KidMin

Kids Ministry, Kids Ministry Curriculum, Uncategorized

October 2, 2019

Do Parents Know Your Plan for Discipleship? {GIVEAWAY}

Chances are, you have an incredible plan to disciple the kids in your ministry. If not, let me encourage you to find one and implement it to ensure that children of all ages are learning the Bible in a way that makes sense for their age group. Haphazard discipleship and cherry-picking favorite Bible stories to teach randomly doesn’t really work. Need a plan? Check out Lifeway.com/LOBL to learn more about one of our favorite discipleship frameworks—the Levels of Biblical Learning.

However, once you have a plan, it’s important not to stop there—share this plan with the parents in your ministry. They need to partner with you by discipling their children at home. Make it easy on them by giving them the same framework that you implement at church. Together, the church and home can partner for more effective spiritual growth in kids!

One of the best ways you can do this is by posting this plan in a format where parents and teachers can clearly see what you have planned for each age group. This is why we produce the Levels of Biblical Learning in multiple formats—including free on the website and app, booklet form for individual use, and poster form for classroom and common space use (or even your office!).

I’d like to give away a package of posters to three winners on the blog today. They come in a package of 12, so you can plaster your walls for parents to see your plan! To enter the giveaway, simply complete the form here and three winners will be randomly selected.

Here’s to great discipleship at church—and home!

Vacation Bible School

September 30, 2019

When a Kids Ministry Motto Reaches the Whole Church (Guest Blog)

By Kids Ministry 101

Like many churches in our River Region, we hosted a Vacation Bible School this year at the beginning of June. For a week, the sound of happy children filled our halls and classrooms as boys and girls learned Bible stories about people who had “amazing encounters with Jesus.”

The Sunday morning before Vacation Bible School was to begin, we dedicated our morning worship service to VBS. The sanctuary was already decorated, the boys and girls led the music (and taught the grown-ups all the motions), and I preached on the VBS theme. We also had a commissioning service in which we prayed for the army of volunteers it takes to put on VBS.

I loved this service for a lot of reasons, and not just for the fact that I got to preach in a T-shirt and jeans instead of my normal “business casual” Sunday attire. Let me share a story with you that I hope encourages you. It definitely encouraged me to remember that the lessons of VBS aren’t just for kids.

The motto for our VBS was “Zoom In! Focus On Jesus!” So I taught the entire congregation the same motions I taught the kids:

Zoom In: cup your hands to your eyes like you are looking through binoculars

Focus On: Put your hand to your forehead like you are shielding your eyes from the sun, and look left and right

Jesus: Point Up

A senior adult lady was in the congregation that morning. I’ll call her Mrs. Mary. Mrs. Mary had been dealing with health issues for about six months, and when I greeted her after the service, she didn’t look well at all. As it turned out, this would be the last worship service Mrs. Mary attended. She went into the hospital on Monday. On Wednesday, I visited her. She was connected to a ventilator, but communicated to her family and friends through a combination of written notes and sign language.

I prayed with Mrs. Mary and read some Scripture over her. When I finished, she did a strange thing. First, she put both hands to her eyes. Her husband and I assumed she wanted her glasses, so we began looking for them. But Mrs. Mary shook her head. Then, she put her hand on her forehead. Again, we didn’t get it. Her husband thought she had a headache. She shook her head again. And when she pointed to the ceiling, that’s when I finally understood.

Hands cupped to her eyes. Zoom in!

Hand on her forehead, shielding her eyes from the imaginary sun. Focus On!

Finger pointing to the sky. Jesus!

In that moment, Mrs. Mary was focused on Jesus. In that moment, Mrs. Mary was closer to seeing her Savior than I was to the soda machine out in the hall. A month later, when Mrs. Mary passed away, I know that the same Jesus she had been focusing on in her last days was the One that welcomed her home. I know that when she focused on that Son, she didn’t have to shield her eyes any more. She saw Him face to face.

I share this story with you for a couple of reasons. The first is to remind you that the lessons we teach our children are the ones we need to hear as grown-ups. We never outgrow our need to focus on Jesus. We never get over the encouragement of Hebrews 12:1-2: “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.”

But the second is to encourage you. The pressures and problems of this world can get to us. They can wear us out and discourage us. But during those times of discouragement, zoom in, and focus on Jesus. He promises us that “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:17-18)

James Jackson is lead pastor of Glynwood Baptist Church in Prattville. He enjoys reading, drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee, and helping create a place at Glynwood where “it’s okay to not be okay.” He and his wife Trish have two sons, Joshua and Caleb.

Discipleship

September 25, 2019

Crossing the Checkpoints of Life’s Race: Part 2

By Micheal Walley

In July 2019, we posted an overview of Crossing Life’s CheckPoints. Partnering with families during the checkpoints of life provides natural opportunities to help parents recoup, reevaluate and realign strategies, and be refreshed for moving forward in family life. Let’s dig into Checkpoint #1: Welcome to the Family a little bit more.

Checkpoint #1 – Welcome to the Family

Birth/Adoption—Whether it’s a family’s first, second, or fifth child, each new addition adds new rhythms and challenges to family life. This checkpoint brings both celebrations and joys along with potential anxiety and challenges. When ministries come alongside families at this checkpoint, parents feel refreshed, valued, and comforted that they are not alone.

“New Addition” Gift Bag—Consider creating a small gift bag to give to new families when a new baby is born or a child is adopted. This gift bag might include:
- a hand-written encouraging note
- a Christian parenting book
- a restaurant gift card
- calming Christian music CD or code for downloadable music (such as quiet hymns)
- a diaper bag tag

Baby/Parent/Family Dedication—One partnering opportunity that is still quite popular among American churches is the presentation of young children and parents before a congregation for public dedication to the Lord. Consider how you can make this a meaningful experience for parents by:

providing invitation cards parents can send out to their extended family and friends.
hosting a dinner or lunch for parents and close family members and friends.
encouraging parents to write a prayer for their child which incorporates a Bible verse (some churches call this a “life verse”).
Preparing a gift bag for each family which may include an age-appropriate Bible, a framed certificate or Bible verse, and a letter from you or your pastor to be opened on the day of the child’s salvation or baptism.
providing additional training, like a class mentioned below, for young parents on God’s expectations for Christian parents.

Parenting class/classes/conference—Parents can easily find themselves living in “survival mode” and allow long-term priorities to fade out of focus. Providing dedicated training opportunities is another helpful resource for expectant parents. Consider offering training on child development and spiritual growth. Parents who participate in these trainings will appreciate the focused effort to be equipped for Christ-centered approach to parenting.

Utilize technology to connect with and engage parents for training.
Such training could include:
- theology of biblical parenting
- trust development
- developmental stage characteristics
- Conversion
- Baptism
- the Lord’s Supper

The goal of these checkpoints is to be strategic with the ways churches partner and celebrate with families as they grow. Many parents feel inadequate to spiritually lead their families. When churches “run the race” alongside families, they will feel more confident to embrace biblical principles and wisdom and lead their families toward authentic relationships with God. I encourage you to “run with endurance the race that lies before [you], keeping [your] eyes on Jesus … ” as you “pursue as [your] goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” (Hebrews 12:1-2; Philippians 3:13-14)

Click here for a downloadable Checkpoints PDF to help you share your vision with families. One with the checkpoints we’ve listed in the original post (found here) and one with some blank boxes for your to write in your own.

This is not an attempt at a comprehensive list. What other partnerships would you add during this phase of life?

Jeremy Carroll is the team leader for LifeWay Kids 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.

Volunteers

September 16, 2019

3 Ways to Make Volunteers Run Away (and How to Keep Them)

By Logan Meek

Discipleship is a team sport, and that means every kids ministry needs a strong support system of volunteers. But volunteers need support too. Today’s post has three ways to get your volunteers to run away from serving in your kids ministry (and of course, some ideas about how to make them want to stay.)

You can make your volunteers run away if you …

1. Never explain the “why” when things change.

What you do is always changing. When it does, just keep the reason for the change a big secret, and your volunteers are sure to lose interest over time. For example, maybe you implemented a new check-in policy for safety, and parents no longer walk all the way to their child’s classroom to pick them up or drop them off. If you communicate with volunteers that safety is the reason for your change, they may become more invested and stay longer. If you want to see volunteers hit the road, just keep the reasoning to yourself.

2. Always are a last minute planner.

The best volunteers love to make themselves available to help out when things change at the last minute. To make sure they abandon their roles as volunteers, don’t do any long-term planning. When everything is planned at the last minute, people will be sure to burn out, or just not show up. Long-term planning and communication makes it possible for volunteers to make serving at church a sustainable part of their lives. Keep them on their toes by planning everything late, and they’ll be gone so fast you’ll forget they were ever there.

3. Never say thank you.

This may be the most important step. If you make sure volunteers never know that you appreciate them, they’ll make sure to find something else to do. When people feel personally appreciated, they’re more bought in, so be careful not to recognize anyone for their individual contribution. Volunteer appreciation events are a huge no-no. These will keep people engaged and help volunteers build meaningful relationships with each other, and even with you! Just keep your head down and don’t say anything, and the exit doors will start swinging.

All kidding aside, imagine how discouraging it would be to volunteer and serve in a ministry that did all these things consistently. Unfortunately it can be all too easy for us to lead this way in kids ministry, even when we don’t intend to. But when we are intentional to explain the why, plan in advance, and say thank you, we can build great teams.

Proverbs 22:6 reminds us to “teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” It’s so much easier to do this as part of a team, so go invest in one of the volunteers from your ministry this week.

Logan Meek serves on the CentriKid Camps team. Logan began serving with Student Life and LifeWay after spending two years as a Sixth Grade teacher with Teach For America. He believes in the importance of strong kids ministry to help kids build strong spiritual foundations.

Encouragement, Family

August 14, 2019

5 Lessons I’m Learning as a Dad of Kids with Anxiety

By Brian Dembowczyk

Many kids struggle with anxiety today, not a mere nervousness, but rather what can be an overwhelming and paralyzing fear. In this blog post, I share a few lessons I’m learning on how to help my own kids who struggle with anxiety in hope that they help you navigate the anxiety that might occur in your ministry.

Anxiety is an ever-present foe in my family, one which I despise. Two of my kids struggle with anxiety pretty much on a daily basis, and as their father, it destroys me to see it. Anxiety, like depression, is a word we throw around quite a bit, so let me explain what I mean, or perhaps rather what I don’t mean.

When I say my kids struggle with anxiety, I don’t mean that they worry some or that they get nervous on occasion. Oh, they do worry and get nervous, but it’s much more than that. For most of us, we can control those feelings. We can make sense of them and keep them in proportion. But my kids can’t. Their anxiety overwhelms them. It plagues their minds and crushes their hearts. That’s why I say they struggle with anxiety. They don’t want to be anxious and they try to fight against it, but it is a battle they often lose. They don’t just have anxiety; anxiety has them.

For my family, we see anxiety manifest itself in so many ways: going to school, being in new situations, experiencing changes in our routine, knowing where mom is, and even seeing a friend in the park. Handling these episodes of anxiety is challenging enough for me, let alone knowing how to help my kids during them. I tend not to be a worrier, so it’s hard for me to relate with what they are experiencing. Plus, I’m a problem-solver; I want to fix what is “broken” so I often come at these episodes from that unrealistic posture. Add to the mix that I am a selfish sinner who often lacks the grace and patience my kids need and deserve, and it is a formula of failure more than one of success.

But in God’s kindness, He is teaching me—ever so slowly—how to support my kids during and through their anxiety. Here are five lessons He’s driving into me:

1. Knowing what not to say matters … greatly. We mean well, but often our desire to say something outweighs the wisdom of what we actually say. The result is that we can offer what comes across as platitudes. I’ve told my kids, “don’t worry,” but I can see how that rings hollow. Telling them not to worry, as if they can but are choosing not to, just doesn’t help. In that moment they cannot not worry. Another one I’ve said is, “everything is OK.” While I know that to be true, my kids don’t feel that truth in the moment. Rather, it’s better for me to acknowledge their struggle. Acknowledge that what they’re experiencing is difficult and let them know I’m sorry they are experiencing it, but I will be with them during it and through it. “This stinks. I’m so sorry you are feeling this right now. I’m here with you. We will get through it.”

Likewise, be careful about quoting Bible passages, such as Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6-7, or 1 Peter 5:7, as if a kid struggling with anxiety only needs to understand and believe these verses to be OK. Yes, the gospel is the ultimate answer for all that is broken in the world, but just as we wouldn’t quote Psalm 103:3 instead of giving penicillin to a child with pneumonia, we shouldn’t only give Bible verses to our kids. Rather, we want to remind our kids of God’s sovereign power and His love for them. We want to encourage our kids that the gospel says that in Christ, they are fully loved and accepted by God, no matter what—even if they might feel like a failure because of their worries and doubts. Give them life through God’s Word, not potential, albeit accidental, condemnation.

2. Patience is not a virtue; patience is a necessity. Perhaps my greatest struggle with my kids’ anxiety is my lack of patience. It’s actually a problem for me in general, but when it comes to helping kids navigate anxiety, patience is not a virtue, it’s a must. So the best thing for us to do is to pray up. Remind ourselves that the kid doesn’t want to be anxious—it’s not a choice. Ask God to help frustration give way to compassion. Step away for a minute if possible and needed. Getting frustrated, or even mad as I have done at times, doesn’t help anyone—you, or especially the kid.

3. Find and Encourage Tools that Help. My kids have been helped a great deal with tools taught or given to them by counselors. Perhaps it is saying something or focusing thoughts on something. Or perhaps it is squeezing a stress ball. Having tools to use can greatly help a child experiencing anxiety, but there may be times when the anxiety is so severe, it’s difficult to even get the kid to use those tools. Be ready for that. For me, it only adds to my frustration, so I need to be mentally and spiritually ready to help my kids help themselves when they refuse to use the tools they have been given. The flip side of this is that a kid who has found tools that work can provide help and encouragement to others. We have seen this with our kids helping one another when one is struggling and it is a beautiful reminder of God’s kindness to use any bad for His glory (see Gen 50:20).

4. Routines Give Comfort. The best way to help with anxiety is to help your kid proactively. One of the best methods I have found is to create and guard routines as much as possible. For my kids, new and different prompt panic. The fear of the unknown is very real for them. As a result, we try to guard our family routine as much as we can. Comfortable, familiar rhythms are a balm on the mind and heart of a child who struggles with anxiety. But there will be times when new situations cannot, and should not, be avoided. Prepare your kid for the upcoming event by reviewing the schedule, talking about specific areas that might prompt anxiety, and planning on what tools would be most helpful.

5. Lighten the load. In light of the last tip, do what you can to lighten the load. Keep life as consistent and simple as possible. This means saying “no” to plenty of things, even good things. For our family, this might mean abstaining from various one-time events that pop up and trying to protect our daily schedule as best as we can (such as dinner time and bedtime). In the classroom, this might mean being extra careful about changing your routine, and when you do, giving any kids who struggle with anxiety plenty of advance notice. Talk them through exactly what will be happening … and be ready to have that conversation more than just once!

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to LifeWay. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Kids Ministry, Leadership

July 29, 2019

Looking Forward

By Bill Emeott

In October 2002 I was approached by LifeWay to consider an opportunity to join their team as the Lead Childhood Ministry Specialist. To be honest, it was a dream come true. For years I had found that the favorite part of my work as a Children’s Minister was the opportunity to train and develop other leaders. It really wasn’t ever a struggle to move forward with LifeWay and one of the greatest blessings in my life was to be invited and then to accept the position as ministry specialist.

LifeWay is an incredible place to serve. Over the past 16+ years, God has allowed me to live my dream. Meeting thousands of KidMin leaders and having the opportunity to partner with you and in some way minister along side of you has been an incredible gift and a blessing that I don’t take lightly. Your trust and confidence in me has been both honoring and humbling. What a joy to do what God calls and creates you to do. Thank you for that privilege.

About a year ago, God started something new in my life. Something very unexpected and something I had really not considered as part of my future. I’ve often said, “God is preparing me for what He is preparing for me.” That’s exactly what was happening. I began to have conversations with an incredible team of ministers/friends and my heart started to be pulled back to the ministry in a local church. By January the conversations were in full swing and my heart was moving west.

After much prayer and with a humble heart I have accepted my next assignment by God as the Minister to Children at Houston’s First Baptist Church (Texas). I will join that awesome ministry team and begin a new chapter of God’s journey for me on August 1.

As I look to the future I take so much with me from you. Learning from church leaders and their experiences has prepared me for this time. When it comes to kids ministry, these three things stand out as pillars:

The Gospel: Children’s ministry should have at its core a desire to see boys and girls come to know Jesus Christ and experience heart transformation that only comes from a real encounter with Him. Children’s ministry should point boys and girls and their families to Jesus and His salvation with each program and activity “umbrellaed” by the Gospel; seeking opportunities to share the good news and equip parents, leaders, and kids to share the good news of Jesus, too.

Discipleship: We desperately need boys and girls to be salt and light in the world in which they live and to grow up to be culture shapers. Churches cannot continue to raise generations who don’t know what they believe. Many “church-attending” kids have no defense when the world rattles their faith and they too often cave to the pressures of political correctness and a lost culture.

Discipling boys and girls past the point of conversion, to a growing, loving relationship with Jesus must become a priority. Children’s Ministry must help kids understand and live out spiritual disciplines/habits/practices that lead them to become culture-changing Christians grounding kids. Knowledge and practice of spiritual habits (such as prayer, Bible reading and study, worship, stewardship, and service) will lead kids to become Great Commission, Great Commandment, Acts 1:8, culture shaping followers of Jesus.

Family: Healthy Children’s ministry recognizes the biblical role of parents and strives to undergird that role by seeing the kids ministry through the lens of family.

I believe that God intends for parents to be the primary spiritual leaders and faith developers of their children. Children’s ministry has the privilege of coming alongside parents to partner with them on their child’s spiritual journey. We have the opportunity to champion families, encourage and equip parents, and provide disciple-growing programs and events that undergird and promote the family.

So, these are the things I take with me as I look forward to this next phase of my ministry. These are the lessons/goals I walk away with as I strive to be the servant God has called me to be in Houston. However, I do have one last request of you. Please pray for me. Please pray that God will use me to achieve these (and many other) goals. Pray that I will be humble yet bold; moldable yet solid; vulnerable to new things yet strongly rooted. Pray that in all this, God will receive ALL the glory for it is only through Him that I have been able to do anything of eternal difference. And, it is only through His power that I will make the Kingdom difference that I desire.

Bill Emeott has served as Lead Ministry Specialist for LifeWay Kids since 2003. He is a graduate of Mercer University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Bill has served in Kids Ministry for almost 30 years and recently accepted the role as Minister to Children at Houston’s First Baptist Church.

Kids Ministry, Leadership, Training

July 25, 2019

A Trained Volunteer is the BEST Volunteer!

By Micheal Walley

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

Bill Emeott and Klista Storts chat about how to best train your kids ministry volunteers. This episode is hosted by Bill Emeott, produced by Micheal Walley, and sponsored by the ETCH Family Ministry Conference.

Kids Ministry, Leadership, Recruiting

July 24, 2019

End the Recruiting Woes: Recruit Like Jesus!

By Brian Dembowczyk

The temptation in recruiting leaders is to reduce the ask—to lower the bar—so that we increase the chances of people saying yes. But this can result in the wrong people saying yes for the wrong reasons. In this blog post, we will see that Jesus gives us a better way. The key is not to lower the bar in our recruiting, but rather to raise it.

It never ends. There aren’t even any breaks. Instead, it comes at us with a cruel relentlessness. You know what I am talking about.

Recruiting.

We all recruit. We all know we need to recruit. But none of us like to recruit. Actually, we can’t stand it. (Well, I’m sure there is someone out there who enjoys recruiting just like there are people who like okra.)

Perhaps the reason why we are always recruiting is that we experience too much turnover. And perhaps we experience too much turnover because we aren’t recruiting the best way—the right way.

Think about how recruiting is often done in kids ministry: it often feels more like begging and bartering than inviting. In our desperation to fill open slots, we either beg our church as a whole, or we go to people we feel might be more inclined to say “yes,” if we beg them enough. Our pitch often comes across as a guilt trip, which is another reason we don’t like to recruit. Our recruiting feels like we’re trying to coerce people into a toilet-paper-of-the-month multi-level marketing venture. Or, we go a different route and reduce the ask. We know someone committing to teach every week would be best—to build relationships and consistency—but our beggars-can’t-be-choosers posture leads us to settle for less—much less. “Are you breathing and are you willing to commit to whenever February 29th is a Sunday? Great, then sign right here!”

We might get more “yeses” this way, but not all yeses are created equal. Many of those yesses become uncommitted, unreliable leaders who usually drop out the first chance they get, meaning—you guessed it—we need to recruit again.

What if there were a better way? Actually, there is. It’s the way Jesus recruited followers, a way devoid of begging and bartering. It’s a way that does the exact opposite—it almost scares people off. We see it in Luke 14:25-33.

At the beginning of this passage, large crowds were chasing after Jesus. That was exactly what He wanted, right? Wrong. Jesus knew that these people were not following Him for the right reason. They were uncommitted and unreliable. They were superficial. Sound familiar? So what did He do? He gave them every reason not to stay, but rather to leave.

“Want to follow Me? Fine. It will cost you your family (v. 26), your possessions (v. 33), and even your own life (v. 26-27). It will cost you everything. So count the cost now or walk away (v. 28-32). OK, now who needs a pen to sign up?”

Do you see Jesus’ point? Following Him is a high calling. It means something. It’s not for the uncommitted or faint of heart.

The same is true of serving in kids ministry! We aren’t beggars with empty pockets turned inside-out. We don’t recruit from a posture of need, but rather from one of opportunity. We are inviting people to the high calling of partnering with us and parents to shepherd and disciple the next generation. Surely serving in kids ministry takes a sacrifice of time and energy, but only through the depth of that sacrifice are we able to find the depth of reward—kids hearing the gospel, responding to the gospel, being changed by the gospel, and living out the gospel.

My friends, don’t be ashamed of that which Christ is not. Don’t lower the bar that Jesus raised. Recruit the way Jesus did. And when you do, you might just find you will recruit less, and maybe—just maybe—you will miss it.

Bible Study, Discipleship, Kids Ministry

July 22, 2019

What Defines Me?

By Jeremy Carroll

We are often tempted to let what we do define us. If I play baseball, I’m a baseball player. If I play the piano, I’m a pianist. If I dance, I’m a dancer. If I am a KidMin leader, I am a minister. What we do is important because God has uniquely created us and crafted our life so that there is only one of each of us.

Identity seems to be a buzzword today, and many people struggle with who they really are and what their purpose is. This is not something that impacts just one group of people. People from many different areas and of different ages are struggling to “find themselves.”

But is our identity only defined by the things we do? Is our value inseparable from our interests and actions? The Bible responds with a resounding “no.” Out of His great love, God created us and desires a relationship with us. Yes, the things we do are important to how God has created us, but our true identity is not tied to temporal things that come and go. Our identity is found first as created in God’s image. As image-bearers of God, our identity carries value and worth because we are a unique part of God’s creation. Further, true identity and purpose are found in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

As adults, many of us struggle with finding our identity, and specifically not falling into the trap of letting what we do define us. The kids in our ministries struggle with this too. There are many voices speaking into the lives of children to tell them who they are or even that they get to define themselves. If we want to know who we truly are and what our purpose is, we must start by looking at what our Creator has said.

In conjunction with the release of the new Kendricks Brothers movie Overcomer, LifeWay Kids has partnered with the Kendrick Brothers to develop a 6-week Bible study to help point kids in the best place to answer the question “Who am I?” Our Creator. Through Defined: Who God Says You Are, kids will discover who God created them to be and what is true about their identity because of their relationship with Jesus.

Defined: Who God Says You Are is available for kids, teens, and adults. The Overcomer Campaign Kit is a great starting place for churches to see how the Overcomer movie and available resources fit together. More information, as well as other related resources, can be found at lifeway.com/overcomer.

Discipleship, Kids Ministry, Leadership

July 15, 2019

Whom Are You Discipling?

By Landry Holmes

Ministry is time-consuming. There are so many details to handle, and daily interruptions often distract us. Yet, Jesus reminds us in Matthew 28:19-20 that our primary purpose is to “make disciples.” As KidMin leaders we have the opportunity to be disciple-makers of at least four groups.

Preschoolers: A true disciple is a follower of Christ, so how can preschoolers become disciples before they receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior? They can’t, but they can learn about who Jesus is and how Jesus wants us to live. When we allow God to use us to build these spiritual foundations in the lives of preschoolers, we are preparing young children for a life of discipleship.
Elementary Kids: Similar to preschoolers who are not yet believers, we can teach kids the foundations of the faith. Once a child becomes a Christian, we have the responsibility of helping them grow in their faith by developing healthy spiritual habits such as Bible reading and prayer.
Parents: One of the ways we can disciple parents is by providing them with resources to disciple their own children. Also, we can encourage parents to develop their own personal spiritual habits. Remember, however, that some parents may not be believers. Part of the disciple-making process includes sharing the gospel with them.
Volunteers: God calls us to equip volunteers, which we do with resources, training, and encouragement. But, what about discipling volunteers? We can do this one-on-one and in group settings when we talk about what God is doing in our church and in our kids ministry. Also, we can encourage volunteers to develop healthy spiritual habits, including studying the Bible and worshipping with other adult believers. You might even consider starting a small group just for preschool and children’s teachers in your church.

Look back over the list. You may already be doing some of these things as part of your ministry. If not, consider making a few adjustments to reclaim your purpose as a disciple-maker.

Landry Holmes is the Manager of LifeWay Kids Ministry Publishing, Nashville, TN. A graduate of Howard Payne University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Landry served on church staffs before coming to LifeWay. He is a church leader, writer, workshop facilitator, and publisher. Landry also teaches children at his church in Middle Tennessee. He and his wife Janetta are the grandparents of three adorable grandbabies.