Pointing Kids to Jesus
- Partnering with families
- The church must partner with families, because God intends kids to learn in the context of family relationships
- Two combined influences make a greater impact than two separate influences.
How we accomplish this:
- Connect with parents intentionally in hallway/at the door of classrooms
- Take home sheets (verse, what they’re learning)
- Provide resources, Parenting Classes
- Targeting the heart
- God’s word teaches that behavior is rooted in the heart. Therefore, we want children to have a heart to follow God, not just go through outward motions.
- Teaching must focus on cultivating a heart that loves God and trusts His promises above all else, rather than just seeking to change behavior.
How we accomplish this:
- Choose curriculum that does just that!! Can’t be a curriculum that focuses primarily on what kids should “do.”
- Provide resources to parents that reinforce this.
- Make sure that when we talk with children, even in moments of discipline, we are targeting their heart, not just the behavior.
- God-centered, Grace-centered teaching
- Teaching must be centered on God’s word
- Teaching must focus on the gospel of God’s grace as the primary motivation for obeying Christ—A RESPONSE to the love that He has already shown us.
- Teaching must be application- oriented, rather than just imparting knowledge.
How we accomplish this:
- Again, choosing a curriculum that meets this criteria and ensuring our conversations with kids reflect this.
- Relationships with others
- Relationships with others in the church are an essential component of spiritual growth
- Learning and relationships should always be in a safe, caring and comfortable environment for children.
How we accomplish this:
- Recruit volunteers that love to invest in the personal lives of children…who understand discipleship (or who can be taught about discipleship! J )
- Provide opportunities for kids to develop relationships with other kids in their class through being in small groups, playing games together, etc.
- Serving
- We must teach children that everything we have is given to us from God and should be used to bring Him glory.
- We must provide opportunities for children to express their faith through serving, giving, and reaching out to others both inside and outside the church
How we accomplish this:
Operation Christmas Child boxes for each class, food drives, Middle/High Schoolers serving in Aletheia Jr, allowing kids to help with teardown after the service…
- Kid- Relevant teaching
- Teaching must be appropriate to a child’s physical, social, cognitive, and spiritual development.
- Different children have different learning styles, so we must teach in a variety of creative ways.
- We must seek to understand a child’s cultural influences and relate to that culture, while never compromising biblical truth.
How we accomplish this:
- FUN CURRICULUM!!
- Large group/small group format
- Large group- fun, upbeat music and worship made just for kids
- Small group- interactive curriculum where kids are a part of the learning process