Kids Ministry

Dedicated to helping Kids Ministry leaders in their mission of making disciples

Encouragement, Encouraging, Kids Ministry

Persevering for Another Year

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By Alyssa Jones

Our family celebrated when 2020 came to an end. We had started the year with great joy—welcoming our third-born into the world in early February—but shortly found ourselves stuck at home as the global pandemic changed everything about how we interacted with the world around us. We pressed on through isolation and anxiety, navigating virtual schooling and work-from-home in a way that left us feeling both thankful for the togetherness and powerless over anything outside our walls.

So I started 2021 on empty, half-joking that my “word of the year”—a tradition in which some choose to focus on success, energy, joy, or confidence—would be unsustainable. As in, I cannot keep doing this. If 2021 is anything like 2020, I’m not going to make it.

It turns out that 2021 was a lot like 2020. In many ways, it was even harder; but I did make it. And so, as 2022 begins, I want to testify that if you are feeling like you need a miracle to move forward into another year, the Lord is with you. I pray you’ll be encouraged in your ministry by the following truths. Spend time meditating on Scripture. Consider listening to the suggested songs on your favorite music platform.

The Lord sustains.

I spent too many of my younger years sincerely believing that I could “do it all” if I just tried hard enough. There is peace in recognizing your own weakness. God created us as limited beings who need rest and help. 

  • Pray that the Lord would raise up volunteers in your kids ministry.
  • Read it: “God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my life.” (Psalm 54:4)
  • Listen: “Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me” – CityAlight

The Lord knows.

When I am rocked by unexpected news, I remind myself, “The Lord is not surprised by this.” He knows. He has always known. In fact, He is using this somehow in a way I do not yet understand so that He will receive the greatest amount of glory. The Lord is good, and we can trust Him. 

  • Pray that the Lord would give you peace beyond understanding when you face challenges this year.
  • Read it: “Our Lord is great, vast in power; his understanding is infinite.” (Psalm 147:5)
  • Listen: “You Already Know” – JJ Heller

The Lord provides.

God is a good Father. Everything comes from Him, and He will not leave us needing that which we truly require. Take time to consider His blessings and thank Him for providing for your greatest need in Jesus.

  • Pray for your biggest need this coming ministry year. Be bold; pray for what seems impossible.
  • Read it: “What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?” (Romans 8:31-32)
  • Listen: “The Blessing” – Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes & Elevation Worship

The Lord is unchanging.

Friends move, coworkers seek new jobs, kids grow up. Some of us handle change better than others. The Bible is clear that the Lord is unchanging. When you read about God’s Old Testament miracles, remember that He is still that powerful God. The same God who showed Himself to be the one true God at Mount Carmel, powerful at the Red Sea crossing, and relentless in the lives of Hosea and Gomer is the same God we serve today.

  • Pray that kids will see and treasure the real God of the Bible and follow Him.
  • Read it: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
  • Listen: “Red Sea Road” – Ellie Holcomb

When everything around me felt unsustainable, the Lord proved Himself to be the One who sustains. The same God that faithfully led the Israelites into the promised land goes before us into 2022, powerful to sustain and provide. Trust Him with your new year. He knows what lies ahead and is at work for His glory and your good. Do you believe that?

Alyssa Jones worships and serves with her husband at Refuge Franklin, a church plant outside of Nashville, Tennessee. They have three children.

Encouragement, Encouraging, Kids Ministry, Ministry

Figs and Spider Lilies: Reflections of a Kidmin Leader

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This time of year our senses are overloaded with the sweet smells of cinnamon and pine, the contrasting sights of red/green and silver/gold, the joyful sounds of carols and children, and the tempting tastes of peppermint and chocolate. For me, smells, sights, sounds, and tastes tend to elicit memories, many of them from three to five decades ago. And, those memories trigger reflections on where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’m going.

Two particular objects were the catalysts of such reflections during the last part of this year. First, the arrival of bright, orange-red spider lilies springing up in the flowerbed after most of the other flowers had long since faded. Each year, these interesting flowers appear after I have already forgotten about any blooming plant and my thoughts have started turning toward fall.

My dad gifted me the spider lilies when he was thinning one of his flowerbeds several years ago. I attach a special sentiment to these perennials because they remind me of my close relationship with my dad, who passed away a few years ago. The annual emergence of these spindly orange-red flowers also reminds me that my dad is experiencing eternal life with Jesus at this very moment.

My mother now lives alone since my dad no longer walks this earth. And, for the past few months, my two brothers and our families have been traveling back and forth from our homes to the city where my mother lives in order to allow her to stay in her house even though she requires constant companionship and care. In my mother’s backyard is a small fig tree that my dad nurtured when he was alive.

This year my brothers and I pampered the tree through late fall, hoping to harvest a few figs. Well, we ended up with only three figs, and they just happened to be ready to eat during my turn to stay with our mother. As I enjoyed the sweet fruit, I remembered eating figs as a child and savoring extra-sweet homemade fig preserves on hot biscuits.

Both the figs and the spider lilies remind me that as a kidmin leader I have a past in which God has worked to draw me to Himself and to prepare me for His assignments. Just as perennial flowers and fruit appear around the same time each year, God has planted me where I am today for a specific purpose. Finally, as winter approaches, the lily plant and fig tree go dormant for a season only to reappear in the future with cheerful blooms and hearty fruit. God has a plan for me to produce future fruit, as well.

What about you? How has God drawn you to Himself in 2021? How is God using you today for His purpose? And, finally, for what assignments in 2022 do you sense God is preparing you? While we don’t know specifically what God has planned for us in 2022, we do know that He calls us to be faithful, bloom where He plants us, and produce spiritual fruit.

_________________________

Landry Holmes is the Manager of Lifeway Kids Ongoing Bible Studies and Network Partnerships, Nashville, TN, and is a graduate of Howard Payne University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The author of It’s Worth It: Uncovering How One Week Can Transform Your Church, co-author of Every Age, Every Stage: Teaching God’s Truth at Church and Home, and a general editor of the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids, Landry is a church leader, writer, workshop facilitator, and publisher. He teaches kids at his church in Middle Tennessee, where his wife Janetta is the Preschool Minister. They enjoy spending time with their two adult sons and their wives, and spoiling their five grandchildren

Christmas, Encouragement, Enlistment, Kids Ministry, Volunteers

A Christmas Miracle: Help for Last Minute Volunteers

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Twas the week before Christmas
and all through the halls,
Not a teacher was stirring,
they were all at the malls.

The kidmin was restless
Not sleeping a wink
Would she have teachers in place?
Her heart started to sink.

When all of a sudden
She remembered that God
Had not failed her yet
He would send her a squad!

She need only prepare
and be ready for who
God would send ‘cause He cares
He will always come through!

You’re not alone! Kids ministers and directors everywhere struggle with finding volunteers at the holidays. But remember, God loves these kids even more than you do. He will provide—sometimes at the last minute—but He does. (Not His fault…sometimes people just don’t listen when He calls!)

What YOU can do is be faithful to do your part and be ready for who He sends. 

  • Mark a Children’s Bible at Luke 2:1-20. Include a preschool version written out for less experienced leaders. Suggest that the teacher or an older child read the Bible story while the kids act out the parts.
  • Provide individually gift-wrapped Nativity pieces. As each piece is unwrapped, tell where that piece fits in the Bible story. Use child-safe pieces for preschoolers to play with. Encourage kids to act out the story as they play.
  • Provide a simple craft.  Have all the supplies readily available in a tub.
  • Make Christmas cards for friends or family using construction paper, markers, stickers, etc. Print Bible verse labels to be used in the card.
  • Provide a coloring sheet that depicts the Christmas story. Encourage the teacher to sit with the kids as they color and talk about the picture.
  • Take the kids Christmas caroling through the hallways. Add instruments for more fun! 
  • Kids love to wrap and unwrap gifts! Provide small boxes, wrapping paper, removable tape, and ribbons. Preschoolers will enjoy pretending to give each other gifts again and again!
  • Give tips on guiding conversations away from the secular points of Christmas back to the celebration of Christ’s birth. If kids begin talking about gifts from Santa, remind them that God loves us so much, He gave us His Son, Jesus. Or, talk about the gifts that the wise men brought Jesus when they visited Him later.

Lastly, show appreciation to your volunteers (both last-minute and regulars) by providing Christmas snacks or a small gift. (Maybe even a future “parents’ night out” at no cost for those with kids!)

Now relax!
Stop your fretting
And don’t be surprised
when God shows up big
He always provides!

Sunday morning went great!
Not one tear was shed
By a child or a teacher,
They were happy instead.

The day went so well,
I heard that it’s said
The kidmin was joyful
The Good News was spread!

She went home rejoicing
And exclaimed with delight,
Merry Christmas to all!
And to all, a goodnight!

Klista Storts serves as an Editorial Ministry Specialist for Lifeway Kids. Before coming to Lifeway, she served as the Weekday and Preschool Specialist at the Tennessee Baptist Convention and as Director of Preschool Ministries at churches in Oklahoma and Tennessee. Klista has a passion for equipping leaders to share the love of Christ and lay foundations for conversion in the lives of kids.

Discipleship, Encouragement, Evangelism

The Shoes you Choose

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You can tell a lot about a person‘s plans for the day by looking at their feet. Work boots or wing tips? High heels or high tops? Sneakers or loafers? Cleats or Crocs? Your goals and purposes and pathways and intentions are revealed in the shoes that you choose. 

Paul says something profound about what a Christian’s shoes are supposed to look like as part of his description of the armor of God in Ephesians 6. He describes them as having feet that are “shod” or “fitted” or “strapped” with readiness for the gospel. 

I can’t help but wonder which shoes in my closet best represent Paul’s picture of Gospel shoes. 

You may quickly think of your “Christian” shoes as your “church” shoes: formal and fancy, your dressiest, shiniest, most upscale “Sunday Best.” But that’s not the picture Paul paints in Ephesians 6. 

The shoes he describes are supposed to give us traction and support to stand firm and press forward. Gospel shoes are shoes that are meant for running along narrow trails and climbing up steep hills. Gospel shoes are more like army boots, or something you might use for CrossFit. I can’t help but wonder if my daily shoes are really fit for the use of the cross. 

Many of us prefer shoes that are stylish, or easy to slip on and off. I tend to opt for comfort and coziness. If I am honest, my feet are more comfortable when they are propped up at home on the coffee table than they are out on the busy streets and bumpy paths that lead me to interact with people who are far from God.

But Gospel shoes aren’t meant to be propped up. They are supposed to be worn in because they’re meant to be worn… out. Out in parks, and out on streets, and out at soccer games, and out at taco trucks, and out at repair shops, and out at hair salons, and out in offices, and out at coffee houses.

Gospel shoes are designed for bringing messages on mountaintops (Isaiah 52:7), and for trudging through hard valleys (Psalm 23:4). They help us to walk in the light (1 John 1:7) and keep us from stumbling (Jude 1:24). They are for crossing riverbeds (Joshua 3:15), and ocean floors (Exodus 14:22), and crushing the heads of serpents (Genesis 3:15). 

In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” Gospel shoes are meant to make an impression. They are made to leave marks. They are a means of imprinting tracks that those who come behind you can find and follow. And isn’t that what we are called to do?

As you put your feet on the ground tomorrow, and every day that follows, be mindful to carefully choose the shoes you will use. May you and I both be laced-up in thick-treaded boots that enable us to take active and ready steps to seek, search, and engage those who are far from God, walking with Him and beside them to lead distant ones to Jesus.

What kind of shoes will you choose today? 

Discipleship, Encouragement, Family

Seeing the People on Your Path

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My 15 year old son, Tyson, runs cross country. I’ve never been a runner and don’t understand the joy he feels when he runs, but I certainly admire his dedication and the hard work that his team puts in to train. They workout very early three mornings a week in a trail-filled city park. Being there at dawn has motivated me to walk while I wait for him to train. As I walk, I have noticed that I see many of the same people on the path. We have passed each other repeatedly over the last few weeks, and I now find myself watching for those familiar faces. There’s the older couple who loves to look for deer in the foggy field, the tense gal who has a pinchy face and walks with her shoulders pulled up by her ears, the two ladies who talk and laugh loudly while they stroll, the elderly-but-fit gentleman who passes me because he’s so much faster than I am, the businessman who always seems to be on a call, the tall lady who walks her tiny dog, and the small man whose big dogs seem to be walking him.

As I’ve started to recognize these regulars, I find myself making more and more of an effort to greet each one of them with a wave, a smile, a hello, or some small bit of conversation. Sometimes I’m so bold as to share a passing word of encouragement to the joggers, telling them what a great job they’re doing and that they’ve got this. As I’ve continued to engage in these simple small ways I have noticed that more and more of them now look for me and greet me back. Their eyes no longer go to the ground. Instead, they rise to meet mine. And their previously stoic faces now have friendly familiar smiles. 

I understand that not everyone reading this post will feel inspired to greet strangers on a walking path. Even as I write this I am chuckling to myself knowing that some of my dearly loved, but deeply introverted, friends would feel incredibly uncomfortable and self-conscious doing this. 

Undoubtedly some of the people on the receiving end of my walkway greetings in the park are introverted too. While some have been quick to respond and engage, others are more hesitant and tentative. 

To be clear, my mission is not to make anyone talk to me, it’s merely to greet them in a way that acknowledges each one individually with a positive interaction every time we pass. I realize that, for some of them, the happy friendly guy that they see in the park three times each week may be the only one who shares a word of encouragement with them that day. Over the course of just a few weeks I have noticed how this simple social experiment has seemed to break down barriers and create a small sense of connection and camaraderie with my fellow path walkers.

There’s a lesson for us here as leaders in ministry. It can be very easy for us, especially during busy ministry times, to be so focused on tasks and challenges and problems and programs that we miss the opportunity to actually see the people that God has placed right in front of us. 

Making intentional eye contact, sharing a smile, and speaking (even a brief) friendly word says ‘I see you,’ ‘I acknowledge you,’ ‘I value you.’ People need to know that they are noticed and known. 

As leaders we may feel like we need to have something big or profound to say. We preach and teach in expound lessons and morals and messages using lots of words. But, I propose to you that there is ministry power in brief moments and simple interactions, and that God uses them to break down barriers that help to open the ears and hearts of those who may be close to us in physical proximity but who may feel distant, lonely, isolated, and unseen.

Furthermore. God doesn’t call me to greet every person on every path everywhere. Only the ones he places on my path. Don’t miss this though, friends. The Lord directs our paths (Proverbs 3:6). And he places both obstacles and opportunity along the way. Our responsibility Is to walk with Him and look for ways to minister to others on the path that we are on.

Today I want to challenge you to lift up your eyes. Go out of your way to truly see the people that God has put in your path. Let them know that they have been seen by you, and that they are loved by Him. Sometimes God uses small encounters in big ways.

Chuck Peters is Director of Lifeway Kids. Before his role at Lifeway, Chuck had a prolific career in television and video production. He is a 3-time Emmy Award Winning producer, director, writer and on-screen talent. A graduate of Columbia Bible College, Chuck, and his wife, Cris, have served in Student and Children’s Ministry for many years.

Bible Skills, Bible Study, Encouragement

Hand to Heart: Keeping Micro-reminders of God’s Word Before Your Eyes.

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If writing on your skin with a Sharpie is bad for you, I may be headed in a bad direction. I have developed a habit of writing Scripture references in black permanent marker on my left hand. It usually washes off within the day, but while it’s there it serves as a constant reminder for me to meditate on a Biblical truth throughout my day. 

God tells us that his Word should be written on our hearts, etched into our minds, scratched into our doorposts, and carved into our gates. 

Isaiah 44:5 says, “This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’s’; another will use the name of Jacob; still another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and take on the name of Israel.” (emphasis mine). That verse has served as my inspiration for writing bible verses on my left hand. Over the last couple of years the references on my left hand have been reminders that the Lord will fight for me if I can just be still (Exodus 14:14). To not be shaken by circumstances (Hebrews 12:27-28), to stand firm in the faith with strength and courage (1 Corinthians 16:13-15), and to not give the devil an opportunity (Ephesians 4:27). 

The simple writing of scripture addresses on my left hand helps me to ponder the words of God as I go through my day and on my way. For me there is another very personal level of reminder: As a guy who often smashes his hand every time I work on a car or build something with wood, I have a number of scars on my left hand. Literally writing scripture over my scars reminds me that God is bigger than any of my wounds, and that it is by the stripes of the Messiah that I have been healed (Isaiah 53:5). 

You don’t have to write on your hand. You may choose to write your scripture reminders in other prevalent places. My daughter regularly sticks Post-it notes on the dash of her car with bits of Scripture to think about while she drives. My wife writes out Scripture-based prayers for our family in a prayer journal. I know some friends who write verses on their bathroom mirrors in dry-erase marker. 

Whatever method you choose to use, I want to challenge you to find ways to continually keep micro-reminders of God’s Word before your eyes. 

I find that too often I am too much like the person that James talks about in James 1:23-24. In it, he observes that if we are merely hearers of the Word (and not doers) we’re like a person who looks quickly into the mirror but immediately forgets what he looks like once he walks away. 

Most of us have incredibly short attention spans. We live in a world that’s filled with busyness and activity and entertainment and distraction that constantly pulls our focus to new things. We’re the kind of people who get up from watching a TV show, and when we go into the kitchen to find a snack we forget what show we were just watching. 

In this cultural context we must, as committed followers of Jesus, be highly intentional about deliberately setting our focus on the right things. Joshua 1:8 gives a direct challenge to concentrate on God’s Word, saying this about God’s book of instruction, “…you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.” 

For me that text is convicting. My brain so easily flies from one thing, to the next thing, to the next thing—from a movie quote to a song lyric to a meme to an upcoming deadline to a conversation I had yesterday—that I am seldom able to truly meditate, concentrate, or ruminate on any one thought for more than a few seconds at a time. 

But, as His followers, I believe God has called us to be different kinds of thinkers. He calls us to read his Word, not just for the purpose of checking off a box on our to-do list, but for the purpose of saturating our hearts and minds in The Truth; not like the absent-minded mirror-lookers in James’ letter, but as people who allow God’s Word to seep deeply into our hearts, permeating our souls and spirits. 

We are to be men and women who are so filled up with Scripture that it seeps and oozes out of us in our speech and attitudes and thoughts and actions. If a cup is filled with coffee and the person holding the cup is jostled, coffee will spill out. Likewise if that cup is filled with milk or juice or diet cola; whatever is inside is what spills out. The same is true for us. When you are shaken by the circumstances of life, whatever is in your heart will spill out; kindness or anger, harshness or gentleness, godliness or selfishness. 

Jesus said it this way in Luke 6:45, “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.“ 

As you go about your busy day today, moving through your meeting-filled, task-driven, not-enough-time-to-get-it-all-done week, take active steps to keep God’s Word in front of your eyes at every turn. Choose a verse that speaks to your situation. Pick a passage that points to a truth that you need to dwell on. Then bust out the Expo® and scrawl it on your mirror. Plaster it on sticky notes. 

Or, like me, grab your trusty, fine-point, black ink, permanent marker out of the coffee-mug pen holder on your desk and literally write it on your hand. 

I truly hope that the things I write on my own hand will seep through my skin and imprint upon my heart. Someday, after I die, my greatest hope would be that they find my heart stained with  black ink from a lifetime of writing God’s Word onto my hand.

Chuck Peters is Director of Lifeway Kids. Before his role at Lifeway, Chuck had a prolific career in television and video production. He is a 3-time Emmy Award Winning producer, director, writer and on-screen talent. A graduate of Columbia Bible College, Chuck, and his wife, Cris, have served in Student and Children’s Ministry for many years.

Bible Study, Devotional, Encouragement, Leadership

Busyness Does Not Equal Godliness

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By Brooke Hill

I’m a big-time planner. In fact, I keep my very filled-out planners from college so that I can look back and reminisce about all the fun things I filled my time with. To this day, whenever I make a plan, I have to add it to my calendar to make sure that I don’t forget about it and that nothing will overlap because there’s just so much to do! 

I’m finding myself in a season of busyness again right now. Summers are always busy with fun and traveling and soaking up the sunshine, and with fall and the start of school comes the time when it feels as if somebody presses the “resume” button and everything picks up again all at once. As leaders, it’s often easy to find ourselves stretched thin between leading our kids, trying to lead/be a part of our own community groups, serving, working, and making time to prioritize relationships in our lives. It’s easy for me to feel filled and accomplished because I’m constantly doing something. But what good is that if I’m so busy that I can’t seem to find thirty minutes of my day to sit in silence with the Lord? How can we lead if we’re too busy to spend time with the Creator that we’re spending most of our time encouraging others to turn to?

There is nothing that will make us more Godly apart from humbly allowing the Lord to sanctify us. It all goes back to Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

God won’t love you any more than He always has just because your schedule is filled. Your busyness doesn’t make you a better Christian or make God love you any more than He already does. Yes, we are certainly called to make disciples and to lead others to Christ. But that call doesn’t negate the call to spend time with the Lord and to rest. God loves the woman who spends most of her nights at home alone being still and finding rest in Him just as much as He loves the leader who spends almost every night at the church or in people’s homes. God set forth the example of rest by taking a Sabbath after creating the universe; so, too, should we set an example for our girls by showing them the importance of taking time to slow down. 

Have you ever noticed the verbage in Psalm 23:1-2? “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.” To me, it sure sounds like God knows that we tend to keep going and not rest. He has to make us do it. It sure is more fun to take the initiative to proactively plan rest before we get so sick or worn out that our bodies literally force us to rest (or God brings something else along to force us to rest). Exhaustion is not God’s best for us. 

What makes you love God more? Appreciating His creation by taking a walk through nature? Playing instruments or singing? Reading a book about Him? Spending time listening to Him while running or exercising? Rest doesn’t have to look like sitting on the couch doing nothing or getting extra hours of sleep. We must be filled so that we can help others be filled. In the midst of the busyness, we must prioritize setting aside time to spend with God. It doesn’t make us any godlier to be so worn out by the end of the weekend that we’re dreading another approaching week. God loves you and He loves your heart for kingdom activities, but He also won’t love you any less for keeping one night a week for yourself.  

Make time for some quietness and calm in your week. Let Him make you lie down and lead you to still waters this week.

Brooke Hill is a recent Baylor University grad who lives in Nashville, TN. She joined the Lifeway Students team as a content specialist after graduating and is excited to contribute to equipping churches with content to help students love Jesus more. She’s led student small groups since she was a freshman in high school and still loves it today! Brooke enjoys finding ways to serve in her community, reading a good book, marveling at God’s creation through traveling, and a cozy night in with some yummy pizza.

This post originally appeared on the Lifeway Girls blog.

Discipleship, Encouragement, Leadership, Prayer

Prayer for the Empty Chair

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As fall arrives, many of our ministries will re-gather, perhaps for the first time in a long time. Maybe you intend to kick things off with a large family event, followed by a fresh introduction to kids gatherings in Sunday school classrooms and in large groups for children’s church. Many of us will have new volunteers and new visitors and new opportunities to engage in ministry. Let’s absolutely make sure to appropriately celebrate those who attend. Greet her warmly, look him in the eye, call them by name, and let them know that they are welcome and wanted and valued. But even as we celebrate those who are present, I want to challenge you to also make an effort to be aware of those who are not there. 

I like to make a practice of praying over an empty chair. You can do this alone, with your volunteers, or even with the children in attendance. By praying over the empty chair we acknowledge that there is always room for one more, and that we want the Lord to bring someone into the group and fill the empty seat. 

The empty chair may represent someone who had been a regular attender who is no longer able to come to gatherings, or it may represent someone new to the area who is looking for a place to belong. It may represent someone who has never attended church before at all. 

By praying for the empty chair we make it known to all involved that our desire is to invite, welcome and celebrate those that God wants to bring to himself. It also lets children know that we pray for them even when they are not with us. 

As you return to gathering for ministry this week, consider starting a new practice of prayer for the empty chair. And ask God to bring newcomers into belonging in your church and in His family.

Chuck Peters is Director of Lifeway Kids. Before his role at Lifeway, Chuck had a prolific career in television and video production. He is a 3-time Emmy Award Winning producer, director, writer and on-screen talent. A graduate of Columbia Bible College, Chuck, and his wife, Cris, have served in Student and Children’s Ministry for many years.

Discipleship, Encouragement, Evangelism, Kids Ministry

Every Kid Longs to Belong

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At my church on Sunday mornings, I co-lead a class of 15-20 second graders. We are a fairly traditional “Sunday School” model environment. As I have taught over this past year and through some additional ministry conversations, a need rose to the surface that has heightened my sensitivity to the kids in my group and, in my opinion, strengthened our classroom experience. Regardless of what curriculum you use and what model your church is, there are ways we can help remove barriers to learning and feeling like an outsider by leading kids to feel like they belong, like they are not an outsider of your group

Tip #1 – Celebrate each child’s arrival

This may sound either obvious or outlandish to you, but this has proven to be a big deal for the kids in my class. I make great effort to ensure that I am in my room early enough to get any setup completed before kids arrive. I know that, in and of itself, may sound unattainable to some, but for me, it’s imperative that my attention can be focused on the door before my first 2nd grader arrives. 

Upon each child’s entry, I call her name with an excited tone “Gooooood morning, Emalyn! I am so glad you are here today!” as I give her a high-5 or fist bump or sometimes even a foot-5. One little guy likes to bust out in a short dance groove. 

This is a great first step to let each child know that I am genuinely excited to see her. 

If a visitor comes in that I don’t know, it is equally important that I celebrate him. This requires different intentionality. I first have to learn his name, so I’ll get down on a knee and introduce myself. After that, I’ll lead him into the room, introduce him to the others, and invite him to join the group, which is generally having free time or centers for the first 5ish minutes of our time. 

Tip #2 – Introduce names through a fun activity

Since we are generally having free time or free play as kids arrive, the first thing we do is gather in a quick huddle to introduce the day’s teaching point for 1-2 minutes. Any time we have a visitor, the first thing we do after this is a quick, fun “name game.” It might be “say your name and your favorite food” or “say your name and favorite color.” But everyone plays, every time. Even kids who are regular attenders start to realize they have things in common with the other kids in the group. And for visitors, this allows us to start helping them feel like they know the group and the group to know the visitors. They begin to feel like they belong.

Tip #3 – Begin your session with a game

Our first activity, regardless of whether we have visitors or not, is almost always a very active game, something that kids will have fun with. We try to play this for 7-10 minutes each week. Of course, kids love to play games, but playing large group games is another barrier-breaker that helps all kids feel part of the group. 

This is especially the case when we have visitors. Kids move from being an outsider and knowing no one, to starting to know a few names and the things others enjoy. With this active game, visitors are moving towards being part of the group through a shared goal. Maybe it’s a relay or Simon Says or Follow the Leader. Games have a unique way of removing barriers and helping kids feel like they belong to the group.

Tip #4 – Don’t overemphasize “what we learned last week”

This last tip is a little more general. Even though I am teaching through The Gospel Project for Kids and the chronology is important, I have begun to try not to overemphasize previous sessions. We often still talk about the timeline and things that happened before, but instead of saying “remember last week” or “who remembers who Jesus’ mother was?” I now try to phrase it more as “first time” information, such as “Earlier in the Bible we know that when Jesus was born, His mother was Mary and His earthly father was Joseph. At some point after Jesus was born, Mary had more kids so Jesus had siblings. Jude, who wrote the book of Jude was one of Jesus’ half-brothers.”

The reality I’ve seen with my second graders is that they don’t remember the details from week to week and month to month, so phrasing things this way helps me in at least 2 ways.

  1. Kids who are hearing it for the very first time do not feel like they missed out by this being their first time, and often consequentially, start feeling like the barriers are going back up pushing them outside. 
  2. Kids who were present on a previous Sunday when certain stories were taught do not feel shamed for not remembering specific details.  

In my experience this past year, this tip is a small one but makes a huge impact on helping all kids feel like they belong and are part of our group.

Every kid longs to belong. They all want to feel part of the group, like an insider rather than an outsider. As kids leaders we can help break down barriers allowing kids to move from outsiders to insiders. And when we do, their hearts begin to be more receptive to the gospel.

What are other ways you create an environment for kids to feel like they belong?

Jeremy Carroll  is the Lifeway Kids Ministry Publishing Manager for VBS and Discipleship resources. Before coming to Lifeway, he has been active in local church ministry for nearly 20 years in TN, TX, and AL. Jeremy earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. A Middle Tennessee native, he and his family live in Murfreesboro, TN. 

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