Lead Children to Jesus

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. Prov. 11: 30

The greatest joy of teaching children is watching them put their faith in Christ. The hope of each generation remains in the children. The Scripture makes it really clear that each generation should bear witness to the things of God to the next generation. This sharing is not coercion, trickery or pressure. Sharing our faith is done in a loving relationship where we share what we believe…Christ died for our sin. Renouncing our sinful ways and putting our whole trust in the finished work of Jesus is life changing—even for children. We believe that the power of a good relationship is the best method of sharing the Lord of Jesus with children. As a teacher of the Bible, we share the good news of what Jesus did and what he said.

Here are Ten Guidelines for helping a children’s ministry leader to reach the children in their program.

1. Establish a relationship of trust and confidence (credibility). Value each child. If you don’t genuinely care about them, they won’t care about your God.

2. Discover the child’s background and interests. Find out about the faith of the parents. Call them by name. Show interest in anything they are interested in.

3. Kids must acknowledge both love and respect for the Lord. It is important to learn of his/her understanding about God’s character.

4. Communicate from the “known” to the “unknown.” It helps to know where the child is developmentally, what exposure to spiritual things already exists for the child. Begin where they are and take them where they need to go.

5. Learn for yourself the parts of the gospel message, so you can teach it. Learn different ways to present the gospel message—learn gospel methods.

6. Begin teaching the children to prayerfully obey and respond to each lesson by praying a prayer with you. Teaching them to pray with you makes it easier for them to learn and pray for themselves. Exercising one’s faith is a function of prayer. It is “who we believe in,” not what we “do” that saves us.

7. Begin asking kids to talk with you after class, not because they do something wrong, but because you are interested in them and that you care.

8.  Prepare a sample salvation prayer that you could use when a child is ready to respond. Begin praying that you might have the opportunity to help them come to know Jesus. Be ready to share.

9.  Pray for the salvation of every child that comes under your care and ministry.  Perhaps God has given you just the right ones, so you can speak into their lives and influence them for eternity.

10.     Prepare yourself for Satan’s attacks on your ministry. Take a stand against Satan’s Tricks. Be courageous and pray for the souls of children.