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CHILDREN'S MINISTRY
Organizing Your Children's Teaching Team
Qualifications of Workers
by Leon Castle
Each church will set qualifications and expectations for its own age group teaching and administrative staffs. However, many churches will look for the following common qualifications:
Christian—All teachers need to have declared their belief in Jesus as Savior and to have committed themselves to follow Christ daily. It is impossible to introduce children and preteens to Christ if teachers do not know him.
Church member—Teachers should be committed to the mission, message, and ministry of the church in which they teach. The depth of love and commitment to their church will affect the attitudes of the children toward the church.
Model—Teachers teach more from who and what they are than from what they say. Be whatever you want the children and preteens to be. They will observe you and learn from that which you model for them. From their observations they will imitate you.
Likes children—Teachers must love children (desire the best for them) and like them (enjoy them and feel comfortable being with them).
Team player—Teaching children and preteens does not take place in a vacuum. Teachers have to plan and work together as a team. Each has to know what the other is doing. Each has to work toward common aims and objectives.
Learner—The teaching process is a continuous process of learning. Teachers should always seek to learn and experience new ideas, concepts, methods, and relationships. They should constantly learn more about and experience daily a deepening relationship with God. Teachers should always be learning about the ones they teach and the world in which they live. Teachers should always strive to improve their teaching methods and experiment with new ones. Only as teachers seek to learn will they remain dynamic.
Consistent—Children feel secure when they can anticipate and predict. Teachers should be consistent in establishing and maintaining boundaries. What is acceptable today should also be acceptable tomorrow. If teachers constantly change the boundaries and expectations, the children become confused, aggressive, or withdrawn. This does not mean that boundaries cannot change. As needs change boundaries should, but children should be made aware of the changes. Teachers should exhibit consistent personalities. If you are pleasant one day but hard to get along with the next, the children will wonder what you will be like the next time they meet with you.
Flexible—Teachers need not only to be organized, but flexible. Even the best-laid plans do not always work. Children's needs and interests change from session to session. Teachers should always be sensitive to the children's needs and rearrange their plans to meet them.
Dependable—Children and preteens need teachers they can depend on being present and prepared each time the group meets. The church needs teachers who will faithfully fulfill their duties and responsibilities. Nothing does more to enhance Christian education than does faithfulness and dependability, and nothing destroys it more than unfaithfulness and undependability on the part of the teaching staff.
Minister—Children have needs both inside and outside the classroom. Children get hungry and thirsty. They experience isolation and loneliness. They become imprisoned with their problems and crises. They need teachers who have eyes that see the invisible and who act accordingly.
Organizing the Teaching Team
Organization should always exist to assist the teaching team in achieving the purposes of the department. What does it mean to reach children and preteens? Outreach means:
• Establishing a meaningful relationship with the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders and their families.
• Ministering to the known needs of children and their families.
• Enrolling in your department the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders who attend your church.
• Identifying the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in the area reached by your church who are not enrolled in Sunday School.
• Extending an invitation to children and their families to attend your Sunday School.
• Enrolling the children when they first attend your department (Getting parental consent for the enrollment is best.)
• Taking the message of the Bible to children if they choose not to come to your facility and department.
The Bible is a wonderful book filled with many messages to us from God. Those messages are found in the exciting narratives and themes that run throughout the Bible. Children's Formations material uses the great narratives of the scripture as the curriculum foundation. Teaching the Bible, therefore, is basically teaching the stories. For example, the boys and girls can learn the story of the Good Samaritan. Why did Jesus tell that wonderful story? Why is that story recorded in the Bible? Through this story Jesus taught, among many other things, that love and compassion know no boundaries. To teach the Bible, teachers tell the story and help children determine a lesson that story illustrates.
How do teachers of children minister to children and their families? To minister, teachers have to identify needs. Needs manifest themselves in various ways and at various times. Perhaps a child's mother has to have surgery. Such a disruption throws the family into a multitude of needs because family functions have to continue without a major enabler. In such situations teachers may minister by preparing food and meals; helping with the laundry; providing child care; listening and responding to the fears the children may have because of their mother's absence and sickness; praying with the family; waiting with the family during the surgery; providing transportation as needed; assisting with school assignments; or simply performing the ministry of presence by being there.
Witnessing to children includes sharing with them what God through Christ has done for you. It also includes helping the children process and respond to the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives. This calls for teachers to have a dynamic, redemptive relationship with Christ; a positive, meaningful relationship with the children; a sensitivity of the Holy Spirit’s working in the lives of the children; and the ability to talk, listen, pray, explore, and explain.
Witnessing does not give teachers the right to manipulate and exploit children into making decisions. Helping children to develop and grow in their likeness of Christ is a life-long process involving helping children to know what being Christian is; clarifying Christian principles so the children can understand them; encouraging the children to live by Christian principles; and positively reinforcing the children's Christian behavior.
In a multi-staff department, as found in many larger churches, teacher’s responsibilities are often broken down as follows:
Lead teacher—This teacher assumes the educational and administrative responsibilities of the department. In addition to teaching, the lead teacher enlists the other teachers; leads the teachers in making teaching plans for each study unit; assigns the teachers the responsibilities of planning, preparing, and guiding the children and preteens in doing various learning activities during each session; assigns each teacher, including her/himself, department and prospects to contact weekly and to minister to as needs arise; maintains department records if the department does not have a secretary; leads the department to participate in church activities as appropriate for the age group; represents the department on councils and committees according to church policy; makes request for budget, equipment, materials, literature, space, and other resources according to church policy; and involves the teachers in evaluating the effectiveness and growth of the departments.
Teacher—This teacher is responsible to and cooperates with the lead teacher in accomplishing the work of the department. A teacher is needed for every 6 persons enrolled in the department. In addition to teaching, teachers cooperate with the lead teacher in making teaching plans for each study unit; assume the responsibility of planning, preparing, and guiding the children and preteens in doing various learning activities as assigned by the lead teacher during each session; assist, as requested, the lead teacher in teaching; contact weekly the assigned class members and prospects and minister to their needs as they arise; serve as department secretary and maintain accurate records if requested to do so by the lead teacher; encourage department members to participate in church activities as appropriate for the age group; assist the lead teacher in making requests for budget, equipment, materials, literature, space, and other resources according to church policy; and evaluate the effectiveness and growth of the department.
If you are the only teacher—you will assume the responsibilities of both lead teacher and teacher.
Department leaders—Older children and preteens have the capacity for limited leadership responsibilities. Consider the needs of your class and use class members to meet as many of those needs as possible. Assign children routine responsibilities as well as specific duties that change from time to time.
Consider using the children and preteens as contact captains. Give the captains the names of three or four class members to contact each week and encourage their attendance. In some instances, teachers can use a child or preteen as the attendance checker who marks the roll as to who is present and who is absent. When the department plays games, appoint various ones to serve as team captains. Some children and preteens would enjoy serving as department keepers being responsible for leaving the room neat and orderly. Others would enjoy serving as social leaders and work with the teachers in planning and promoting social and ministry activities for the department. If your church publishes a children's newsletter, appoint a pupil to be the department reporter. A member could also serve as worship leader who would distribute the pupil leaflets each Sunday and review the "Worship Helps" and "Family Worship Time" with the group.
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