With the goal of helping children develop into people who love, worship, and serve the Lord, a children’s church teacher’s methods and materials must lead to the accomplishment of that objective.
If the children’s church program is structured to be an extension of Sunday School or a replacement for it, methods and materials will also be like that already described for a Sunday School teacher’s methods and materials. But, you can still aim for the broad objective suggested above which leads to methodology mentioned below.
Methods and Materials That Lead to a Children’s Church Teacher’s Overriding Goal
The best methods to help children become more fully devoted followers of Jesus, learning to love, worship, and serve Him, involve that which enable them to observe and then put it into practice.
- Demonstration shows them how. (in-class demonstrations, drama, field trip to adult worship service or where they can see people serving or video clips of the same, modeling)
- Doing reinforces what they’ve learned. (projects, role play, simulations)
So, we’re not just teaching them about worship but giving them opportunity to worship. We’re not just telling them they should serve the Lord, but fanning into flame the gifts God has given them to serve (2 Tim. 1:6) and then providing opportunities for them to engage in ministry right there in class.
- Participating lets them see it is something they can do now, not just when they’re older.
- Practicing under the mentoring, or discipleship, of the teacher, helps them learn by experience with the needed feedback, support, and encouragement.
The most effective visual aid is that of a teacher’s life, modeling what it means to be a lover, worshiper, and servant of the Most High God. — More about that in the next post.