Evangelism

July 6, 2020

Salvation Follow-up After VBS

by Rhonda VanCleave

From the sound of the first heartbeat, to the gender reveal day, to hospital “go time,” new parents celebrate every step of the anticipation of a new life joining theirs. After the celebration of birth, do they drop the baby off in the crib and go about their lives? ABSOLUTELY NOT! That would be appalling.

Sadly, a similar thing happens in some churches with a birth that is equally important, the New Birth of a Christian. Much effort has been put into VBS (or any other outreach event). People have worked tirelessly to make preparations, to plan for the best experience ever, and when “go time” came, they gave it everything they had. And, joy of all joys, when kids and adults trusted Jesus as their Savior, there was much celebration! But, how many times are their names assigned to a small group class role and people go on about their church lives? We drop baby Christians in their “crib” and expect them to grow.

What plans does your church have in place that will help new Christians take their first unsteady steps toward Christian growth? The VBS Administrative Guide (the ultimate toolbox of resources for VBS planners) contains practical helps to follow up with those who have become Christians during VBS.

First steps involve communication. Talk with parents whose children have made a profession of faith during VBS. A sample letter is provided on the CD-ROM included with the VBS Administrative Guide (“Sample_Followup_Letters.rtf”). The letter explains that someone from your church will be contacting parents. A personal conversation with the parent is very important.

Sometimes the child may be actively involved in another church. In that case, a sample letter is also provided to help communicate the information with that pastor so their church can come alongside the child for discipleship.

Next, the beginning of discipleship is helping kids understand what it means, “Now that I’m a Christian.” Page 38 of the VBS Administrative Guide describes some of the resources available for this important step, starting with the I’m a Christian Now! Leader Kit. A basic follow-up and discipleship plan is also outlined on page 39 of the Administrative Guide. Churches can choose or develop the plan that works best for them.

The bottom line is this, plan for those new baby Christians with the same effort new parents plan for their anticipated arrivals. Expect great things from God and be prepared to welcome those new responsibilities with joy!

Discipleship, Evangelism, Gospel-Centered, Podcasts, Uncategorized

September 13, 2018

Sharing the Gospel with Kids

By Chuck Peters

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Jeremy Echols and Bill Emeott join Chuck on the Kids Ministry 101 Podcast this week to discuss the importance of Sharing the gospel with Kids. Jeremy and Bill talk about how we train our CentriKid Camps staff and how they relate everything back to the gospel. We aim to help kids grow in their relationship with Christ and to present the message clearly for those who don’t have a relationship with Christ.

Earlier this week, we released a free training that was used at CentriKid Camps this summer to train staff and leaders on how to clearly and appropriately share the gospel with kids. You can find that training here!

Jeremy Echols leads the CentriKid Camps and Student Life for Kids teams. He, his wife Emily, and their precious daughter love their church, their neighborhood, and spending time together. Jeremy loves to read, watch sports, and grill burgers.

Bill Emeott serves as Lead Ministry Specialist for LifeWay Kids. A graduate of Mercer University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Bill has served as a Kid’s Minister and considers himself a professional Sunday School teacher. He currently teaches 2nd Grade Bible study at his home church in Nashville.

To find out more about CentriKid Camps click HERE!

CentriKid, Evangelism, Kids Ministry, Leadership

September 11, 2018

Share the Gospel with Kids – Training Session from CentriKid

By Jeremy Echols

At CentriKid Camps, we are clear about our purpose—we serve the church in her mission of making disciples. One of the best ways we can do that is by using every activity at camp to intentionally make the message of Christ clear in the lives of kids.

Bible Study and Worship are obviously times when we share the gospel and unpack what it means to live a life that is committed to God. We also train our staff to share the gospel through Recreation, Track Time activities, and even Hang Time.

We aim to help kids grow in their relationship with Christ and to present the message clearly for those who don’t have a relationship with Christ. Our staffers are faithful to share clearly in every programmed activity of the day—never with the intent of pressuring children, but always with the heart of making it easy to talk about the things of God and ask questions.

Download the free Training Plan and prepare for your next training session:

Training Plan (guide for the session including links to the handout & training videos)
The Gospel God’s Plan for Me Booklets
The Gospel God’s Plan for Me – 6 Session Leader Guide

With this training session, we are opening up the playbook and equipping kids ministry leaders to train their volunteers with the same materials and plan that we use to train CentriKid staffers. Thousands of adult leaders experienced this training session at camp in 2018 and we hope this resource is valuable for many more to be trained for sharing the gospel with kids.

Jeremy Echols leads the CentriKid Camps team and manages the LifeWay Kids events. He, his wife Emily, and their precious daughter love their church, their neighborhood, and spending time together. Jeremy loves to read, watch sports, and grill burgers.

Discipleship, Evangelism, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Missions

January 15, 2018

Teaching Kids to Serve

By Bill Emeott

Teaching Kids to Serve – Emeott

I believe that the Bible is for all people, not just adults but kids, too. And while we need to be sensitive to age-appropriate opportunities, James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.” Our role in Kids Ministry is not to simply teach but to help kids understand the importance of doing and becoming doers.

There are examples throughout Scripture of kids serving and ministering to others. First Samuel 16 tells of a shepherd boy ministering to a distraught king. Second Kings 5 documents a slave girl ministering to her skin diseased master. Second Kings 22 tells of the boy king who leads his people well and John 6 is a favorite Bible story about a boy who ministers to thousands of hungry people.

BIBLICAL MANDATE

The Great Commission tells believers (all believers) to be witnesses and go and minister. Consider ways kids can serve independently or with little supervision. Give assignments and let them serve. Other opportunities require supervision and lend best to service with peers and leaders. Don’t forget families. Families serving together create great opportunities for parents to teach missional living. Identify needs and share those needs with families.

Acts 1:8 gives some direction: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Most of you will realize the geography associated with this passage. Start where you are and move from there. Establish the three classifications mentioned above: Independent, Supervised Groups, and Families, and get started.

KIDS CAN MINISTER IN THEIR JERUSALEM (THE LOCAL COMMUNITY)

Pick up your local newspaper and you’ll be overwhelmed with ministry opportunities. From the front page through the sports section there are opportunities to show the love of God. Sympathy cards to the bereaved and congratulations to the newlywed and local heroes. From 5Ks and apple festivals to high school sports games and local first responders appreciation opportunities. Your church needs to be on mission in the mission field it’s been placed and your Kids Ministry needs to be a part.

KIDS CAN MINISTER IN THEIR JUDEA (THE REGION & STATE)
Move past your cities limits and the opportunities to lead kids to serve expands. How can kids be involved in ministering to Judea? How can kids be involved in taking God’s love to your state? What opportunities can you identify that gets outside the comfort zone of your community and ministers to those close-by but not next door? Check with your local association or your state convention of like-minded churches for ideas.

KIDS CAN MINISTER IN THEIR SAMARIA (NORTH AMERICA)

For those of us who live in the United States, opportunities for service across North America are advertised nightly on the evening news. Wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes just to mention a few. When you hear the nightly reports do you hear opportunities to involve your kids? What can they do individually? What could a Kids Bible Study class do? What might families join together to accomplish?

KIDS CAN MINISTER TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (INTERNATIONALLY)

More and more our globe is getting smaller and smaller. Communicating with people halfway across the world is as easy as calling across town. Don’t limit your ministry reach to the US. Think globally and how you can lead kids to make a difference in Jesus’ name in Africa or Eastern Europe. What could kids do to share the love of Jesus in Asia? Start with international organizations like Operation Christmas Child, the International Mission Board, or other trusted agencies to find ways your Kids Ministry might serve.

If we want kids to grow up to serve and share the gospel we need to teach them how to serve and share. Lead kids to establish habits of service and sharing and we’ll see service and sharing as habits of the next generation of adult leaders. If you want to make a difference in 15 years? Start today with the kids in your ministry.

Bill Emeott serves as Lead Ministry Specialist for LifeWay Kids. A graduate of Mercer University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Bill has served as a Kid’s Minister and currently teaches 2nd Grade Bible study.

Evangelism, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Reaching

February 10, 2017

Tips for Kids on Sharing Their Faith

By Tim Pollard

Hey leaders, parents, and anybody else who happens to be reading this post, here is some helpful information you can pass along to the kids in your sphere of influence with tips on how they can share their faith. Wait, what? Kids sharing their faith? We grownups sometimes don’t do a good job of sharing our faith with others so how can we encourage kids to do it? If you fall into this category then these tips might be helpful to you as well. Get REAL!

Relationships. Get to know people. Getting to know people is the easiest way for you to start a conversation about your faith. Developing relationships with others is pretty easy if you treat them as the Bible tells us to—the way you want to be treated. For kids, this is usually a lot easier than it is for adults. Get to know someone and find some common ground to begin your spiritual discussions.
Experience. Your experience with Christ is your very own, you don’t need to make up the story of what happened to you, nor do you need to worry about what others think. The story of your experience with Christ can be shared with confidence.
Ask. Ask questions not just to get to know the person you are talking to, but ask questions to elicit understanding from the person you are talking to. See if the story you shared made sense to them and ask if your friend has any questions of their own.
Laugh. I’m a big believer in laughter; I love to do it! Laughter opens up many doors and brings ease and comfort in sometimes uncomfortable situations. Now, you don’t have to start with a joke, but laughter helps a conversation move naturally from place to place. If you are having fun and enjoying each others company it will be easier to share about your faith in a way that is more natural and comfortable.

If we get REAL with our faith sharing and encourage kids to do the same, they will be more comfortable sharing the message of Jesus with others as they grow and mature. Remember, the story you are sharing is the greatest story every told and you should be excited and honored to be able to share it with others. God bless you as you tell others about His love!

Tim Pollard teaches 3rd-6th graders Explore the Bible: Kids Worship on Sunday nights at Tulip Grove Baptist Church. He’s passionate about helping kids dig deep into Scripture, which he pursues through his daily work as leader of the Explore the Bible: Kids team. Tim lives with his wife and daughters in Mount Juliet, TN.

Evangelism, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Reaching

December 12, 2016

Free Resources for Sharing Jesus with Kids

By Chuck Peters

Leading kids to Christ is at the center of everything we do in children’s ministry. But, many adult leaders lack confidence when it comes to communicating the gospel to kids with clarity. It is essential that we include the key concepts of sin and salvation, but we need to do so in language that kids understand. This is such an important conversation to have that we decided to create and share some free resources to help you specifically equip your volunteers for success in communicating God’s plan of salvation to the kids in your ministry.

The Gospel God’s Plan for Me

The first resource to download is this simple icon-driven gospel outline. You can print it to hang on your classroom walls so it’s always accessible, make copies for each of your leaders to review at home, even share with parents to equip them to have this conversation at home. The simple outline uses 5 icons: a crown, an X, the cross, a gift, and raised hands as visual memory hooks to help leaders and kids recollections. We invite you to share these resources freely as widely as you like. If you are interested, you can find 4-color printed pocket-sized booklets with The Gospel God’s Plan for Me at lifeway.com.

The Gospel God’s Plan for Me is a document that our content editors and kids ministry experts have developed to get the conversation going. It is intended to be used as a clear and concise gospel presentation that helps lead a child who is interested in a personal faith in Jesus up to the point of decision. We leave a time of prayer and commitment to you.

Unpacking the Story

The outline goes like this:

God Rules: The Bible tells us that God created everything, including you and me, and He is in charge of everything. Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11; Colossians 1:16-17

We Sinned: We all choose to disobey God. The Bible calls this sin. Sin separates us from God and deserves God’s punishment of death. That’s bad news. Romans 3:23, 6:23

God Provided: But wait. There’s also good news! God sent His Son Jesus, the perfect solution to our sin problem, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. That’s something that we, as sinners, could never earn on our own. Jesus alone saves us. John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9

Jesus Gives: Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Because Jesus gave up His life for us, we can be welcomed into God’s family now, and for all eternity. That’s the best gift ever! Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 2:8-9

We Respond: How can you respond to this gift? Believe in your heart that Jesus alone saves you through what He has already done on the cross. Repent, turning from self and sin to Jesus. Tell God and others that your faith is in Jesus. John 14:6; Romans 10:9-10, 13

The ABCs help us remember how to respond to the gospel.

A: Admit that you are a sinner and repent. Repent means to turn around or to change direction. We turn away from our sin and turn towards God.

B: Believe that Jesus is God’s Son and receive His gift of forgiveness from sin.

C: Confess to God, and other people, that Jesus is your savior and that He is Lord of your life.

Kids Gospel Presentation Videos

To make sharing the gospel easier, we have also created free gospel presentation videos that you can use. Visit lifeway.com/kidsgospelpresentation. There you will find seven different videos of a variety of men and women sharing the same gospel presentation. There’s even one in Spanish. Adults can play these videos for their kids and let our communicators share the Gospel God’s Plan for Me, or your team can use these videos as samples to help them learn to communicate the gospel with greater clarity and confidence themselves.

If you use LifeWay Kids resources like Bible Studies for Life Kids, Explore the Bible Kids, The Gospel Project for Kids, TeamKID, or LifeWay VBS, you will also find these videos on the DVDs included with your lesson resources. We have posted them to lifeway.com/kidsgospelpresentation to allow these videos to be shared more broadly by anyone, whether they use LifeWay Kids resources or not. Our prayer is God will expand the reach of the gospel as we equip you, the church, for ministry.

Remember, the gospel is always best communicated in the context of relationship, and decisions to follow Christ should always be followed up with relational discipleship in the local church. If you are interested in new believer resources, I highly recommend I’m a Christian Now. It had sessions for younger and older kids to help them as they begin their personal faith journey. You can find more info HERE.

May God add His blessing as you share the good news of salvation through Jesus with the kids in your community!

Chuck Peters is Director of Operations for LifeWay Kids. A graduate of Columbia Bible College, Chuck has served vocationally & voluntarily in Student and Children’s Ministry for many years.

Evangelism, Kids Ministry, Leadership

November 30, 2016

Be Our Guest!

By Delanee Williams

I recently moved to Nashville. A move to a new city also meant searching for a new church home. Since I have served on church staff, I’d not had the experience of searching for a church home since college. As I visited churches, I kept thinking of families in our kids’ ministries. What are their experiences when they visit a church for the first time? During my visits, I noted three simple actions that made a big difference in my experience as a guest.

Correct Information Matters. Does your church’s website and print material include up-to-date information? Different start times for ministries and different locations for a class listed can be confusing to a guest. Regularly review published information to ensure all content is correct.
Signs Can Make a Big Difference. Think from the perspective of someone who has never been to your church. More than likely, they won’t know where to park, where the worship center is, where their kid’s class is, or where their class is. Clearly labeled signs help guests easily identify parking, the worship center, and classrooms. The best experience is for a church member to personally walk with the guest and help her find the worship center and classrooms.
Following-Up and Connecting With Guests Is Important. When a guest shares her information, she foresees receiving contact from the church. Does your church have a process of utilizing the information to connect with guests? Many churches have a process of following up with guests after their first church visit. Few churches continue to follow up after their second or third visit. Connecting again after a return visit allows them time to connect with members. It gives an opportunity to ask questions after learning more about the church. Most importantly, the genuine contact communicates the church wants to get to know the guest and be a part of the church.

What steps does your kids’ ministry need to take to help guests feel welcome and have a great experience? Place a priority on making them feel welcome. If a guest doesn’t feel welcomed or connect with members in the church, it’s likely she won’t return. We want guests to get connected, join the church, and grow in their relationship with Christ.

Delanee Williams serves as a Ministry Specialist with LifeWay Kids. She is a graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Delanee has served in kids ministry for over twenty years and is passionate about developing, equipping and encouraging leaders.

Evangelism, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Sunday School

November 11, 2016

5 Keys to Teaching Kids the Gospel

By Brian Dembowczyk

Have you ever felt overwhelmed about teaching kids because there is so much in the Bible to teach, and it’s all important?

I have felt that way at times, but what I have found helpful is to remember the big picture of what I am teaching—the gospel. Our goal is not to teach stories or doctrines in isolation. Our goal is to teach our kids the gospel—the unified story of Jesus that runs throughout the Bible. So let’s look at five keys to teaching kids the gospel based on Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (HCSB)

Know the Gospel (v. 4)

God begins with an important theological statement about Himself—God is One. God is unique, there is none like Him. As we begin thinking about how to teach kids, God invites us first to ponder who He is. Why? Because we cannot pass along that which we don’t have ourselves.

We need to make sure that we are spending time with God, considering who He is and His ways. A big part of this is camping out on the gospel and diving more deeply into its riches to understand the beauty and splendor of Christ. Remember that our best teaching always comes from the overflow!

Love the Gospel (v. 5-6)

There is a natural progression from verse 4 to verses 5 and 6. Spending meaningful time with God will stir our affections and increase our love for God and the gospel.

Don’t miss what we are to love in verse 6—God’s words. We don’t usually think about loving God’s commands, but it makes sense. When we know God and love Him, we understand that all He does is for His glory and our good. We love God’s commands because we know and trust His heart behind them.

Notice, the first three verses all center on us, not our kids. That’s critical. The best way to prepare ourselves to teach our kids is to give God space to work in our own hearts and lives.

Share the Gospel (v. 7)

We are to teach the gospel repeatedly—looking for new ways to help our kids understand its beauty and power on a deeper and more profound level. The original Hebrew in that verse carries the meaning of “piercing the heart,” which is a great visual for us. We want what we teach to get deep down into our kids’ hearts. That is why we have to be sure to teach the gospel—only the gospel satisfies the heart.

This also reminds us of our need to teach the “why” of the gospel, not just the “what.” Teaching is not just transferring facts. Facts tend to get into the mind and not go much farther. The gospel needs to get into the heart as well. And that is why we need to teach God’s heart—the “why” of the gospel.

Live out the Gospel (v. 7-8)

We usually think of teaching in a more formal sense, but that just scratches the surface. Notice when we are to talk about the gospel with our kids. When we sit, walk, lie down, and stand—in other words, all the time. The idea is not that we always teach formally, but that we weave the gospel into our daily rhythm of life. This is powerful! We want our kids to see that the gospel makes a difference in how we think, feel, and live.

Be Marked by the Gospel (v. 9)

When you think of writing God’s words on your doorposts and gates, picture a house address. An address defines your house—it is how a delivery person or guest can differentiate your house from other houses. That is what the gospel should do for us. It should define us and set us apart from others around us. And if we are living out this passage to this point, being marked by the gospel will naturally occur as we live out the gospel and show our kids and the world, the sweet fragrance of Christ.

Evangelism, Kids Ministry, Leadership

September 19, 2016

How to teach the Gospel without “Velcro®”

By Jana Magruder

Heart transformation in kids happens when we center our teaching around the gospel. To some, this means teach a Bible story and then tell the plan of salvation. I call this attachment teaching—almost using the gospel like a piece of Velcro® that we tack on at the end of a lesson. I can’t tell you that there is anything terribly wrong, per se, with this style of teaching.

But we should ask ourselves, is there a better way?

When we tell the story of Noah’s ark to children and then tack on the plan of salvation at the end, have we missed how the gospel represents itself in the actual story? I have been one to use the Velcro strategy before. It’s tempting because we want to share the gospel as often as we can in Kids Ministry. But, place yourself on a carpet square in the story circle for a minute and listen through the ears of a 2nd grader. Noah, God, and Jesus died for your sins. Could this be confusing? There is a better way.

Now don’t hear me say, “we can’t mix the Old and New Testaments,” because that is not true at all. Some seasoned teachers say it will confuse a child if we talk about both in the same lesson. This represents a completely different style of teaching—one that would not talk about Jesus in the same session as Noah and God. So, the gospel is saved for New Testament stories to avoid confusion. I call this the separatist method.

Gospel-centered teaching is neither of the above. It’s not the Velcro method and it’s not the separatist method. So, how do we connect Noah to Jesus without slapping on the Velcro gospel? We show how the story of the flood shows us how God is serious about sin and will not leave it unpunished. But the story of Noah shows us how loving God is because He provided a rescue plan for one righteous man and his family. The story points ahead to a greater rescue! Jesus, the only perfect person, came to provide a rescue plan for us by taking the punishment for sin. When we trust Him, we are saved from the punishment our sin deserves.

Do you see the difference? The Old Testament story is told by pointing to the need for a rescuer through Jesus. Put the gospel at the center of your teaching and leave the Velcro behind!

Jana Magruder serves as the Director of LifeWay Kids. She is a Baylor graduate and offers a wealth of experience and passion for kids ministry, education, and publishing. She is the author of Kids Ministry that Nourishes and Life Verse Creative Journal, which she co-authored with her teenage daughter. She and her husband, Michael, along with their three children reside in Nashville.

Evangelism, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Ministry

September 2, 2016

4 Ways to Minister to Military Families

By Kids Ministry 101

Welcome guest blogger Sara Horn!

Over one million children enrolled in school today have at least one parent who is active-duty military, reserve, or a military veteran. Even if you aren’t near a military base, there’s a good chance you, your church, and your kids will encounter a child who has at least one parent serving in uniform. Look for ways to support and encourage military families and help equip parents and kids in your church to do the same. By taking a little time to understand the similarities and differences of a military family, you can offer much-needed help and friendship.

Their schedules are busy, too.

Just like any family today, military families are busy. They’re juggling family schedules with military commitments. Just because a service member isn’t deployed doesn’t mean he or she is always home. Weekend or week-long trainings, three-month schools, and even last-minute meetings can call a military member away, leaving the spouse at home to deal with everything else. If a military parent seems standoffish at the idea of a play date or dinner invitation, try not to take it personally, but wait for another opportunity. She may be facing a tough week with no room in her mind for anything else.

Military families are resilient, but they aren’t robots.

Yes, military families know that deployments and challenges come with the job — but we shouldn’t expect them to be able to handle military life without worrying or stressing over those things. Military families are still human. They get tired and lonely, and they worry over many of the same things we all do from time to time. Let military families know they’re not alone. Mail an encouraging note, invite them over for a meal, or stop by with dessert “just because” — these are all simple ways you can let them know you want to be a friend.

Avoid stereotyping.

Children repeat what they hear their parents and leaders say. Some of the most painful remarks military kids hear from other children are questions like “has your dad ever killed anyone?” or “aren’t you worried your mom isn’t going to come home?” Military kids are more aware of the dangers their parents face than others realize, but reminders aren’t what they need—they need encouragement. Make a habit of praying for military families with your kids, especially if you know a military family personally. Emphasize the sacrifice and the commitment military families demonstrate by serving their country and pray for their safety and well-being.

Be friends for the duration.

Sometimes parents are hesitant to let their children be friends with a military child, knowing that child and his or her family will likely move away again. But trying to protect children from sadness in the future also keeps them from enjoying fun experiences with a friend in the present. Military families know the importance of jumping in wherever their next duty station finds them. They find schools and churches and activities their kids can be part of, and they are looking for friends. Don’t miss out on the blessings of a good friendship because of the fear of an inevitable goodbye. You never know when you’ll one day get to say hello again.

Sara Horn is a writer and speaker and founder of Wives of Faith, a ministry for military wives. Her husband, Cliff, retires this year from 20 years of service in the U.S. Navy Reserves, and they have one son, a freshman in high school. Visit her website at sarahorn.com.

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