John Cline
In the ministry-to-children.com website is an article asking the question, “Why is Children’s Ministry So Important?” The answer is given in their article which they entitled, “68 Reasons Why Children’s Ministry Matters”. We have broken down those 68 reasons into two blogs, with last week’s blog being part 1 of that article. Below is part 2 of the 68 benefits of children’s ministry:
8 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Everyone
1. It is good for public schools. Kids who learn self-control and respect for authority are a blessing in any classroom.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Teach kids that God expects these character traits from his followers. Explain how the “fruits of the spirit” relate to the way they behave at school.
2. It is good for homeschoolers. Children’s ministry provides another social outlet and opportunities to experience learning in a large group.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Be aware of homeschoolers and work to make them feel welcome.
3. Mission project actually do good to others. When kids plan and do ministry projects these can be powerful acts of mercy.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Plan projects that relieve real suffering. These may be harder, but they are worth the extra effort.
4. Good for society. Children who understand God’s moral law and how to love their neighbors will make the world a better place.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Teach the children how obeying God and loving their neighbors will make the world a better place.
5. It is good for the christian movie industry. Christian booksellers have created a demand for family friendly cinema. Veggie Tales did change the video industry for the better and you should not underestimate the role of children’s ministry in spreading an interest in these type videos.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Occasionally promote a quality movie (or video series). Consider a church family outing to see it together.
6. It is good for kids book publishing industry. Children’s story Bibles and similar resources were created because parents (and churches) were looking for this type of material.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Make these resources available to parents in your ministry. Occasionally teach from a story Bible and recommend it for families to use at home.
7. It is good for their future spouses. Children who learn to love their neighbors and follow Jesus in all of life will be ready for marriages that last a lifetime. These values must begin when to be learned early in life.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Don’t skip the commandments about adultery. Tell children that marriage is important to God and it’s for your whole life.
8. It is good for their future employers. Hard work and self-control are virtues that the Bible assumes all Christians will demonstrate. Children’s ministry helps produce adults who love Jesus and follow his Word.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Share stories of church member who have reputations for being hard working. Explain that our work glorifies God when we do our best.
14 Educational Benefits Of Children’s Ministry
1. It accommodates the unique educational needs of children. We all know that children learn differently than adults. Targeted teaching for kids helps accommodate these differences.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Learn about cognitive development and know the limitations of your learners.
2. It allows teachers to target multiple intelligences in their teaching. New research in education points to various types of intellect. Typical children’s ministry curriculum already addresses these different learning needs.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Use a variety of learning activities that appeal to distinct learning styles.
3. It allows for age-graded instruction. A tried-and-true way to promote learning is to teach on different maturity levels. Children’s ministry programs (like VBS and Sunday school) have been doing this for years.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Plan times when children from similar grade levels can learn together.
4. It allows children to memorize large portions of scripture. A major focus for most children’s ministry programs is Bible memorization. Concentrated efforts in this area while kids are young can yield lifelong benefits.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Challenge kids to learn and retain three verse each month. Review these every week all year long. Use games and drills to make it fun, but don’t skip the Bible memorization.
5. It provides systematic Bible instruction. Sunday school publishers charge their lessons according to a defined scope and sequence. This assures that kids get a broad introduction to the Bible and its major teachings.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Evaluate your ministry programs. Ask yourself, “Will a child who completes this program know all the basics needed to continue their spiritual growth?”
6. It allows learning to worship in a group through singing. Kids who learn to worship in groups of other children, using simple worship songs, are better prepared to participate in congregational singing.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Choose worship songs and teach about the difference between singing and worshiping through singing.
7. It allows children to learn how to read scripture in public. Having kids read scripture in Sunday school and children’s church, helps them learn to read the Bible aloud.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Make this a regular component of your ministry time.
8. It helps kids learn to pray aloud in public. The same is true for praying in public. This is a much less intimidating process in a small group, such as Sunday school.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Invite children to lead prayer in Sunday school or children’s church.
9. It provides a context for children to learn how to respect their elders. This habit is also best learnt-by-doing. Children’s ministry is an excellent format to teach kids how to interact with and to respect older people.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Invite an older church member to share a testimony about their many years of serving God. Hold up long-term faithfulness as something that should be greatly respected.
10. It increases the total amount of instruction time children will get in the Bible. Promote biblical literacy by teaching the Bible. Even children who read their Bibles at home will benefit from this extra learning time.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Add a regular Bible reading portion to your ministry time. Even 2 minutes at a time will add up over the years.
11. It promotes the use of music as a learning tool. One of the easiest ways to learn is through music. Most children’s ministry curriculum provide music designed for worship as well as teaching.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Find the best mix of musically quality and content. Don’t just settle for contemporary music. When possible, teach the children songs based closely on scripture passages. Give away CDs with these high quality learning songs.
12. It provides a context for children learn to do peer-to-peer evangelism. When kids invite other kids to church, they take the first steps to witnessing to their friends. Children’s ministry helps make that happen by encouraging kids to share Jesus.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Encourage kids to invite friends to church and talk about Jesus in their regular life. Younger kids don’t have the same shyness about witnessing as adults. So, help them spread the message.
13. It provides opportunities to re-teach the Gospel in every developmental stage. Often a child’s response (or lack of response) to the Gospel is hidden by their immaturity. The best way to overcome this concern is to continue to reinforce the plan of salvation as they mature.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Have a plan to re-teach the Gospel in detail (at least four weeks worth of lessons) at least once each year while a child is in your ministry programs. If they don’t understand the way of salvation, then we have failed them.
14. It helps maximize spiritual development at every developmental stage. The principle is true for their spiritual development after they are converted.
— Children’s Ministry Tip: Watch out for 9–11-year-olds. This is a prime time when kids learn to pray long and deep. Celebrate their maturing spiritual capacities and help them become consistent in daily private worship times.
