Anaheim 07

Sunday morning we were involved in a ministry track of our choice. I was involved in the children’s ministry track. Who wouldn’t have fun when you put 50-some high school students and sponsors in a room, give them some fun games to interact with each other, teach them about the realities that children are facing and give them fun new ways to interact with children?

The leaders said that to be successful in children’s ministry, one thing must be established: You must find your inner child. Remembering how church was for you when you were a little child is important.

Church was always fun for me as I was growing up. I had fun making crafts, eating snacks and playing with people who would become my close friends. New activities and bright colors always put a smile on my face. Thinking about what put a smile on my face can make it easier to become a successful volunteer in the church setting.

Another way to relate to children is by remembering a favorite Bible story and then understanding why it was a favorite. One girl liked the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus best when she was young because she got to sing, ”Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he.” The story of Esther was popular, because a whole book in the Old Testament is dedicated to a girl. David and Goliath were also popular because David was young, and the story proves that even if you are young, if you are with God, he will protect you.

Leaders also talked about the idea of modern children’s ministry. As young as preschool, children are dealing with things that most high school students are facing, such as divorce, abuse and other tragedies. Churches need to be sensitive to the fact that all the children dropped off for Sunday school need even more special attention than before, because the teachers do not know what is going on in the home.

We were given a case study in which two girls constantly made fun of each other in a hurtful way. One girl had already gone to a counselor as a fifth grader. As a group, we decided that children will pick on other children because deep inside they are going through some sort of pain, and they have no way of letting their pain out. Teachers can address this is by praying with the child and by bringing God into the situation. We were encouraged to remember that kids have feelings and must be treated in the correct way using the correct manners and emotions.

One way to bring God into the situation is to explain a Bible story with sensitivity to what the Bible stories really teaches. For example, the story of the bread and the fish is a common story. Most teachers say that the message of that story is that the boy shared. In reality, the boy had faith in Jesus, and the story teaches that when we have faith in Jesus, we can accomplish anything.

We learned about an evanga-cube to teach the story of Jesus and “Resurrection Eggs” to teach the story of his death and resurrection. Of course, what time learning about children is complete without Play-Dough? These things made the children’s ministry track a great success. We learned about children’s ministry in a new light.