to do. When you do, you will see your program grow. It won’t happen overnight. But it will happen. Stay faithful and you will find Him faithful as well.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Instant Bible Lessons: Are They a Good Trend?
A recent curriculum trend in children’s ministry has been an influx of the “quick” lesson, lessons or activities within lessons that take little preparation, few resources and are simple to carry out Inside the Classroom. I’m not sure, but I believe Standard Publishing started the trend with their trademarked Quick Step. Each section of a Sunday School or VBS lesson contains one of these simple glance-and-do activities. A teacher who had too busy of a Saturday or a substitute teacher called Sunday morning 45 minutes before start of Sunday school could grab the teacher’s guide from the superintendent, make necessary copies and be good to go.
Other companies have also produced the Instant Lesson format. Rainbow Publishers has promoted several series in this genre: Instant Bible Lessons and Five Minute Sunday School Activities, for example. David C. Cook and GospelLight have also added to the easy-to-prepare venue.
Critics of this approach wonder if kids are really getting the gospel message. In our attempts to make life easy and teaching attractive to busy teachers, are we watering down the bible lesson? From the looks of the short, simple lessons, this would appear so on the surface. Like anything in our lives though, you can’t reach a generalized judgment. Evaluate each curriculum on its own merit rather than judging this paradigm shift as a whole. From what I see, some lessons are simplified in order to save time. There are certain situations where this is needed and important. Other material, like Standard’s Quick Step, sacrifice nothing in bible content, the Quick steps merely give alternative activities that meet the same goals.
I like the concept the promotion video on the Kidmo site presents. This curriculum is a media driven ministry. Everything a teacher needs is provided in the video and require minimum prep time. Kidmo states the motivation of this approach– so teachers can spend more time relating to their students instead of spending excessive amounts of time in lesson preparation.
This concept of relational teaching has totally revolutionized my teaching style. I’ll have more to say about this in my next post. However, I have spent hours and I’ve seen others spend hours cutting out crafts, preparing activities, gathering resources, creating environments, spending so much time and energy that we begin to lose the purpose of why we are even teaching. Instant lessons and curriculum in a box teaching materials do allow teachers to focus on what is really important – connecting with the children Inside the Classroom so children will get to know the teacher personally and see Jesus through the teacher’s life.
So, don’t be skeptical of the Instant Lesson trend. As with any material, check it thoroughly for Biblical soundness and thoroughness, then breath a sigh of relief that you have some extra time to do even more important things for the Kingdom of God.
Other companies have also produced the Instant Lesson format. Rainbow Publishers has promoted several series in this genre: Instant Bible Lessons and Five Minute Sunday School Activities, for example. David C. Cook and GospelLight have also added to the easy-to-prepare venue.
Critics of this approach wonder if kids are really getting the gospel message. In our attempts to make life easy and teaching attractive to busy teachers, are we watering down the bible lesson? From the looks of the short, simple lessons, this would appear so on the surface. Like anything in our lives though, you can’t reach a generalized judgment. Evaluate each curriculum on its own merit rather than judging this paradigm shift as a whole. From what I see, some lessons are simplified in order to save time. There are certain situations where this is needed and important. Other material, like Standard’s Quick Step, sacrifice nothing in bible content, the Quick steps merely give alternative activities that meet the same goals.
I like the concept the promotion video on the Kidmo site presents. This curriculum is a media driven ministry. Everything a teacher needs is provided in the video and require minimum prep time. Kidmo states the motivation of this approach– so teachers can spend more time relating to their students instead of spending excessive amounts of time in lesson preparation.
This concept of relational teaching has totally revolutionized my teaching style. I’ll have more to say about this in my next post. However, I have spent hours and I’ve seen others spend hours cutting out crafts, preparing activities, gathering resources, creating environments, spending so much time and energy that we begin to lose the purpose of why we are even teaching. Instant lessons and curriculum in a box teaching materials do allow teachers to focus on what is really important – connecting with the children Inside the Classroom so children will get to know the teacher personally and see Jesus through the teacher’s life.
So, don’t be skeptical of the Instant Lesson trend. As with any material, check it thoroughly for Biblical soundness and thoroughness, then breath a sigh of relief that you have some extra time to do even more important things for the Kingdom of God.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
VBS Leadership
The summer is almost over and so are most VBS programs. Now it’s time to evaluate. How did your week go? Do you feel you were effective in sharing the wonderful stories about Jesus with the children? Do you think you want to teach in VBS again next year?
Here’s a question you won’t find on your evaluation sheet. How was your relationship with your VBS director?
I hope your VBS director was wonderful – organized, warm, supportive, godly, open to new ideas but willing to make the tough decisions. I hope your VBS director had a firm grasp of what was important – sharing the gospel message with children your church hasn’t been able to otherwise reach. I hope your VBS director had a good balance of fun activities that were solidly linked to Bible based concepts.
Yet, let’s face it, VBS directors, like VBS workers, are human like the rest of us and have their foibles too. And sometimes, people are asked to be leaders who, shall we say, just aren’t quite ready for that leadership position. I know, we’re Christians, and we have a distinct distaste for sounding critical. The truth is, some of you out there may not have had the best of experiences with VBS this year. Because of an inept director. Perhaps your director was a procrastinator, who got your material to you virtually last minute and didn’t publicize the program until the day before. Maybe your director was bossy and closed minded to any ideas but his/her own. Maybe you disagreed with his choice of a mission or you thought there was too much emphasis on fun and games rather than the Bible message. Finally, maybe you squirmed with the content of the curriculum.
I understand. I’ve been there. And it’s tough. VBS is exhausting enough without the struggle of working under less than ideal circumstances. How can you do your best when you feel like the program is in shambles around you?
Life is always like that, though. We’ll never have perfect conditions in which we work. We’ll always need to do our best under the current circumstances. So how can you do your best when the rest is not the best?
1. Focus on your job. My job for the week of VBS was to be the storyteller. My job was not the missions or the games or anything else. I could have wasted a lot of energy thinking about the rest of the program. Instead I channeled my energy into being the best story teller I could be.
2. Focus on the children. VBS is about relationships. Kids won’t remember the stories you told but they’ll remember you. This was a stretch for me because I’m not good at small talk and I’m terrible at remembering names. But each day, I arrived at VBS early and hung around the kids, talking to them. I think it paid off. Ever since VBS, kids will see me in the store or on the street and greet me. Last night I had a group of five children surrounding me, talking to me and petting my dog. God was giving me more opportunities to reach out to these kids.
3. Focus on what is right. Your primary job is to teach the Word of God. You may need to buck the system if it runs counter to the gospel message. I was told to serve snack while I told the Bible stories. I value the Word of God too much to relegate it to a movie theatre mentality. So I told my story first, then served snack. Later in the week, I overheard the director telling a teacher that that was my practice. She was supporting me in my decision.
4. Focus on gentleness: Pray for the director. Greet her warmly each day. Ask how her day is going. Ask how you can help. Be encouraging and tell her about the parts that are going well. Speak well of him to others. Directing is a tough job. There may be extenuating circumstances for a lack of disorganization. A bossy attitude may be a cover up for a lot of insecurities. Your director is learning to direct just as you are learning to be a better VBS worker. Give ‘em some slack.
5. Focus on the bigger picture: If there truly is a problem with the director, take your concerns to the right people. Do not gossip about it with other workers. Don’t decide “I just won’t help next year.” Have the courage to take the issues to your church leadership such as the Christian education director, elders or pastor. If they do nothing, then continue to be supportive and to work hard, doing your job. Keep praying. God knows the situation and He will resolve it in His timeframe.
I think of the faithful people in the Bible who lived and worked under inept leadership. Remember Obadiah, the servant of King Ahab? Ahab was as bad a leader as they get, but Obadiah remained faithful to the Lord, even hiding the prophets of God from Ahab’s wrath (I Kings 18). I hope a church program is never that bad for you but the message from Obadiah is clear. Don’t give up. Just because one leader does not serve well does not give you an escape clause. You keep being faithful. You keep praying. You keep doing the job God has given you to do.
“”Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know labor in the Lord is not in vain (I Corinthians 15:58).”
Here’s a question you won’t find on your evaluation sheet. How was your relationship with your VBS director?
I hope your VBS director was wonderful – organized, warm, supportive, godly, open to new ideas but willing to make the tough decisions. I hope your VBS director had a firm grasp of what was important – sharing the gospel message with children your church hasn’t been able to otherwise reach. I hope your VBS director had a good balance of fun activities that were solidly linked to Bible based concepts.
Yet, let’s face it, VBS directors, like VBS workers, are human like the rest of us and have their foibles too. And sometimes, people are asked to be leaders who, shall we say, just aren’t quite ready for that leadership position. I know, we’re Christians, and we have a distinct distaste for sounding critical. The truth is, some of you out there may not have had the best of experiences with VBS this year. Because of an inept director. Perhaps your director was a procrastinator, who got your material to you virtually last minute and didn’t publicize the program until the day before. Maybe your director was bossy and closed minded to any ideas but his/her own. Maybe you disagreed with his choice of a mission or you thought there was too much emphasis on fun and games rather than the Bible message. Finally, maybe you squirmed with the content of the curriculum.
I understand. I’ve been there. And it’s tough. VBS is exhausting enough without the struggle of working under less than ideal circumstances. How can you do your best when you feel like the program is in shambles around you?
Life is always like that, though. We’ll never have perfect conditions in which we work. We’ll always need to do our best under the current circumstances. So how can you do your best when the rest is not the best?
1. Focus on your job. My job for the week of VBS was to be the storyteller. My job was not the missions or the games or anything else. I could have wasted a lot of energy thinking about the rest of the program. Instead I channeled my energy into being the best story teller I could be.
2. Focus on the children. VBS is about relationships. Kids won’t remember the stories you told but they’ll remember you. This was a stretch for me because I’m not good at small talk and I’m terrible at remembering names. But each day, I arrived at VBS early and hung around the kids, talking to them. I think it paid off. Ever since VBS, kids will see me in the store or on the street and greet me. Last night I had a group of five children surrounding me, talking to me and petting my dog. God was giving me more opportunities to reach out to these kids.
3. Focus on what is right. Your primary job is to teach the Word of God. You may need to buck the system if it runs counter to the gospel message. I was told to serve snack while I told the Bible stories. I value the Word of God too much to relegate it to a movie theatre mentality. So I told my story first, then served snack. Later in the week, I overheard the director telling a teacher that that was my practice. She was supporting me in my decision.
4. Focus on gentleness: Pray for the director. Greet her warmly each day. Ask how her day is going. Ask how you can help. Be encouraging and tell her about the parts that are going well. Speak well of him to others. Directing is a tough job. There may be extenuating circumstances for a lack of disorganization. A bossy attitude may be a cover up for a lot of insecurities. Your director is learning to direct just as you are learning to be a better VBS worker. Give ‘em some slack.
5. Focus on the bigger picture: If there truly is a problem with the director, take your concerns to the right people. Do not gossip about it with other workers. Don’t decide “I just won’t help next year.” Have the courage to take the issues to your church leadership such as the Christian education director, elders or pastor. If they do nothing, then continue to be supportive and to work hard, doing your job. Keep praying. God knows the situation and He will resolve it in His timeframe.
I think of the faithful people in the Bible who lived and worked under inept leadership. Remember Obadiah, the servant of King Ahab? Ahab was as bad a leader as they get, but Obadiah remained faithful to the Lord, even hiding the prophets of God from Ahab’s wrath (I Kings 18). I hope a church program is never that bad for you but the message from Obadiah is clear. Don’t give up. Just because one leader does not serve well does not give you an escape clause. You keep being faithful. You keep praying. You keep doing the job God has given you to do.
“”Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know labor in the Lord is not in vain (I Corinthians 15:58).”
Monday, August 04, 2008
All Church Curriculum: Everyone on The Same Page, Part 2
Should all ages at your church study the same lesson every week? In my last post (scroll down to read more), I discussed the drawbacks to writing your own curriculum so everyone studies the same thing. I alluded to the idea that for short term topics, this approach might actually work very well. Let’s look at three possibilities.
VBS: Most VBS materials include material for teens and adults as well as for children. Once a year, your church can envelop itself in a common theme. Many of the VBS curricula lend themselves well to a decorating theme so imagine your entire church being cocooned in a theme of service, friendship or a close examination of the life of Joseph. Having everyone study the same lessons can bring a spirit of closeness, unity and enthusiasm to your entire church. Standard’s Big Backyard theme this year lent itself so well to this concept. Can you imagine your entire church involved in a service project at the end of VBS? Grandmas working next to grandchildren on a common goal? It could be so exciting!
Not possible, you are thinking. We need our adults and teens to help in VBS. We can’t spare them to go to a class of their own. Consider this. Last year, I taught the five lessons of VBS to my high school Sunday School class for the five weeks previous to VBS. It helped prepare the teens involved to serve and to know what was going to be taught. I encourage those not involved to pray for the others; in fact, the final week, we held a prayer circle for the teen workers. Your pastor or an elder could teach a class of the senior adults while VBS is in session. You could even give them a break to scatter and help with snacks, crafts or to go watch the games so they are involved and are seen by the kids.
40 Days of Prayer: A church in Cincinnati Oh, involved his entire church in an emphasis on prayer. Sermons were on prayer. Sunday School classes were on prayer. The church unified to pray on certain topics. Everybody for six weeks was immersed in the topic of prayer. The pastor told me that for some, this revolutionized their prayer life. So prayer and service are two great topics that would appeal to everyone in your congregation. I can think of another one.
Outreach: Dave Ping, executive director of Equipping Ministries has written an all church curriculum called Outflow, published by Group. The material includes packets for sermons, small groups, children’s ministry and youth ministry. There’s also a church wide campaign kit. I find this program so exciting. While I have not yet used it, I think it would be totally cool to involve everyone in outreach at the same time. That’s something families could take home and work together on. Enthusiasm would be contagious as the different age groups watch each other reach out. Can you imagine what a boost this could be to help your church grow? I love the focus of this material: outward focused living in a self focused world.
So, studying specific topics together can unify a church and build enthusiasm and cooperation. Just make sure the materials are age appropriate, that everyone is getting fed, and that it’s a limited time program.
What are other topics churches could study together? Let me know at karenawingate@gmail.com and we can explore those topics together.
VBS: Most VBS materials include material for teens and adults as well as for children. Once a year, your church can envelop itself in a common theme. Many of the VBS curricula lend themselves well to a decorating theme so imagine your entire church being cocooned in a theme of service, friendship or a close examination of the life of Joseph. Having everyone study the same lessons can bring a spirit of closeness, unity and enthusiasm to your entire church. Standard’s Big Backyard theme this year lent itself so well to this concept. Can you imagine your entire church involved in a service project at the end of VBS? Grandmas working next to grandchildren on a common goal? It could be so exciting!
Not possible, you are thinking. We need our adults and teens to help in VBS. We can’t spare them to go to a class of their own. Consider this. Last year, I taught the five lessons of VBS to my high school Sunday School class for the five weeks previous to VBS. It helped prepare the teens involved to serve and to know what was going to be taught. I encourage those not involved to pray for the others; in fact, the final week, we held a prayer circle for the teen workers. Your pastor or an elder could teach a class of the senior adults while VBS is in session. You could even give them a break to scatter and help with snacks, crafts or to go watch the games so they are involved and are seen by the kids.
40 Days of Prayer: A church in Cincinnati Oh, involved his entire church in an emphasis on prayer. Sermons were on prayer. Sunday School classes were on prayer. The church unified to pray on certain topics. Everybody for six weeks was immersed in the topic of prayer. The pastor told me that for some, this revolutionized their prayer life. So prayer and service are two great topics that would appeal to everyone in your congregation. I can think of another one.
Outreach: Dave Ping, executive director of Equipping Ministries has written an all church curriculum called Outflow, published by Group. The material includes packets for sermons, small groups, children’s ministry and youth ministry. There’s also a church wide campaign kit. I find this program so exciting. While I have not yet used it, I think it would be totally cool to involve everyone in outreach at the same time. That’s something families could take home and work together on. Enthusiasm would be contagious as the different age groups watch each other reach out. Can you imagine what a boost this could be to help your church grow? I love the focus of this material: outward focused living in a self focused world.
So, studying specific topics together can unify a church and build enthusiasm and cooperation. Just make sure the materials are age appropriate, that everyone is getting fed, and that it’s a limited time program.
What are other topics churches could study together? Let me know at karenawingate@gmail.com and we can explore those topics together.
Friday, July 25, 2008
All-Church Curriculum: Everyone On The Same Page
The church, the body of Christ gathers together for worship Sunday morning. The children goes to age appropriate classes while the adults gather in the worship center. The sermon, Sunday School lessons and music are all coordinated so everyone throughout the building is studying the same bible passage at the same time. On the way home from church, the family can talk together about what they’ve learned and the parents can supplement what the children have learned by what they themselves have learned in their session.
Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Sounds idyllic? Sounds . . . nice to a certain extent. What’s the problem with this picture?
Creating curriculum for your church so that everyone – children, teens and adults - re all studying the same bible story sounds good in theory. For some topics, it’s a fantastic way to build enthusiasm and unity so that everyone can share in the same project. I’ll talk later about several programs I know about that work great on this kind of model. However, there are a limited number of topics that people of all ages will relate to. It may work for short term projects but I wouldn’t recommend coordinating material for the long term.
The reasons are basic ones. First, children have different learning needs than adults. Children are concrete thinkers up until the age of eleven or twelve. They really do need to learn the concrete, imagery oriented stories of the bible. They are not ready to handle the more abstract concepts of grace, atonement, sacrifice, forgiveness that adults needs to hear unless there is a lot of groundwork laid beforehand.
Children also need to learn the basics about God’s love, obeying God and serving others while adults are ready to move on the bigger topics. Children need repetition. The same lesson needs to be taught four different ways. That’s why children’s curriculum is often built on theme units. Each week, something is layered on top of the theme of the last lesson. Adults would get bored real fast with this approach.
If you try to coordinate your material for all ages, you’ll either water down the material you present to your adults or you’ll move too fast for your kids without laying down that foundation of basic Bible knowledge they need to have. Yes, parents could fill in that knowledge through the week. But we are talking about a perfect world where both parents attend church and are committed to continue biblical teaching outside the classroom. Sadly, families that attend church together are few and far between. Children really do need their own curriculum – for the most part.
In my next post, I’ll talk about the exceptions. In the meantime, I’d like to hear from you. Have you seen your church do a temporary program where everyone studies the same topic together? What curriculum have you seen that presents an “all-in-one” package? Email me at karenawingate@gmail.com. Let’s see what’s out there.
Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Sounds idyllic? Sounds . . . nice to a certain extent. What’s the problem with this picture?
Creating curriculum for your church so that everyone – children, teens and adults - re all studying the same bible story sounds good in theory. For some topics, it’s a fantastic way to build enthusiasm and unity so that everyone can share in the same project. I’ll talk later about several programs I know about that work great on this kind of model. However, there are a limited number of topics that people of all ages will relate to. It may work for short term projects but I wouldn’t recommend coordinating material for the long term.
The reasons are basic ones. First, children have different learning needs than adults. Children are concrete thinkers up until the age of eleven or twelve. They really do need to learn the concrete, imagery oriented stories of the bible. They are not ready to handle the more abstract concepts of grace, atonement, sacrifice, forgiveness that adults needs to hear unless there is a lot of groundwork laid beforehand.
Children also need to learn the basics about God’s love, obeying God and serving others while adults are ready to move on the bigger topics. Children need repetition. The same lesson needs to be taught four different ways. That’s why children’s curriculum is often built on theme units. Each week, something is layered on top of the theme of the last lesson. Adults would get bored real fast with this approach.
If you try to coordinate your material for all ages, you’ll either water down the material you present to your adults or you’ll move too fast for your kids without laying down that foundation of basic Bible knowledge they need to have. Yes, parents could fill in that knowledge through the week. But we are talking about a perfect world where both parents attend church and are committed to continue biblical teaching outside the classroom. Sadly, families that attend church together are few and far between. Children really do need their own curriculum – for the most part.
In my next post, I’ll talk about the exceptions. In the meantime, I’d like to hear from you. Have you seen your church do a temporary program where everyone studies the same topic together? What curriculum have you seen that presents an “all-in-one” package? Email me at karenawingate@gmail.com. Let’s see what’s out there.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Writing Your Own Children's Curriculum
Several years ago, I heard a church member say to another in my presence, “Karen writes Sunday School curriculum. We ought to have her write our curriculum for us. It would save us a lot of money!”
Sometime later, my mother told me her church had hired a new children’s minister. “He wants to write his own curriculum for the children’s department,” she told me. He wasn’t happy with the material currently available on the market and wanted to write material that would better suit the needs of that particular congregation. Other churches write their own curriculum so everyone can be studying the same thing at the same time.
While each of these reasons sound solid and have their place, there are drawbacks to writing your own curriculum. Curriculum is not written by one individual. When I receive an assignment, a team of people have already decided the overall scope of the curriculum, the chronology of the lessons, the individual stories and applications, the bible passages, the memory verses, and the goals of what the student will achieve. I am only one link in a long chain of people who are expert in their chosen field. After I write the material, artists and layout directors take my roughed out ideas for activities and create beautiful worksheets. Computer technology allows us to do a lot more than we could at the home or church level, but we still can’t quite do the activity pages and visual aids that a company can produce.
Cost is a factor and my heart goes out to churches who don’t have the resources needed to buy curriculum. However, before you decide to have someone write the material, consider other ways to save money. A writer spends many hours writing that curriculum and is paid for their work. The Bible says that a worker is worthy of his hire (1 Timothy 5:17,18). If someone could be paid for the work they do, the church should not expect them to do that same work for free for the church. If you need to save money, consider reusing material, doing without the visual aids or cutting other corners so you have money for curriculum.
Curriculum, no matter how good it is will never perfectly fit your group of children. And it is so hard as a teacher to predict what will or will not work. I’ve done the same activity for two different groups of children. One will respond enthusiastically and the other group stares at me. One week my high school class will love a drama activity, a few weeks later, they’ll look at me like I just arrived from Mars. One complaint I’ve often heard is that material is geared for large churches. Look though your material more carefully. Often the writer will give alternatives for smaller groups.
When I was in Austria, I spoke with a man from Bulgaria. He told me how his church translates material produced in America. “Our culture is so different,” I said, “Don’t you have a problem with activities that are obviously for American children?” He immediately told me what I had forgotten; any teacher should adapt the material to fit the unique needs of his or her class. It doesn’t mean the material is bad. It doesn’t mean you have a difficult group of kids. Any good teacher is going to ask, “How can I best teach this material to this group of students?”
Having everyone in the church study the same passage sounds like a neat idea. Is it? I’ll talk about that in my next post.
Sometime later, my mother told me her church had hired a new children’s minister. “He wants to write his own curriculum for the children’s department,” she told me. He wasn’t happy with the material currently available on the market and wanted to write material that would better suit the needs of that particular congregation. Other churches write their own curriculum so everyone can be studying the same thing at the same time.
While each of these reasons sound solid and have their place, there are drawbacks to writing your own curriculum. Curriculum is not written by one individual. When I receive an assignment, a team of people have already decided the overall scope of the curriculum, the chronology of the lessons, the individual stories and applications, the bible passages, the memory verses, and the goals of what the student will achieve. I am only one link in a long chain of people who are expert in their chosen field. After I write the material, artists and layout directors take my roughed out ideas for activities and create beautiful worksheets. Computer technology allows us to do a lot more than we could at the home or church level, but we still can’t quite do the activity pages and visual aids that a company can produce.
Cost is a factor and my heart goes out to churches who don’t have the resources needed to buy curriculum. However, before you decide to have someone write the material, consider other ways to save money. A writer spends many hours writing that curriculum and is paid for their work. The Bible says that a worker is worthy of his hire (1 Timothy 5:17,18). If someone could be paid for the work they do, the church should not expect them to do that same work for free for the church. If you need to save money, consider reusing material, doing without the visual aids or cutting other corners so you have money for curriculum.
Curriculum, no matter how good it is will never perfectly fit your group of children. And it is so hard as a teacher to predict what will or will not work. I’ve done the same activity for two different groups of children. One will respond enthusiastically and the other group stares at me. One week my high school class will love a drama activity, a few weeks later, they’ll look at me like I just arrived from Mars. One complaint I’ve often heard is that material is geared for large churches. Look though your material more carefully. Often the writer will give alternatives for smaller groups.
When I was in Austria, I spoke with a man from Bulgaria. He told me how his church translates material produced in America. “Our culture is so different,” I said, “Don’t you have a problem with activities that are obviously for American children?” He immediately told me what I had forgotten; any teacher should adapt the material to fit the unique needs of his or her class. It doesn’t mean the material is bad. It doesn’t mean you have a difficult group of kids. Any good teacher is going to ask, “How can I best teach this material to this group of students?”
Having everyone in the church study the same passage sounds like a neat idea. Is it? I’ll talk about that in my next post.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Building Sunday School Attendance
I’d love to tell you that we had a mob of visitors at our church yesterday, that our Children’s department was overflowing with children. The truth is, our attendance was zero. There were no children in the preschool class. There were no children in the elementary age class. There were no children for Wee Worship or Junior Worship either.
We could account for most of the missing children. One child spends the summer with his dad in Florida. Another three were at a family reunion. Other children on the roster are infrequent at best and this just wasn’t their Sunday to be there. Yet I was discouraged and I saw discouragement etched on my teachers’ faces.
Yet two events came out of this that encouraged me. As our wee worship teacher told me of the lack of kids, I said to her, “We need to pray more fervently that the Lord will send children to us.” Her face brightened and she responded with a heartfelt, “Oh yes, exactly.” I was encouraged by her enthusiastic response to my suggestion. I want to follow up on that. I want to gather my teachers together for a prayer meeting where we will pray for the children in our congregation. If we had had children, I wouldn’t have thought of this idea – something that we need to be doing more anyway.
Second, a ten-year-old girl did come with her mother yesterday to church. She came because the mother was meeting with our elders to ask for benevolence. The elders asked me and my eighteen-year-old daughter to stay with the ten-year-old while they met with the mother. We had a fantastic visit with her. No we didn’t have an impromptu bible lesson. I didn’t read a bible story to her. We talked sudoku puzzles with her. We asked her about her. We built relationship with her and her mother. There’s a good chance the two of them will come back to church. There’s one student.
It reminded me that teaching happens outside as well as inside the classroom. It also reminded me that teaching is living the example of Jesus as much as it is talking about Jesus. We were teaching this girl that God cares about her family, that God’s spirit has been placed in people so they are able to be kind and generous like Jesus. We taught her that she is valuable and other people think she has unique gifts that God has given her.
I realized that I need to be ready to teach at any moment. I could have been in a bad mood all morning because we had no kids. Instead, the Lord taught me to look for the opportunities He has planned that may or may not be Inside the Classroom. I hope I did all that He called me to do and I pray He takes what I did do and magnifies it bring this girl and her mom closer to Himself.
We could account for most of the missing children. One child spends the summer with his dad in Florida. Another three were at a family reunion. Other children on the roster are infrequent at best and this just wasn’t their Sunday to be there. Yet I was discouraged and I saw discouragement etched on my teachers’ faces.
Yet two events came out of this that encouraged me. As our wee worship teacher told me of the lack of kids, I said to her, “We need to pray more fervently that the Lord will send children to us.” Her face brightened and she responded with a heartfelt, “Oh yes, exactly.” I was encouraged by her enthusiastic response to my suggestion. I want to follow up on that. I want to gather my teachers together for a prayer meeting where we will pray for the children in our congregation. If we had had children, I wouldn’t have thought of this idea – something that we need to be doing more anyway.
Second, a ten-year-old girl did come with her mother yesterday to church. She came because the mother was meeting with our elders to ask for benevolence. The elders asked me and my eighteen-year-old daughter to stay with the ten-year-old while they met with the mother. We had a fantastic visit with her. No we didn’t have an impromptu bible lesson. I didn’t read a bible story to her. We talked sudoku puzzles with her. We asked her about her. We built relationship with her and her mother. There’s a good chance the two of them will come back to church. There’s one student.
It reminded me that teaching happens outside as well as inside the classroom. It also reminded me that teaching is living the example of Jesus as much as it is talking about Jesus. We were teaching this girl that God cares about her family, that God’s spirit has been placed in people so they are able to be kind and generous like Jesus. We taught her that she is valuable and other people think she has unique gifts that God has given her.
I realized that I need to be ready to teach at any moment. I could have been in a bad mood all morning because we had no kids. Instead, the Lord taught me to look for the opportunities He has planned that may or may not be Inside the Classroom. I hope I did all that He called me to do and I pray He takes what I did do and magnifies it bring this girl and her mom closer to Himself.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Freedom In Education
Happy Independence Day! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We have so much to celebrate! We have so many freedoms we don’t even begin to take advantage of. That’s true for those of us who teach Inside the Classroom as well.
Don’t let anyone deceive you. Our country was founded on Christian principles by men who staunchly believed in the God of the Bible. If you look carefully at the Declaration of Independence, you’ll find Thomas Jefferson liberally sprinkled his theology in this expression of desire to break from the Brittish. He acknowledged that he and the othe signers believed in a God who was the ultimate Judge, the Sovereign Ruler, our Protector and our Creater.
While the First Amendment does limit us from establishing our form of relgion inside the classroom, we still have the freedom to freely exercise our faith. As a teacher, you can pray, you can read your Bible, you can even have your Bible at your desk if it is not disruptive to your students. Some high schools even teach the Bible as literature. You can hold prayer meetings and bible studies with other teachers and quietly support student led efforts.
If you live in a more restrictive country than the United States, you still have many freedoms as a teacher. You can pray. You can act kindly to others. You can live a blameless and upright life. In many countries, if students ask you about your faith, you can answer.
These freedoms are inside the secular classroom. If you are a teacher of children in a church, you have even more freedom to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. Are you taking advantage of the freedom that you have? Are you thanking God every day that you have this liberty to live your faith and worship your God?
For more information about a Christian teacher’s rights and freedoms in the secular classroom, visit the Christian Educators Association International.
Some of the information above comes from a workshop I attended this past weekat the North American Christian Convention, a preaching/teaching convention sponsored by the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. I’ve come home refreshed and renewed and full of ideas for this site. Come back often over the next few weeks as we continue to explore connecting with the children you teach.
Don’t let anyone deceive you. Our country was founded on Christian principles by men who staunchly believed in the God of the Bible. If you look carefully at the Declaration of Independence, you’ll find Thomas Jefferson liberally sprinkled his theology in this expression of desire to break from the Brittish. He acknowledged that he and the othe signers believed in a God who was the ultimate Judge, the Sovereign Ruler, our Protector and our Creater.
While the First Amendment does limit us from establishing our form of relgion inside the classroom, we still have the freedom to freely exercise our faith. As a teacher, you can pray, you can read your Bible, you can even have your Bible at your desk if it is not disruptive to your students. Some high schools even teach the Bible as literature. You can hold prayer meetings and bible studies with other teachers and quietly support student led efforts.
If you live in a more restrictive country than the United States, you still have many freedoms as a teacher. You can pray. You can act kindly to others. You can live a blameless and upright life. In many countries, if students ask you about your faith, you can answer.
These freedoms are inside the secular classroom. If you are a teacher of children in a church, you have even more freedom to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. Are you taking advantage of the freedom that you have? Are you thanking God every day that you have this liberty to live your faith and worship your God?
For more information about a Christian teacher’s rights and freedoms in the secular classroom, visit the Christian Educators Association International.
Some of the information above comes from a workshop I attended this past weekat the North American Christian Convention, a preaching/teaching convention sponsored by the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. I’ve come home refreshed and renewed and full of ideas for this site. Come back often over the next few weeks as we continue to explore connecting with the children you teach.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Youth Ministry Social Events
Summer is half over. As a children’s ministry leader, you are well into summer programming and starting to think about what you’ll do with your students in the fall. Let’s think about one more activity that you can plan for your group before they trek back to school. This activity is outside the classroom.
What can you do this summer that’s something fun for you and your kids? Swimming party? Backyard BBQ with volleyball or badminton? A night at a movie that has a redemptive message?
“Whoa, wait a minute, “ you may be thinking. “What does this have to do with God? I’m already so busy. So are my students. If we’re going to do something outside the classroom, perhaps we’d better plan a service project . At least we need to have a devotion during this fun stuff time.’
Maybe. Maybe not. Casual social events give you as the teacher a chance to intermingle with your kids. As you power hit that volleyball, let the kids think they are dunking you in the pool or let a high school football player go in front of you when there’s only three hamburgers left, you have the chance to do some one-to-one discipling that you don’t have the time to do in the classroom. This is the chance for your students to see you model your Christianity, not just teach it. Besides, social events give your kids a chance to invite those kids who won’t darken the door of the church otherwise. What a great way to show them that while some of you may be weird, you aren’t totally unapproachable.
When I served on the kitchen staff at the bible institute in Austria, it was the custom for the professors to work with a rotation of bible students to dry the dishes each evening. These students from eastern European countries were shocked that their respected teachers would lower themselves to stand beside the students and dry dishes. Yet it give the professors a chance to have one-on-one conversations, to show the students they were normal people and to model Jesus’ commission to serve each other. Plus, they had a lot of fun! I have pictures to prove the nightly dishtowel pitch games into the washing machine from ten feet away. Or was that four meters?
So what am I doing? Three students in my high school Sunday School class are leaving for college in August. We’ll have a backyard BBQ at my house and I’ll demonstrate to my students what great potato salad I can make and just how bad I am at badminton. And we’ll have a great time.
What are you doing? Share with me your ideas. I’ll make a list and post it in a later blog. Let’s be creative about things we can do with our students outside the classroom.
What can you do this summer that’s something fun for you and your kids? Swimming party? Backyard BBQ with volleyball or badminton? A night at a movie that has a redemptive message?
“Whoa, wait a minute, “ you may be thinking. “What does this have to do with God? I’m already so busy. So are my students. If we’re going to do something outside the classroom, perhaps we’d better plan a service project . At least we need to have a devotion during this fun stuff time.’
Maybe. Maybe not. Casual social events give you as the teacher a chance to intermingle with your kids. As you power hit that volleyball, let the kids think they are dunking you in the pool or let a high school football player go in front of you when there’s only three hamburgers left, you have the chance to do some one-to-one discipling that you don’t have the time to do in the classroom. This is the chance for your students to see you model your Christianity, not just teach it. Besides, social events give your kids a chance to invite those kids who won’t darken the door of the church otherwise. What a great way to show them that while some of you may be weird, you aren’t totally unapproachable.
When I served on the kitchen staff at the bible institute in Austria, it was the custom for the professors to work with a rotation of bible students to dry the dishes each evening. These students from eastern European countries were shocked that their respected teachers would lower themselves to stand beside the students and dry dishes. Yet it give the professors a chance to have one-on-one conversations, to show the students they were normal people and to model Jesus’ commission to serve each other. Plus, they had a lot of fun! I have pictures to prove the nightly dishtowel pitch games into the washing machine from ten feet away. Or was that four meters?
So what am I doing? Three students in my high school Sunday School class are leaving for college in August. We’ll have a backyard BBQ at my house and I’ll demonstrate to my students what great potato salad I can make and just how bad I am at badminton. And we’ll have a great time.
What are you doing? Share with me your ideas. I’ll make a list and post it in a later blog. Let’s be creative about things we can do with our students outside the classroom.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Telling VBS Bible Stories
You’ve been asked to teach a VBS class. Or, perhaps you have agreed to host the Bible story center at your local VBS. Ok, so far. Then your VBS director hands you the teaching guide. Uh oh! You didn’t KNOW so much was involved in just telling a Bible story! Is it really necessary to do all this decoration stuff? Aren’t you tampering with the word of God to tell the story in verse? Maybe you’re thinking, “I’m not going to act like an idiot in front of all those kids!!”
As to the last concern, rest assured! I’ve been acting idiotic in telling dramatic bible stories for years and my reputation is still intact. If it isn’t, nobody has dared to tell me otherwise!
Consider this. You have one week to make an impression on these children for the sake of Jesus Christ. The Bible story and the life application is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of the VBS experience. You want to tell a story that they will not soon forget. And you can do this and still be true to the Scriptural content. Here’s some suggestions on how to make your stories come alive for your students.
1. Create an environment. Put down a blue tarp for the Sea of Galilee. Set cushions around a low table for the story of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet. Bring in a fake tree for the story of Zaccheus. VBS curriculum today has all kinds of awesome ideas of how to turn a church classroom into a storybook paradise. Two warnings: first, if decorations aren’t your “thing,” don’t push it. You do what you are good at. I’m not the decorating type so I go for simple or involve other people who are good at it. Second, don’t spend so much time and energy on the environment that you have nothing left to invest in the story. The environment should enhance the story, not overwhelm it.
2. Use props. One of my most effective stories was the retelling of the widow’s mite. I stood, holding a penny over an offering plate, debating back and forth whether I should give that penny. I dramatically held the penny over the plate, paused, then let the penny drop. The only sound you could hear in the room was the drop of that penny and the kids got the point about the cost of commitment.
3. Get the kids involved. Have them hold up signs, hold props, help you pretend to row the boat caught in that bad storm on the sea of Galilee, repeat sentences after you., make sound effects. This is great for the kids who have difficulty sitting still. When you involve them, you are assured you have their attention.
4. Be dramatic. Vary your voice. Treat your storytelling like a musical symphony. Use loud and soft dynamics. Pause dramatically. Pretend you are the conductor of this symphony by using hand gestures to accentuate your story. Just the way you tell your story makes an average story become an exciting adventure.
5. Loose your inhibition. These are kids! They’ll love it when you act silly! For them, I lose my identity as “Miss Karen” and become “the Bible story lady.” Even the adults won’t think you are whacko – they’ll respect you and wish they could do it too.
6. Don’t forget the punch line! Like overdoing the decorations, it’s easy to get so caught up in the drama of the story, that you forget the life application. What’s the point of your story? What do you want the kids to learn ? What’s the central truth you want them to not forget? Does your story communicate that clearly? If it does, your story will be a winner, all the way around.
How do you become a good storyteller? I’m not a drama major and by nature, I’m a rather serious person. I’ve learned by watching other storytellers, following good curriculum, practicing in front of the mirror and my dog, and being willing to experiment. Stephen James has written an excellent resource I wish I had when I first started teaching. The book is “The Creative Storytelling Guide” and I highly recommend it.
As to the last concern, rest assured! I’ve been acting idiotic in telling dramatic bible stories for years and my reputation is still intact. If it isn’t, nobody has dared to tell me otherwise!
Consider this. You have one week to make an impression on these children for the sake of Jesus Christ. The Bible story and the life application is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of the VBS experience. You want to tell a story that they will not soon forget. And you can do this and still be true to the Scriptural content. Here’s some suggestions on how to make your stories come alive for your students.
1. Create an environment. Put down a blue tarp for the Sea of Galilee. Set cushions around a low table for the story of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet. Bring in a fake tree for the story of Zaccheus. VBS curriculum today has all kinds of awesome ideas of how to turn a church classroom into a storybook paradise. Two warnings: first, if decorations aren’t your “thing,” don’t push it. You do what you are good at. I’m not the decorating type so I go for simple or involve other people who are good at it. Second, don’t spend so much time and energy on the environment that you have nothing left to invest in the story. The environment should enhance the story, not overwhelm it.
2. Use props. One of my most effective stories was the retelling of the widow’s mite. I stood, holding a penny over an offering plate, debating back and forth whether I should give that penny. I dramatically held the penny over the plate, paused, then let the penny drop. The only sound you could hear in the room was the drop of that penny and the kids got the point about the cost of commitment.
3. Get the kids involved. Have them hold up signs, hold props, help you pretend to row the boat caught in that bad storm on the sea of Galilee, repeat sentences after you., make sound effects. This is great for the kids who have difficulty sitting still. When you involve them, you are assured you have their attention.
4. Be dramatic. Vary your voice. Treat your storytelling like a musical symphony. Use loud and soft dynamics. Pause dramatically. Pretend you are the conductor of this symphony by using hand gestures to accentuate your story. Just the way you tell your story makes an average story become an exciting adventure.
5. Loose your inhibition. These are kids! They’ll love it when you act silly! For them, I lose my identity as “Miss Karen” and become “the Bible story lady.” Even the adults won’t think you are whacko – they’ll respect you and wish they could do it too.
6. Don’t forget the punch line! Like overdoing the decorations, it’s easy to get so caught up in the drama of the story, that you forget the life application. What’s the point of your story? What do you want the kids to learn ? What’s the central truth you want them to not forget? Does your story communicate that clearly? If it does, your story will be a winner, all the way around.
How do you become a good storyteller? I’m not a drama major and by nature, I’m a rather serious person. I’ve learned by watching other storytellers, following good curriculum, practicing in front of the mirror and my dog, and being willing to experiment. Stephen James has written an excellent resource I wish I had when I first started teaching. The book is “The Creative Storytelling Guide” and I highly recommend it.
Monday, June 16, 2008
VBS Staff Recruitment
VBS season is in full swing. If your church hasn’t yet heldVBS, most likely your plans are well underway. If your VBS dates are on the church calendar but you haven’t started planning the details yet, grab a piece of paper and the phone and get busy!
No matter whether you’ve completed your VBS program, holding it this week or planning it for later in the summer, one of your top concerns is staffing yourVBS program. It’s a good idea to reflect on the staff you chose, praying over each choice. There’s much to consider in choosing your volunteers:
- Competency. Are the people you’ve chosen skilled for the task you want them to do? Are they doing what they are gifted to do? If they are gifted but not skilled, will the postion you give them help develop their skills and boost their confidence?
-Maturity: Do your recruits have the spiritual maturity to represent Jesus faithfully to the children you serve?
-Love: Do your recruits have a love for children, a passion to meet the children’s needs and a vision to help them become all that they can be in Christ Jesus?
-Compatibility: Have/Will the recruits work well with the other volunteers in their department?
I’d like to talk about compatibility for a few minutes. Over twenty years of VBS experience, I’ve learned how important this aspect of volunteer recruitment is. Pairing certain people together can make or break a VBS program. It’s almost better to put two lesser skilled people together who do work well together than with a highly skilled person who doesn’t work well with others.
There are two groups of people: leaders and followers. Be very careful in pairing two leaders together. Their leadership qualities need to be tempered by their love for the children, their maturity in the faith and the development of the fruit of the Spirit of kindness and gentleness in their lives before they will work well together. Otherwise, they will compete with each other, each trying to insist on their own way. Or the stronger of the two will dominate and the other, trying to be gracious, will step aside and let the more dominant take over.
I’m thinking of two examples where I saw compatibility work. One year, as VBS director, I chose a woman to be my assistant who I wanted to disciple. She refused at first. “I’m not a leader. I don’t like telling people what to do. I make a much better follower,” she told me. I told her I still wanted her as my assistant, that I respected her ideas and her creativity. She proved herself invaluable. She had great ideas and I had the leadership skills to coordinate people and make the ideas happen. All during the week of VBS, she was at my elbow, anticipating my needs, brining me things, playing “go-pher,” asking what else she could do. She respected that I was in charge and that her role was to help me “make VBS happen.” It took someone with a follower mentality and a servant hearted attitude to make an ideal assistant. If my assistant had been someone who had her own ideas and who argued with me on each decision, VBS definitely would not have run as smoothly.
The other time was last year. My daughter was asked to be the craft director. She loves crafts, has developing leadership skills but lacks experience. She asked a retired art teacher to be her assistant. This lady is very creative, has worked for years with children, yet was a naturally kind person and had the maturity and graciousness to let the leader lead. Even though she was three times the age of my daughter, she made suggestions without being pushy and allowed my daughter to be the one who made the final decisions, always showing respect for her in front of the children. My daughter respected her expertise and was willing to ask for her advice.
When you choose teams of workers, you don’t want to pair two very strong and combative personalities. Nor do you want to choose two people who are naturally “followers” or who are timid in leading others. Examine each person’s strengths and weaknesses then pair up people so one person is strong where the other is weak.
Next year, as you select your teams, consider scheduling a meeting where you administer a personality test. Check out this test: Also check out Florence Littaur’s book, Personality Plus. If you don’t have time for this, ask each volunteer what their birth order was. You’ll understand a lot about your volunteers just by knowing where they fall in the birth order of their families. An excellent resource on this concept is The Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman.
I say again, pray about your recruitment choices. You may not have all the information you need to pair the right people together, but God knows the hearts of man and He in His wisdom can and will guide your decisions.
No matter whether you’ve completed your VBS program, holding it this week or planning it for later in the summer, one of your top concerns is staffing yourVBS program. It’s a good idea to reflect on the staff you chose, praying over each choice. There’s much to consider in choosing your volunteers:
- Competency. Are the people you’ve chosen skilled for the task you want them to do? Are they doing what they are gifted to do? If they are gifted but not skilled, will the postion you give them help develop their skills and boost their confidence?
-Maturity: Do your recruits have the spiritual maturity to represent Jesus faithfully to the children you serve?
-Love: Do your recruits have a love for children, a passion to meet the children’s needs and a vision to help them become all that they can be in Christ Jesus?
-Compatibility: Have/Will the recruits work well with the other volunteers in their department?
I’d like to talk about compatibility for a few minutes. Over twenty years of VBS experience, I’ve learned how important this aspect of volunteer recruitment is. Pairing certain people together can make or break a VBS program. It’s almost better to put two lesser skilled people together who do work well together than with a highly skilled person who doesn’t work well with others.
There are two groups of people: leaders and followers. Be very careful in pairing two leaders together. Their leadership qualities need to be tempered by their love for the children, their maturity in the faith and the development of the fruit of the Spirit of kindness and gentleness in their lives before they will work well together. Otherwise, they will compete with each other, each trying to insist on their own way. Or the stronger of the two will dominate and the other, trying to be gracious, will step aside and let the more dominant take over.
I’m thinking of two examples where I saw compatibility work. One year, as VBS director, I chose a woman to be my assistant who I wanted to disciple. She refused at first. “I’m not a leader. I don’t like telling people what to do. I make a much better follower,” she told me. I told her I still wanted her as my assistant, that I respected her ideas and her creativity. She proved herself invaluable. She had great ideas and I had the leadership skills to coordinate people and make the ideas happen. All during the week of VBS, she was at my elbow, anticipating my needs, brining me things, playing “go-pher,” asking what else she could do. She respected that I was in charge and that her role was to help me “make VBS happen.” It took someone with a follower mentality and a servant hearted attitude to make an ideal assistant. If my assistant had been someone who had her own ideas and who argued with me on each decision, VBS definitely would not have run as smoothly.
The other time was last year. My daughter was asked to be the craft director. She loves crafts, has developing leadership skills but lacks experience. She asked a retired art teacher to be her assistant. This lady is very creative, has worked for years with children, yet was a naturally kind person and had the maturity and graciousness to let the leader lead. Even though she was three times the age of my daughter, she made suggestions without being pushy and allowed my daughter to be the one who made the final decisions, always showing respect for her in front of the children. My daughter respected her expertise and was willing to ask for her advice.
When you choose teams of workers, you don’t want to pair two very strong and combative personalities. Nor do you want to choose two people who are naturally “followers” or who are timid in leading others. Examine each person’s strengths and weaknesses then pair up people so one person is strong where the other is weak.
Next year, as you select your teams, consider scheduling a meeting where you administer a personality test. Check out this test: Also check out Florence Littaur’s book, Personality Plus. If you don’t have time for this, ask each volunteer what their birth order was. You’ll understand a lot about your volunteers just by knowing where they fall in the birth order of their families. An excellent resource on this concept is The Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman.
I say again, pray about your recruitment choices. You may not have all the information you need to pair the right people together, but God knows the hearts of man and He in His wisdom can and will guide your decisions.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
My Time To Give
I wonder if there is such a thing as deja vu in reverse. Déjà vu is the eerie feeling that you’ve been in a certain place or experienced something before, that a moment in time is caught in a time loop. Déjà vu in reverse would be when you’ve experienced something before but suddenly the roles are reversed. It’s the feeling expressed by an adult women who was driving her elderly mother to the doctor. She had to hit the brakes suddenly and instinctively threw her arm out over her mother just like she would a small child. It hit her that that was the same motion her mother made for her years ago.
I experienced this role reversal this month. My great aunt and uncle, now in their eighties, came to visit us for my daughter’s graduation. It was such a thrill to have these precious people in my home, people who meant the world to me when I was growing up. Both are suffering from age related illnesses. My uncle has lost most of his vision due to macular degeneration and my aunt has never fully recovered from shoulder surgery.
As I led them from the car to the house, I suddenly realized my uncle would have difficulty navigating the unfamiliar steps. Instinctively, I took his hand, asking casually, “There’s some steps coming up. Think you might need some help over them?” With his typical humor, he replied, “I don’t think so, but it’s sure nice to hold your hand!”
That déjà vu moment hit. So many times, when I was a teen, Uncle Eldon would offer me a hand, an arm, a gentle guiding over a step. He never made a big deal over it,; instead, just stayed close by, anticipating potential hazards and “being there” if I needed him. Now it was my turn to guide him. Now it was my turn to offer a hand to the man who had given me so much.
For ten days, I hovered close to be a sighted guide, to find a missing cap, to remind him to get his cane, to warn him of a coming step. Helping him, offering him aid with dignity never became a chore. It was my time to give. I was deeply moved by the privilege.
I thought of my teaching. How many times I approach my teaching with resentment or boredom, as one more week that I have to go teach those kids. Yet I think of the many teachers who gave up their time, their energy and their level of patience to put up with me, I have received so much from so many wonderful teachers. The best way I can honor them is to turn and pass on the blessing, to give to other children what was so frelly given to me.
If you are feeling discouraged this week about your teaching, think of a teacher who gave to you, who treated you with respect, who offered you a hand up the knowledge and confidence ladder. Think of a way you can pass on the blessing to someone else. Give as you have been given.
It’s your time to give.
I experienced this role reversal this month. My great aunt and uncle, now in their eighties, came to visit us for my daughter’s graduation. It was such a thrill to have these precious people in my home, people who meant the world to me when I was growing up. Both are suffering from age related illnesses. My uncle has lost most of his vision due to macular degeneration and my aunt has never fully recovered from shoulder surgery.
As I led them from the car to the house, I suddenly realized my uncle would have difficulty navigating the unfamiliar steps. Instinctively, I took his hand, asking casually, “There’s some steps coming up. Think you might need some help over them?” With his typical humor, he replied, “I don’t think so, but it’s sure nice to hold your hand!”
That déjà vu moment hit. So many times, when I was a teen, Uncle Eldon would offer me a hand, an arm, a gentle guiding over a step. He never made a big deal over it,; instead, just stayed close by, anticipating potential hazards and “being there” if I needed him. Now it was my turn to guide him. Now it was my turn to offer a hand to the man who had given me so much.
For ten days, I hovered close to be a sighted guide, to find a missing cap, to remind him to get his cane, to warn him of a coming step. Helping him, offering him aid with dignity never became a chore. It was my time to give. I was deeply moved by the privilege.
I thought of my teaching. How many times I approach my teaching with resentment or boredom, as one more week that I have to go teach those kids. Yet I think of the many teachers who gave up their time, their energy and their level of patience to put up with me, I have received so much from so many wonderful teachers. The best way I can honor them is to turn and pass on the blessing, to give to other children what was so frelly given to me.
If you are feeling discouraged this week about your teaching, think of a teacher who gave to you, who treated you with respect, who offered you a hand up the knowledge and confidence ladder. Think of a way you can pass on the blessing to someone else. Give as you have been given.
It’s your time to give.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
The Introverted Child
The last few weeks have been a flurry of activity as my youngest daughter graduated from high school on May 24th. We’ve attended awards assemblies and band banquets, shopped for napkins in school colors, made Sam’s Club a bit richer, made multiple trips to the airport to pick up and return visiting relatives, and learned to pinch hit when the lady who was making her graduation cake ended up in the hospital.
My high point was the area churches’ co-sponsored Baccalaureate service. My graduating daughter played in the school’s jazz band. My eldest daughter, now a junior at college was the keynote speaker. As proud as I am, neither of those were the pinnacle moment for me. The highlight was the testimony the school valedictorian gave. This young man is in my high school Sunday school class. He’s always been one of those kids who is never a problem, but never has anything to say either. It’s not my boring class or not enough sleep Saturday night that causes him to stare at me for forty five minutes. That’s just him.
In a moving revelation, J. told how he has always struggled with shyness. He is the kid who always sat in the back of the classroom, scared to death a teacher might call on him. He is the kid who never wanted to be involved in activities because he was so shy. He told how, each year, he came out of his shell a little more, getting involved in the band, widening his social circle, moving up a little farther toward the front of the classroom.
His point? In each situation, he told us, “I knew God was there.” When he was scared to respond in class, “God was there.” When he ventured into more social situations, “God was there.” When he prepared his remarks for Baccalaureate, “God was there.” And when he goes off to college and faces new challenges, “God will be there.”
I learned several lessons from J. that day.
1. There are shy kids in the world. They aren’t defective. It’s not my job as a teacher to draw them out. I need to accept them as they are and let them blossom at their own pace. I need to structure my teaching to maximize their strengths instead of forcing them into the box of my expectations.
J.’s admission has caused me to do a lot of thinking as a teacher. Is something wrong with our educational system that we reward class participation and students who take extroverted initiative? Should we not instead teach kids how to do projects by themselves as much as we insist they work on group projects? My two children are mildly introverted. They have always felt uncomfortable with school group projects and social settings. Was I wrong to urge them to “get over it” and be bolder in their approach? I haven’t come up with any decisive answers yet. Except this one. We need to affirm and restructure our teaching methods a lot more for the introverted child. If you have any specific ideas, please comment on my comment page!
2. Kids are learning even though they are not responding. Shame on me. I wondered about J’s commitment to God. After his testimony, I have no doubt! Even though he wasn’t saying much, he was internalizing what I and other Sunday School teachers were teaching him. If he has learned the lesson that “God is there” no matter what he is facing in his life, he has come a lot farther than many other, older Christians.
3. God accepts us as we are and builds us into what we can be. Paul says in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Paul could have easily added “introvert nor extrovert” in that list but he probably figured we got the idea. No matter who we are, no matter our personality type or background, no matter how we are growing as we each reach for Christ and His best for us; in J’s words, “God is there.” As God accepts us, we need to accept each other as we are as well.
I teach children. And they teach me. Constantly.
My high point was the area churches’ co-sponsored Baccalaureate service. My graduating daughter played in the school’s jazz band. My eldest daughter, now a junior at college was the keynote speaker. As proud as I am, neither of those were the pinnacle moment for me. The highlight was the testimony the school valedictorian gave. This young man is in my high school Sunday school class. He’s always been one of those kids who is never a problem, but never has anything to say either. It’s not my boring class or not enough sleep Saturday night that causes him to stare at me for forty five minutes. That’s just him.
In a moving revelation, J. told how he has always struggled with shyness. He is the kid who always sat in the back of the classroom, scared to death a teacher might call on him. He is the kid who never wanted to be involved in activities because he was so shy. He told how, each year, he came out of his shell a little more, getting involved in the band, widening his social circle, moving up a little farther toward the front of the classroom.
His point? In each situation, he told us, “I knew God was there.” When he was scared to respond in class, “God was there.” When he ventured into more social situations, “God was there.” When he prepared his remarks for Baccalaureate, “God was there.” And when he goes off to college and faces new challenges, “God will be there.”
I learned several lessons from J. that day.
1. There are shy kids in the world. They aren’t defective. It’s not my job as a teacher to draw them out. I need to accept them as they are and let them blossom at their own pace. I need to structure my teaching to maximize their strengths instead of forcing them into the box of my expectations.
J.’s admission has caused me to do a lot of thinking as a teacher. Is something wrong with our educational system that we reward class participation and students who take extroverted initiative? Should we not instead teach kids how to do projects by themselves as much as we insist they work on group projects? My two children are mildly introverted. They have always felt uncomfortable with school group projects and social settings. Was I wrong to urge them to “get over it” and be bolder in their approach? I haven’t come up with any decisive answers yet. Except this one. We need to affirm and restructure our teaching methods a lot more for the introverted child. If you have any specific ideas, please comment on my comment page!
2. Kids are learning even though they are not responding. Shame on me. I wondered about J’s commitment to God. After his testimony, I have no doubt! Even though he wasn’t saying much, he was internalizing what I and other Sunday School teachers were teaching him. If he has learned the lesson that “God is there” no matter what he is facing in his life, he has come a lot farther than many other, older Christians.
3. God accepts us as we are and builds us into what we can be. Paul says in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Paul could have easily added “introvert nor extrovert” in that list but he probably figured we got the idea. No matter who we are, no matter our personality type or background, no matter how we are growing as we each reach for Christ and His best for us; in J’s words, “God is there.” As God accepts us, we need to accept each other as we are as well.
I teach children. And they teach me. Constantly.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Who Is Your Role Model?
Who is your role model as a teacher? Is it someone who is currently mentoring you? Do you come from a family of teachers? Is it a teacher you once had? Someone you have read about from history? Let me tell you about one of my favorite role models. This person is a character from the Bible and is actually called a teacher in the biblical text. His name was Ezra.
What makes Ezra a role model for Bible teachers? The answer lies in a marvelous verse found in Ezra 7:10. This is a verse every teacher should consider memorizing. The first phrase is, “For Ezra had devoted himself . . . “ Then the verse lists three things Ezra was devoted to:
1. Ezra studied the Word for himself. Ezra 7:10 says Ezra devoted himself to the “study . . . .of the law of the Lord. We never stop learning. As we teach, we need to keep studying the Word for ourselves. I try to start preparations of my lessons early in the week. The first thing I do is to study the passage for myself, to make it part of my personal devotion time. This way, I have all week to mull over the principles I find in the Scripture and to allow God’s Holy Spirit to teach me what those words mean.
Ezra was such a great student of the Bible that he was known for his study. Earlier in the chapter, the text reads, “He was a teacher well versed in the law of Moses (Ezra 7:6). Wouldn’t that be a wonderful reputation to have, that people know you as a Bible expert?
2. Ezra obeyed the Word. Knowing the content of God’s Word was not enough. Ezra devoted himself to the observance of the Law as well. We would be hypocrites if we teach others how to follow God’s way then fail to observe God’s law ourselves. It sounds so obvious, but sadly enough, too many children’s ministry workers do not make Christ a priority in their personal lives. How can you personally follow Christ more closely this week?
Ezra was not a teacher who was new to the faith, high on enthusiasm and low on long term commitment. His commitment to God and His law came from a solid foundation of teaching that spanned many generations. Ezra was a from a long line of the high priests of Israel, reaching back to the first high priest, Aaron, the brother of Moses. In his lineage are included such courageous ancestors as Hilkiah, the priest who help King Josiah repair the Temple and read the discovered book of the law to the people, and Zadok, who ensured that Solomon was established as King as God had chosen.
3. Ezra devoted himself to his teaching. How devoted are you to your teaching? How prepared are you before each teaching session? If you are going to be a model teacher like Ezra, no procrastination! No Saturday night crash preparation sessions! No bare minimums! If you are going to be devoted to your teaching, you may have to give up other church activities. You may need to sacrifice your desire to be in a class of your own. You may need to face the misunderstanding of other people who criticize you for not serving on other committees or joining the choir. You may need to allow yourself to get close enough to your kids for your heart to break as you see their hurts up close and personal. Yet when you fully devote yourself to your teaching, you feel the joy of knowing there’s no other place you would rather be than Inside the Classroom.
When you fully devote yourself to the study and observance of God’s word and the teaching of His decrees, you will also garner the label of Teacher, like Ezra.
What makes Ezra a role model for Bible teachers? The answer lies in a marvelous verse found in Ezra 7:10. This is a verse every teacher should consider memorizing. The first phrase is, “For Ezra had devoted himself . . . “ Then the verse lists three things Ezra was devoted to:
1. Ezra studied the Word for himself. Ezra 7:10 says Ezra devoted himself to the “study . . . .of the law of the Lord. We never stop learning. As we teach, we need to keep studying the Word for ourselves. I try to start preparations of my lessons early in the week. The first thing I do is to study the passage for myself, to make it part of my personal devotion time. This way, I have all week to mull over the principles I find in the Scripture and to allow God’s Holy Spirit to teach me what those words mean.
Ezra was such a great student of the Bible that he was known for his study. Earlier in the chapter, the text reads, “He was a teacher well versed in the law of Moses (Ezra 7:6). Wouldn’t that be a wonderful reputation to have, that people know you as a Bible expert?
2. Ezra obeyed the Word. Knowing the content of God’s Word was not enough. Ezra devoted himself to the observance of the Law as well. We would be hypocrites if we teach others how to follow God’s way then fail to observe God’s law ourselves. It sounds so obvious, but sadly enough, too many children’s ministry workers do not make Christ a priority in their personal lives. How can you personally follow Christ more closely this week?
Ezra was not a teacher who was new to the faith, high on enthusiasm and low on long term commitment. His commitment to God and His law came from a solid foundation of teaching that spanned many generations. Ezra was a from a long line of the high priests of Israel, reaching back to the first high priest, Aaron, the brother of Moses. In his lineage are included such courageous ancestors as Hilkiah, the priest who help King Josiah repair the Temple and read the discovered book of the law to the people, and Zadok, who ensured that Solomon was established as King as God had chosen.
3. Ezra devoted himself to his teaching. How devoted are you to your teaching? How prepared are you before each teaching session? If you are going to be a model teacher like Ezra, no procrastination! No Saturday night crash preparation sessions! No bare minimums! If you are going to be devoted to your teaching, you may have to give up other church activities. You may need to sacrifice your desire to be in a class of your own. You may need to face the misunderstanding of other people who criticize you for not serving on other committees or joining the choir. You may need to allow yourself to get close enough to your kids for your heart to break as you see their hurts up close and personal. Yet when you fully devote yourself to your teaching, you feel the joy of knowing there’s no other place you would rather be than Inside the Classroom.
When you fully devote yourself to the study and observance of God’s word and the teaching of His decrees, you will also garner the label of Teacher, like Ezra.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Teaching Children and Banana Pudding
When I served on a short term mission trip in Austria recently, part of my responsibilities was to work in a kitchen. In a two week span, our team of eight cooked three meals a day for 68 people. Although I love to cook for my family and friends, I begin to feel stressed if I must cook for any more than eight people at a time. This was my first introduction to large quantity cooking in an industrial kitchen. Fortunately, someone else was in charge and I only did what I was told to do, which was fine with me!
Often we started the preparations for a dish one or two days before it was even scheduled on the menu. One day, banana pudding was on the meal plan for the next day. Our head cook, knowing the end result, told me, “We’re making banana pudding. I want you to grind an entire box of graham crackers into crumbs.” When I completed that, she asked me to mix the crumbs with butter and put the mixture in a container. Next, I was to mix together nineteen boxes of vanilla pudding mix with milk.
Since I’ve made banana pudding before, I knew the next step and I wanted to continue. I wanted to be in charge of the entire process of making the banana pudding. It was not to be. At that moment, the head cook needed me to go cut up tomatoes for another project. Someone else finished the pudding the next day and I never saw it again until a small square rested at my place at the lunch table.
Teaching children is much the same process as I experienced with banana pudding. Many of us probably secretly desire to be the one to teach a young child the beginning concepts about God, then continue to train them in the ways of the Lord, bringing them to that wonderful moment when they accept Christ as Lord. After all, we’ve invested time into their lives. It would be so satisfying to be The One to bring them through to that final step of faith that brings them into the kingdom of God.
But that kind of long term involvement is more the rare exception rather than the rule. More often than not, you will have a particular child inside your classroom for 45 minutes a week, for one year. Some children will fill your room for only one session. That’s all the time you get with them. Then it’s someone’s job to influence, guide, teach and help them grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ. In fact, many people are teaching that child: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, church elders, dear little old church ladies who give the child a hug, the pastor, so many more.
The apostle Paul knew this part of discipleship very well. He says in 1 Corinthians 3:5-8: “ What after all is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Appolos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.”
Some plant, some water. God gives the growth. We can’t always be the one to finally see a child come to Christ or disciple that child to full maturity. We are needed elsewhere. Think of Phillip who, as recorded in Acts 8, won the Ethiopian to Christ then was whisked away by the Holy Spirit to somewhere. He never saw the man again, never knew whether the man passed along the Good New much less kept the faith. Yet Phillip lost no time in continuing to preach Jesus (Acts 8:40). Our task is to make the most of each moment He gives us with each child, to teach our best, then move on, surrendering that child’s spiritual growth to God, knowing that He cares infinitely more for each child then we ever could.
Often we started the preparations for a dish one or two days before it was even scheduled on the menu. One day, banana pudding was on the meal plan for the next day. Our head cook, knowing the end result, told me, “We’re making banana pudding. I want you to grind an entire box of graham crackers into crumbs.” When I completed that, she asked me to mix the crumbs with butter and put the mixture in a container. Next, I was to mix together nineteen boxes of vanilla pudding mix with milk.
Since I’ve made banana pudding before, I knew the next step and I wanted to continue. I wanted to be in charge of the entire process of making the banana pudding. It was not to be. At that moment, the head cook needed me to go cut up tomatoes for another project. Someone else finished the pudding the next day and I never saw it again until a small square rested at my place at the lunch table.
Teaching children is much the same process as I experienced with banana pudding. Many of us probably secretly desire to be the one to teach a young child the beginning concepts about God, then continue to train them in the ways of the Lord, bringing them to that wonderful moment when they accept Christ as Lord. After all, we’ve invested time into their lives. It would be so satisfying to be The One to bring them through to that final step of faith that brings them into the kingdom of God.
But that kind of long term involvement is more the rare exception rather than the rule. More often than not, you will have a particular child inside your classroom for 45 minutes a week, for one year. Some children will fill your room for only one session. That’s all the time you get with them. Then it’s someone’s job to influence, guide, teach and help them grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ. In fact, many people are teaching that child: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, church elders, dear little old church ladies who give the child a hug, the pastor, so many more.
The apostle Paul knew this part of discipleship very well. He says in 1 Corinthians 3:5-8: “ What after all is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Appolos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.”
Some plant, some water. God gives the growth. We can’t always be the one to finally see a child come to Christ or disciple that child to full maturity. We are needed elsewhere. Think of Phillip who, as recorded in Acts 8, won the Ethiopian to Christ then was whisked away by the Holy Spirit to somewhere. He never saw the man again, never knew whether the man passed along the Good New much less kept the faith. Yet Phillip lost no time in continuing to preach Jesus (Acts 8:40). Our task is to make the most of each moment He gives us with each child, to teach our best, then move on, surrendering that child’s spiritual growth to God, knowing that He cares infinitely more for each child then we ever could.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Hiatus
Thanks for visiting my blog. This blog specializes in issues pertaining to teaching children and the lessons they teach us as teachers particularly in the Christian education realm. I'd love to hear your feedback and what touches you as a teacher. Please feel free to leave your comment by clicking on the comment link below.
I'm having to take a short break from blogging because I just had emergency surgery. I hope to be back in the grovve soon to share more about teaching the children we love.
I'm having to take a short break from blogging because I just had emergency surgery. I hope to be back in the grovve soon to share more about teaching the children we love.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Helping Students Develop a Passion for God
Last week, I mentioned my trip to Austria to serve at TCMI, a graduate level training center for students from Eastern European countries. Many of these students who come to study God’s Word in-depth face isolation and even hostility for their faith. Bible training is not easily found. They do not have easy access to Bible resources and Christian literature like we do. Brothers and sisters in Christ who could encourage them in their daily walk are few and far between. These students were hungry for the Word of God, starving for encouragement to stay strong in their faith.
My first evening, I sat beside J. from Poland. Before I rose from the table, I said to him, “Blessings on your studies this week,” He paused, then said with a deep and sincere sound of gratefulness in his voice, “Thank you. Thank you very much.” I could tell he was deeply moved by my simple blessing. His response was indicative of the deep gratitude these students feel for being able to come study at TCMI, gratitude that they have a place to come, study the Bible and be encouraged by other believers.
J.’s commitment, hunger for the Word, and gratitude for what he was receiving made me ache. Unlike these Eastern European countries, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is readily available to us in the United States. Often the students Inside my Classroom lounge in their chairs, passive and indifferent to the truths I teach.
How can I fire my students with a passion for the Word of God, to long for God above all else? Hunger and longing come because the student recognizes something is missing from their lives. As Romans 5 says, character comes from suffering. As a teacher I cannot cause my students to suffer nor do I want to just so they will be hungry for God.
Perhaps I can show them what they are missing. Sometimes we don’t know we are hungry until we smell the scent of freshly baked bread or the pungent aroma of roasting meat. Perhaps my strategy should be to pray for hungry students, pray that God will make them aware of the voids in their lives that only Christ can fill. Then I should pray that God will motivate me to feed my students with the words that will bring them the satisfaction they crave. Perhaps I can be like the missionary couple I heard about who reached out to one Muslim. All they did was to be shower him with friendship. Just being his friends showed him how empty he really was. Soon he began to ask questions to find the food that would satisfy his soul. As I heard years ago, “Evangelism is merely one beggar showing another beggar where the food is.”
Meanwhile, may I look to myself. How can I become more hungry for God? How can I be more grateful for the teaching and encouragement that I receive from others? Would I be as grateful for a “word fitly spoken” that is the seasoning of salt my life needs at that moment? May I learn to be as hungry and as grateful as my friend from Poland..
My first evening, I sat beside J. from Poland. Before I rose from the table, I said to him, “Blessings on your studies this week,” He paused, then said with a deep and sincere sound of gratefulness in his voice, “Thank you. Thank you very much.” I could tell he was deeply moved by my simple blessing. His response was indicative of the deep gratitude these students feel for being able to come study at TCMI, gratitude that they have a place to come, study the Bible and be encouraged by other believers.
J.’s commitment, hunger for the Word, and gratitude for what he was receiving made me ache. Unlike these Eastern European countries, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is readily available to us in the United States. Often the students Inside my Classroom lounge in their chairs, passive and indifferent to the truths I teach.
How can I fire my students with a passion for the Word of God, to long for God above all else? Hunger and longing come because the student recognizes something is missing from their lives. As Romans 5 says, character comes from suffering. As a teacher I cannot cause my students to suffer nor do I want to just so they will be hungry for God.
Perhaps I can show them what they are missing. Sometimes we don’t know we are hungry until we smell the scent of freshly baked bread or the pungent aroma of roasting meat. Perhaps my strategy should be to pray for hungry students, pray that God will make them aware of the voids in their lives that only Christ can fill. Then I should pray that God will motivate me to feed my students with the words that will bring them the satisfaction they crave. Perhaps I can be like the missionary couple I heard about who reached out to one Muslim. All they did was to be shower him with friendship. Just being his friends showed him how empty he really was. Soon he began to ask questions to find the food that would satisfy his soul. As I heard years ago, “Evangelism is merely one beggar showing another beggar where the food is.”
Meanwhile, may I look to myself. How can I become more hungry for God? How can I be more grateful for the teaching and encouragement that I receive from others? Would I be as grateful for a “word fitly spoken” that is the seasoning of salt my life needs at that moment? May I learn to be as hungry and as grateful as my friend from Poland..
Thursday, April 17, 2008
The Way Children Learn
I’ve spent the last few weeks in Austria serving at Haus Edelweiss, the facility of TCMI Institute,, a graduate level bible training center, sponsored by TCM International. My job as a short term ministry worker was to serve the students by working in the kitchen, serving meals and praying for the students.
On the first evening, I sat beside J., a student from Poland. We were talking about children’s ministries and what kind of programs he knew of in the churches.. Then he dropped a comment into the conversation that seemingly was off topic, yet it caught my attention with its profoundness: “Children must learn by our example as well as by our teaching.”
Several times, during our stay, we were told, “The students are watching you. They see you serving and they are amazed that you would come so far to serve them.” The unspoken message was, “Watch then how you live.” I quickly realized this message was true for any person, teacher and helper alike, who works with students. The way we live our lives is as much a teaching session as the content between the cover pages of our curriculum guides.
The children you teach are watching you. They watch how you live. They see you during the week. They see how you interact with other adults. They see how you are modeling your faith. They hear every bad word, every bit of gossip you speak. It’s not likely that they will remember a specific bible lesson you teach; but they will remember the kindness you showed to them, how you served them, the hug you gave them when they were having a bad day.
Your children will indeed learn as much if not more from your example as from your teaching. Thanks, J., for reminding me to watch my walk this week so the children Inside My Classroom will listen more closely to my talk.
On the first evening, I sat beside J., a student from Poland. We were talking about children’s ministries and what kind of programs he knew of in the churches.. Then he dropped a comment into the conversation that seemingly was off topic, yet it caught my attention with its profoundness: “Children must learn by our example as well as by our teaching.”
Several times, during our stay, we were told, “The students are watching you. They see you serving and they are amazed that you would come so far to serve them.” The unspoken message was, “Watch then how you live.” I quickly realized this message was true for any person, teacher and helper alike, who works with students. The way we live our lives is as much a teaching session as the content between the cover pages of our curriculum guides.
The children you teach are watching you. They watch how you live. They see you during the week. They see how you interact with other adults. They see how you are modeling your faith. They hear every bad word, every bit of gossip you speak. It’s not likely that they will remember a specific bible lesson you teach; but they will remember the kindness you showed to them, how you served them, the hug you gave them when they were having a bad day.
Your children will indeed learn as much if not more from your example as from your teaching. Thanks, J., for reminding me to watch my walk this week so the children Inside My Classroom will listen more closely to my talk.
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