Parkview Children’s Ministry Core Values
Kid Targeted:
Safe:
Teaching is Christ Centered with Biblical Truth, Relevant and Applicable:
Teach the Bible Creatively:
Be Relational and Shepherd Children in Small Groups:
It MUST be FUN!
Kid Targeted:
- Are we doing the kinds of things children enjoy?
- Are we singing the style of songs children want to sing?
- Are we teaching the lessons in a way the children understand?
- Would they invite their friends to come here?
- Is the environment kid friendly?
Safe:
- We want it to be a safe place of comfort, love and trust because for some kids it may be the only safe place for them.
- It’s also a place where they should feel comfortable sharing about their lives, struggles and fears.
- We want to create an environment where kids won’t be embarrassed, made fun of, or laughed at.
Teaching is Christ Centered with Biblical Truth, Relevant and Applicable:
- We want kids to know that God gave them a book filled with wisdom to help them understand life today. It’s a message of unchanging truth that they won’t find in anywhere else.
- Three questions to ask:
- What biblical truth do I want them to know?
- How can I help them make a connection with the biblical truth to a specific circumstance they might face?
- How can I clearly help them apply the lesson to their lives with action?
Teach the Bible Creatively:
- What will grab the kids’ attention?
- Teach to all learning styles: tactile, kinesthetic, auditory, and visual.
Be Relational and Shepherd Children in Small Groups:
- Take the time to get to know the kids on a deeper level and apply the day’s Bible lesson to their lives (looking at questions in Core Value #3). It’s a way to connect them to a safe place with friends and a spiritual adult.
- It’s a time to help and direct character transformation and pray with them and for them.
- We need to show an expression of excitement to be there and be ready to listen and help kids process what they are learning.
- We need to call kids by their names and make sure they know we love and care for them.
It MUST be FUN!
- We need to make it FUN so kids want to come back.
- Try to mix in surprises, celebrations and humor.
- When kids are having fun, they take ownership for their own “church” time.