Tips for Children’s Ministry | Part 4 | Teach Them How to be Saved
Try to weave the plan of Salvation into EVERY single lesson you teach without seeming to depart from your topic. Don’t let even one lesson just go by. You may only get one shot at some of these kids. Make the assumption every Sunday that this is the last time you will ever get to teach some of these kids and make sure they hear the essential doctrinal basics somewhere in your lesson.
Make sure that the curriculum you are teaching completely covers all of the core doctrinal points. You need to cover the essentials such as repentance, baptism in Jesus name, the Holy Ghost, one God, holiness, etc. in detail at least once per year although you will mention them at least briefly in other lessons along the way.
Make sure that all of your students know what kind of church they are in. If they move away and one day want to find God, they need to be able to find an apostolic, one God, doctrine believing church. Explain what separates your church from most denominational churches.
You should not only think of your students constantly but you should be praying DAILY for them. Each time you pray you should call out the names of the students in your class one by one (use a list if you need to). If you can’t cry over them during your prayer time then pray that God helps you develop a real burden and passion for what you are doing.
Teach to BOTH the bus kids AND the church kids. Challenge the church kids while still reaching for the lost. We often forget our own church children when we speak about Sunday School but Sunday School is not only a tool to bring people into the church, but it is also one of the best tools for keeping people saved. Mark 8:36 asks, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” To put it another way, what shall it profit a man if he shall save a dozen bus kids and lose his own children?” Ask yourself. “If I were not a Christian, would I want to come to this Sunday School? If I were a child of a member of this church, and had my way, would I want to come to this Sunday School?” Our children are made to come. We must to give them the best.
Teach your students how to be saved and how to live for God by example. If you worship every time there is an occasion to worship they likely will also. If you really pray each time there is an occasion to pray they likely will also. They are watching you and will take their cues from your actions. If you have any sort of special service such as children’s church or if they attend your main services make sure that they see you doing everything that you want them to do. Be excited about living for God. Teach them that living for God is fun!
Don’t want to be irritable, grouchy or an old grump. Why would they want to live for God if they think they will just turn out like you and they don’t even like you? Be happy, excited, cheerful and fun to be around.
Make sure that your students see you in every church service. If you encourage them to never miss a Sunday morning, you in turn should never miss a church service either. You should be more faithful than they are and be a role model.
Be sure to let the students see YOU give to the Sunday school offering. Don’t encourage them to give if you are not willing to give yourself.
Be sure not to confuse your role with God’s. Your role is to do your best to communicate the Gospel CLEARLY & SIMPLY to the child – It is GOD’S role to convict and open their hearts.
Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians 3:6&7:
- I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
- So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
Do your part and let God do His. As much as you may want to, you cannot give them the Holy Ghost… you can only teach them about it and then create an atmosphere that lends itself to that end.
You can also give the kids bibles with the key scriptures underlined and written in the front. We found that printing a big label with key doctrinal verses and pasting it inside the cover of the bibles we gave away or sold in our Sunday School store was an easy way to do this.
Part 1 – Have a Burden For Your Students
Part 2 – Get More Kids To Come To Sunday School
Part 3 – Make Them Want To Come Back
Part 4 – Teach Them How To Be Saved
Part 5 – Give Them the Opportunity to be Saved
Part 6 – Disciple Them Until They Get it For Themselves