{"id":7208,"date":"2020-09-17T11:32:06","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T16:32:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/?p=7208"},"modified":"2020-09-17T11:32:06","modified_gmt":"2020-09-17T16:32:06","slug":"looking-back-30-years-in-childrens-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/2020\/09\/17\/looking-back-30-years-in-childrens-ministry\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking Back: 30 Years in Children’s Ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As a long-time children\u2019s pastor, the term \u201clooking back\u201d reminds me of Genesis 19 and the story about Lot\u2019s wife. Without fear of turning into a pillar of salt, I simply want to take a moment to reminisce and evaluate my time of working with children for the past 30 years.<\/p>\n

There have been some terrific memories, lots of laughs (a byproduct of working with kids), a few scattered tragedies, and some misgivings. As I\u2019ve reflected, I\u2019ve thought about some of the things that I felt were essential to anyone working with children. Some of those things I did very well, and some things I feel I could have done better. Maybe my self-reflection can help those of you still in children\u2019s ministry. That is my sincere hope.<\/p>\n

1. Be creative<\/strong><\/p>\n

For many of you, purchased curriculum dictates your lessons, music, games and more. I rarely used purchased curriculum, but I found I could get inspiration and creative ideas from a variety of sources. Creative ideas came from news events, TV shows, and items you might find in a store. It became fun for me, fun for the workers, and especially fun for the kids. Fun is essential; it keeps kids excited, engaged, and wanting more. When the TV show Survivor<\/em> began, we did a series on biblical survivors. The kids could not wait to vote off some of the adult staff, and everyone got to participate in weekly challenges. Our God that created the universe can inspire creativity in you. I believe He had fun creating. At the end, God even said that it was \u201cvery good.\u201d I have found fun and creativity to be a byproduct of the Holy Spirit in my life, and my prayer is that you experience it too.<\/p>\n

2. Learn from others<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t go it alone. Attend seminars, read books, connect with others, and share information. Someone may have the answer to a problem your facing. Make it a point to continue learning from several sources, especially those in ministry similar to yours. Although these are great things to do, even more important than anything else is prayer! God will give you direction. You may be great, but you do not know everything.<\/p>\n

3. Bring Jesus into every story!<\/strong><\/p>\n

You are not a history teacher. This was an area I wish I had done better. It is great for the kids to know the books of the Bible, the characters, and the facts that make up each story, but make sure that each lesson directs them to Jesus. He must be the center of every story. Make sure that you let the children see how the lesson is relevant to their life today. Ask yourself this question as you plan each lesson: How am I pointing them to Jesus, our Savior?<\/em> Provide many opportunities for the kids to commit their life to serving Him.<\/p>\n

4. Use godly men in children\u2019s ministry<\/strong><\/p>\n

Godly men are essential. I had some of the greatest men volunteer on a weekly basis in our children\u2019s ministry program. They were very different. Darrell was single and fun-loving. David was married and loved sports. Angel could salsa dance. Roger was from the islands where everything was \u201cno problem, man.\u201d Mr. Jerry was strict and worked with troubled kids. Even though they were very different, each one of them loved Jesus! Our church had a large population of children with no father-figures in the home. Sometimes there was no connection with a father at all. These men were powerful influences in the lives of boys and girls alike. Make it a point to incorporate men in your children\u2019s program.<\/p>\n

5. Make every moment count<\/strong><\/p>\n

As children\u2019s workers, we must be aware that the kids\u2019 lives are not without struggles and heartache. More than likely, you may only see the kids from your children\u2019s ministry a couple of hours a month, but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t have an impact. Unfortunately, as a children\u2019s pastor, I had to do several funerals for children from our church. \u00a0These difficult events make you reevaluate the time you spent giving hugs and sharing Jesus. Take every moment you can to show Jesus\u2019 love in your lesson, in your hugs, and in your smiles.<\/p>\n

Wherever you are on your children\u2019s ministry journey, take a moment to look back. Notice your shortcomings, make corrections, and congratulate yourself for the times you hit one out of the park. It can be a long journey, so make sure to stop and enjoy the scenery!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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\n\t\t\"Rachel\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Rachel King serves as the Discipleship Ministries director for Sonshine Network Ministries. She also serves on the IPHC Discipleship Ministries Council. Rachel\u2019s experience in children\u2019s ministry has served her well in both of these capacities. She is a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She and her husband, Mark, reside in Orlando, Florida.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":7209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Looking Back: 30 Years in Children's Ministry - IPHC Discipleship Ministries","description":"As a long-time children\u2019s pastor, the term \u201clooking back\u201d reminds me of Genesis 19 and the story about Lot\u2019s wife. Without fear of turning into a pillar of salt"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20,4,1],"tags":[1260,1200,1301,1300,1124,759,1290,1302],"class_list":["post-7208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-childrens-ministries","category-discipleship-ministries","category-general","tag-1260","tag-iphc-kids","tag-legacy","tag-looking-back","tag-quarter-3","tag-rachel-king","tag-september","tag-tips","entry"],"title_es":"Mirando hacia atr\u00e1s: 30 a\u00f1os en el ministerio de ni\u00f1os","content_es":"","author_name":"Rachel King","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4T9u2-1Sg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4939,"url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/2019\/06\/08\/recommended-resource-the-adventures-of-herman-somnambula-phd\/","url_meta":{"origin":7208,"position":0},"title":"Recommended Resource: The Adventures of Herman Somnambula, Phd","author":"jbland","date":"June 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Dwayne Riner is the curriculum and creative director for the children\u2019s ministry of The Ark Church. Dwayne created Herman Somnambula years ago when he was looking for a way to help children learn in a fun creative way. Working together, Dwayne and Herman have inspired thousands of kids. 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