Becoming a Christian is the most important decision a child will ever make. Following up with the child is one of the most important investment a church leader can make. Scripture commands us to “make disciples.” A disciple is a learner, a student, someone learning to become like Jesus. After a child accepts Christ into her life helping her grow in her knowledge and application of biblical principles is important. That is why I am so pleased with our new Christian materials for children. Following a child’s decision to accept Christ, our church provides a four week long class in which the child and her parents learn about her decision. We use the I’m a Christian, Now! materials to help the child understand what being a Christian is all about, the decision she made to become a Christian, the Lord’s Supper, baptism, worship, and beginning to grow as a Christian.

• What Is a Quiet Time? Why Should I Study My Bible?
• How Do I Know the Bible Is True?
  
• What Is Prayer? How Do I Pray?
  
• How Is My Life Different Since Becoming a Christian?
  
• Who Is God?
  
• How Do I Hear God Speak to Me?
  
• How Do I Follow God’s Plan for My Life?
  
• How Do I Use My Talents and Abilities to Serve God?
  
• What Happens When I Sin Again?
  
• What Is Worship? When and How Should I Worship?
  
• What Is an Offering? Why Should I Tithe?
  
• How Do I Stand Up for What I Believe?
  
• What About People Who Believe Different Things?
  
• How Do I Tell My Friends About Jesus?
  

tagged as: baptism, discipleship, I'm a Christian, I'm a Christian Now, kidmin, Now What? || category: Fun , Preteen , Resources , Sunday School
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Normally, childhood experiences do not include finding out that one of your parents has cancer and spending lots of time at this place: the Cancer Center... so how do you minister to the kids in your church when that is the case?

 

tagged as: illness, kidmin, ministry, parents, sickness || category: Encouragement , Preteen , Resources , Sunday School , Training , Vacation Bible School
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The statistics on divorce in our country are staggering.  Upwards of 50% of marriages will end in divorce and sadly the church is not immune to that statistic.  As the body of Christ, how do we minister to kids whose stories have always included divorce or are just recently experiencing it?   

 

The challenging part is that every kid’s story is unique.  They have grown up in different environments; they have been exposed to the Gospel in varying amounts and the reasoning behind their parents’ divorce differs from case to case.  Regardless of the differences, I think there are some basic ways that we can all minister to these kids.

My parents were divorced by the time I was seven and up until that point I had never stepped foot in a church.  It wasn’t until after my parents’ divorce that I was even exposed to Jesus and to this day, I don’t know the exact reason why they got divorced.  So, I speak out of my own personal experience in the way that my church ministered to my own heart as a young child.   

• Love on these kids unconditionally.  Hug them. Write them notes telling them how much you care about them.  Celebrate them.
• Ask them tough questions and allow them to ask you tough questions.  So often, we don’t want to overstep our boundaries but not asking the questions, and we allow the child to navigate through it by themselves. Sadly, this is worse than becoming a bit uncomfortably by asking the tough questions.  Kids need to know that they have a safe place to hash out their feelings regarding their parents’ divorce. 
• Be an active part of their life.  Divorce can leave kids with either a varying amount of parental involvement in their life or none at all, and this can be devastating.  Go to soccer games or ballet recitals or go eat lunch with them at school.  All of these things will show them that they matter to someone. 
• Remind them of the nature of God.  God is good.  God works all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  God will use their hardship for His glory.  It’s critical that you love the child but it is also crucial to remind them how great a love our God has for them.

Bottom line, there is no easy fix for divorce.  There is nothing that anyone can say or do that is going to make it all right.  But, we have an opportunity to love on kids that might not get the love they deserve and we have a chance to show them a little bit of who Jesus is.  These are opportunities that I know I surely do not want to miss out on.  I hope you will join me on the journey of ministering to kids of divorce.

Tori Einstein is a CentriKid staffer, Art Studio leader and Production leader who loves to invest in kids.  She uses her own experience with divorce to help kids at camp open up about what they're going through.  In the off season, Tori attends the University of Arizona.

 

tagged as: divorce, Divorce Ministry, kidmin || category: Encouragement , Preteen , Resources , Sunday School , Training , Vacation Bible School
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Every Tuesday, I get the opportunity to volunteer at an inner city ministry here in Nashville, and every week there is at least one kid there who just doesn’t want to be there. They don’t want to work on their homework; they don’t want to listen to the devotional, and they certainly don’t want to sing.

Ever been there? You have that kid that has no desire to listen to what you have to say and doesn’t think that your activities are fun. They want nothing to do with this Jesus you are talking about and have no idea why their parents force them to come to your class.

Here are some tips I’ve learned teaching at church and working with kids each Tuesday:

1. Don’t take it personally.

Kids will be kids, and some days, kids just don’t like what they have to do. They may leave and even come back next week with the same attitude, and that is ok. The Word of the Lord doesn’t return void. They may not seem to be listening or to get it, but they may.

2. Don’t get angry.

Normally, kids who say they don’t want to be in your class will warm up to you after a while if you continue to love on them and talk to them like they are an adult. Ask them lots of questions and really invest in them. Raising your voice will make them feel like you don’t really care.

3. Don’t leave boundaries undefined.

In many cases, kids will push you until they know exactly where the boundaries are. They crave them. Boundaries make kids feel safe. Set up rules at the beginning of class. Re-emphasize as you go. One of my favorites that I have learned volunteering is “raise a quiet hand to tell me …” Also, the kids know that they don’t want to be sitting along the wall because they won’t get to play capture the flag. Rewarding good behavior and participation is great.

Again, don’t be upset if you are not able to be the catalyst that makes this kid love coming to Sunday School. Sometimes, they will still not want to be involved. They may want to sit at a separate table or on the floor, and that’s ok. Try to keep their attention and make class way too much fun to want to miss! They’ll come around. It may take time, but the more they know you care the more interested they will be.

tagged as: behavior, difficult kids, encouragement, sunday school, trouble || category: Encouragement , Preteen , Resources , Sunday School , Training , Vacation Bible School
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Things are getting weird! And who doesn’t love a good contest!? 

 

Grab your fifth and sixth graders and make your own “Weird of the Day” video. Your video could be featured in a future volume of FLYTE!

 

Need some Weird of the Day ideas? Check out some in the video lounge!

 

The contest is being hosted within our LifeWay Preteens Facebook page.  “Like” the page and click on the “Weird of the Day” app (featured just below the large banner image at the top of the page) to check out some great example videos and check out the official rules!

 

To submit your video, you’ll have to fill out the form within the Facebook app and include a link to your video.  Make sure you’re using Safari or Internet Explorer, as other browsers have given folks some issues!

 

Contest ends May 18th, so hop to it!  Best of luck!

 

tagged as: Contest, Flyte, Video, Weird || category: Encouragement , Fun , Media , Preteen
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