People were bringing little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them and blessed them.
Mark 10:13-16
Jesus showed a great love for children. He also showed us a level of respect we should have for children as models of our Christian faith. To teach children about Jesus and God’s Word is good, but to reach their hearts to “receive the Kingdom of God” is the goal! Children are often called the “church of tomorrow”. They are the church of the future, and if we lose them, we lose the church (or fail the church). Yet children are also the “church of today”, and we must see them as disciples of Jesus, just like us.
God’s Purposes for Children’s Ministry
God has several purposes for having a children’s ministry in the church.
First, it is “to make little disciples.” Matthew 28:19 is known as the great commission and commands us to “make disciples of all nations.” The Message Bible translation says “Go and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life…” 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us that God wants “all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” And that includes children!
Second, children need to have a special environment geared to their needs. A church should be a home for all ages. Sunday School is not like regular school, it’s more like a church family. Children’s Ministry is also not childcare – it’s 100% ministry time! And teachers and parents aren’t the only instructors because Jesus is the example to follow!
Third, in the church, all genders and ages need to be respected. This includes children. Jesus said in Matthew 21:15-16 (He was quoting Psalm 8:2) that “But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things He did and the children shouting in the temple courts, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ they were indignant.‘Do you hear what these children are saying?’ they asked Him. ‘Yes,’ replied Jesus, ‘have you never read, From the lips of children and infantsyou, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”
Discipling Children
Teaching children in the church is so much more than a standard lesson. Most churches have a standard process for Sunday School that includes telling a Bible Story, singing songs, and taking an offering. But key discipleship areas should also be included in the process to help them grow in their faith. They include:
1.Praise and Worship
In some churches, it is common for parents to go to worship while their children go to a class. About this, I once heard a Pastor say, “We have it reversed. Adults need education and children need to worship!” Based on Matthew 21:15-16 (above), even noisy times of children’s energy and praise should be there to give glory to our Lord!
2. Bible Study
The Bible is always the best “curriculum” for any class of any age group. Children should experience God’s Word. Leaders should act out Bible stories and discuss how the Bible Story applies to daily life. Leaders should help children to begin to value and love the Bible and inspire them to turn to God’s Word for their worldview of life.
3. Praying with children
Don’t just pray over children, teach them how to pray! Explain prayer to them and learn about prayer from the Bible. Use prayer formats that are child-friendly and helpful for growth in prayer. Learning to pray to God out loud by themselves and in front of others is an important goal with children.
4. Faith Sharing
All Christians have stories of faith, which are essentially touches from the Lord every day. Children have them as well. Children love to tell stories and talk about their families and so leaders need to look for stories of faith the child can share to give God the glory. Children should also learn the gospel message of the Good News of Jesus to share as a testimony to others. We are never too young to learn to share the gospel. As Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” – Matthew 24:14
5. Other discipleship areas to consider:
Stewardship – teach children about tithing or using their gifts from God
Mission projects – have children join their family in reaching out to others in service and ministry
Fellowship – show children the importance of making friends with the joy of faith in Jesus
How Children Learn
How children learn is related to the development stages of children and needs to be considered so that teaching children will be age appropriate. As children grow, they are increasingly ready for more in-depth teachings. A children’s ministry teacher must be ready to adjust teachings to the development stage of the children. Development stages of children’s learning should then be added to a discipleship plan for children.
Here are some key points regarding “how children learn” by age group:
Little children (ages 1-4)
The faith foundation is being laid down from the beginning of life. At this age, children are self-centered, so encourage sharing with each other. They also tend to live in fantasy as well as reality, and do not yet know the difference. So, emphasize the truth of Jesus and the Bible (e.g., Jesus is real, not pretend). At this age children are naturally curious, so let them explore as they learn. They are visual and concrete learners, so be clear and use pictures and visual helps. They also learn well by experiencing and so acting out Bible stories can be effective for them.
Young children (ages 5-7)
The faith foundation of a child is laid down during the first 7 years of life, so make impressions on the hearts of children at this age that will last a lifetime. They like to feel proud as well, so give them some praise to encourage them. At this age children are also self-conscious, so it is important to help them not to compare themself to others and teach them that God’s love is for everyone equally! Children at this age also have a short attention span of only about 5-7 minutes. So, be prepared to move on to another activity when they start to lose attention. Children have a limited concept of time and are generally only interested in the present. So, do life application teaching and keep visual aids clear and simple.
Older children (ages 8-11)
Children in this age group have a much longer attention span so they can be more absorbed in the teaching. At this age children are able to think more for themselves and begin to show leadership capability. As a result, have them begin to lead prayer and worship for younger children. Children this age also have a better concept of past, present, and future. So, you can begin to teach a Bible timeline. They also begin to understand symbolism (as used in the Bible) so have them act out parables of Jesus and discuss the meaning of the parable.
Biblical Faith Milestones
Enhance your teaching lessons by establishing some Biblical Faith Milestones by age or grade level. Here are some examples:
- Kindergarten (age 5) – Memorize the Lord’s Prayer
- Grade 1 (age 6) – Learn the Ten Commandments
- Grade 2 (age 7) – Memorize the Apostles Creed
- Grade 3 (age 8) – Learn the order of the New Testament Books
- Grade 4 (age 9) – Learn the order of the Old Testament Books
- Grade 5 (age 10) – Study a timeline of the Bible
These milestones are also important to prepare children for their entry into the church’s youth program.
“Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.”
Psalms 71: 17-18
**from chapter 5 of our Discipleship for Church LeadersTM training manual.