Christianity Today did a group of surveys in 2012 and found that 60% of churched kids will walk away by the age of 15. Why this exodus from Christianity? They say it’s boring,
shallow, and irrelevant. How would you rate your children’s church? Is it boring the kids to death? Are you teaching in a dry and repetitive manner? Is your children’s ministry programs pushing kids away because of its spiritual irrelevance?
There is a good chance that if you are reading this article you fall into one of these three categories: you have either been frustrated working with young kids, are frustrated right now, or know someone who is frustrated. It has become such a normal state of children’s ministry that many people have just become used to the chaos and turmoil in the children’s church classroom. Simply put, many churches are content to have a children’s church program that is in disrepair.
I realize that not all churches structure their services with a separate children’s ministry. This really isn’t a debate on how you organize your ministries. However, for those that do have a children’s church, this is a valuable time slot that cannot be wasted from week to week. Do the math. One calendar year could yield up to 52 hours of Biblical training and teaching!! Don’t tell me that it doesn’t matter! We are wasting valuable time when we fall into these common children’s church traps.
1. Not requiring that children sit and sit quietly
I know this sounds simple but when you allow children to be disruptive it changes the whole atmosphere in the classroom. It is so easy to just overlook disruptive behavior but in doing so you are making it less profitable for all the other children that are there to learn.
2. Failing to communicate when there are issues
Along with point number one, when there are issues, don’t wait too long to communicate with those in charge. At the very least you need to be willing to talk with parents. This is often very awkward and that is why we try to avoid the confrontation. However, you can communicate truth in a way that is gracious. Above all else, be kind with your words during these talks!! Maybe at your church you have a youth pastor or youth leader that oversees that ministry. Keep him aware of any possible issues. Believe me, he probably will be cornered at some point by a parent and it is better if he know ahead of time what is happening in the classroom.
3. No organized teaching or curriculum
Can I say it loud! Get a curriculum! It makes preparation and planning for children’s church so much easier. A curriculum also keeps the weekly content on track and purposeful! I have found that this
alone solves many of the issues that arise from a stale or lifeless bible lesson. A curriculum ties each week’s lessons together in a way that encourages week-to-week learning. Isn’t that our goal? Absolutely! We want our kids to walk out each Sunday knowing Christ and His Word better. A curriculum helps accomplish that. (there are links to great resources at the end of this post)
4. Not teaching on a kid’s level
Make sure your teaching content and style is appropriate to the age of the children. Let me say this clearly. You need to teach the younger kids in a way that keeps their attention and you need to teach the older kids material that challenges them spiritually. Don’t coddle the upper elementary kids. They need to be encouraged in deeper spiritual truths!
5. Failing to use visual aids
Let’s be honest. We are a visual society. Using nice visual aids, graphics, or slides really helps bring Scripture alive. At this age kids are just learning the foundational people, places, and events of Scripture. Make that learning fun! Use visuals! I remember the days of flannelgraph and I’m sure you do also. Why was is effective? Because it drew us into the lesson…WE WANTED TO LEARN!!! Many of the Bible lesson visuals are now available digitally and could be used many different ways to draw interest to the lesson. Find some visuals and use them!
I think teaching curriculum is often an area that we fail to address simply because we just don’t know where to turn. Here are a few suggestions that I have used over the years and would make great teaching tools for any local church.
Do you have other curriculum ideas? Share them! Leave a comment below and help others learn through your experience!!DJHarry Isaiah 64:8 We are the clay!
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