Working in a children’s ministry is often perceived as a “lesser than” obligation in the church, yet take note of the strong words of warning Jesus proclaimed regarding the value of a child when his disciples questioned Him about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matthew 18:5-6)
If you have accepted the challenge to work with the young precious treasures of your church, I pray that some of the following nuggets of advice will help you on your way. You are in for a wonderful adventure packed with thrills, chills, and lots of spills. May God bless and encourage you on your journey.
Be Prayerful
Pray for the children
Remembering the value Jesus placed on children, pray as Paul did for the believers in Colossae:
…we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 9b-10)
Pray for their parents
Thank God for the parents who provide their children with the opportunity to grow in the instruction of God’s word:
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. (Psalm 127:3)
Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
Pray for yourself
Express any apprehension or fear you may have about embarking on a ministry with God’s treasured little ones. Ask Him to grant you wisdom and peace.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:3)
For I, the LORD your God hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
Be Prepared
Learn the policies and procedures
This step is very important and often overlooked in making preparations to work with children. Become acquainted with your church’s policies on the following:
- Emergency procedures: Learn where to go and what to do in case of fire, severe weather, or an intruder incident.
- Church documents and requirements for working with children: Determine if your church requires documentation for children’s workers in the church. Often procedures such as the number of workers required, discipline measures, bathroom procedures, and policies regarding photographing children are included in these documents.
Learn the needs of parents and students
Much of the information you will need in this regard will come from the workers who proceeded you in this ministry or the teacher who taught the students at an earlier grade level. Helpful information will include:
- Food allergies
Helpful tip: to avoid problems in this area, if possible, I don’t ever use any food items as treats or rewards. Stickers from Dollar Tree are a much better substitute.
- Accommodations and adaptations for students with special needs
This can include a variety of things. For example, a child in a class I worked in needed a service dog. The other students had to learn to adapt to the fact that this animal was a working dog, not a pet.
It is extremely helpful to learn beforehand if you will have students who need behavior modifications. If you work with parents ahead of time on this and learn from them how to best accommodate their child’s needs, they’ll love you forever.
Learn your material and resources
- Naturally, preparing your written material is paramount. Be warned however that being prepared is often not enough; you should be overprepared. (An activity you think should take 15 minutes might be completed in 3 minutes. You never know!) Always have a few “tricks” up your sleeve if you find extra time on your hands.
- Become acquainted with and set up any technology-related elements you will need to present your material. Not knowing how to hook up a piece of equipment during a lesson is like a strobing green light to wriggly little ones. It’s their signal to make a bad situation evolve into a tidal wave of chaos for the teacher.
- Communicate with your helpers before you teach for the first time. Let them know your goals and expectations. Share your methods of classroom management with them. Allow them to add their ideas. Learn their strengths so that you are able to make the best use of their contributions. Express gratitude frequently for their willingness to help.
Be Practical
Set a thoughtful and considerate budget
If your church has an allotted budget for your ministry, make every effort to be a good steward of the money available for your use. This also applies if you are personally funding the materials for your ministry effort. Take the time to learn about and use less expensive or free resources that are available online, at thrift stores or other children’s workers in your community.
Set a sustainable teaching pace
Making the mistake of cramming your early lessons with high-energy, high-volume activities is unwise. If you try to win your students’ favor with this tactic, your muscles and your mind will live to regret it. The children will grow to expect lessons filled with elaborate features. When you realize such activity is impossible to sustain and try to tone things down, your “little darlings” will rebel. Choose a variety of lesson elements that you can see yourself doing week after week. It’s okay to have an extravaganza every now and then, but that should be a special treat, not the norm.
Set realistic expectations
To have a classroom filled with children sitting docilely while absorbing every truth you put before them, would be wonderful. Face it though, there will be some days when the best thing you’ll be able to say is, “Well, Billy Bob didn’t fall out of his chair today; not one single time.” In my book, that’s a victory. Celebrate everything; every correctly answered question and every inquiring question is a good thing. Rejoice that you are part of a team providing the parents of these children a safe place to learn while they themselves are learning God’s truths. Your ministry has a farther reach than you may realize.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14) Bless you, children’s ministry worker. It’s a worthy calling indeed.
