When we grasp that reality, we will:

1)  Choose curriculum carefully.
2)  Develop curriculum strategically.

Any old curriculum will not do.  We will not just throw together a lesson.  Rather we will approach it prayerfully and seek to be accurate in our representation of it, trying to communicate God’s intent and not our opinion.

In adding nativity sets to the children’s ministry section on the Christmas Ministry Resources page from our affiliate stores, I found quite a variety — fabric, finger puppet, stickers, magnetic, puppet glove, plastic/PVC, soft and squeezable, vinyl clings, and wooden.
I wanted to include nativities that could be used in children’s classes, or in the home, that would serve not just as touchable decorations but also visual aids or learning tools.   If I were to look for nativities for adults, I would add resin, glass, ceramic, metal, porcelain, along with possibly other kinds of materials.

Just like you will find some nativity sets constructed more suitably for toddlers, some for older children, and others for adults, so we must consider how to communicate in relevant ways to the different age levels. 

Think about people’s developmental needs as we approach the holiday season.  How can you present this Jesus in the manger in ways that are relevant to them?

1)  Early Childhood:  They need a sense of security as they look to people to care for their needs while beginning to exert a degree of independence and initiative.

Present to them this Jesus who came to earth as a baby, loved by God, and who grew up gaining favor with God and man and  showed others love.  If they feel His unconditional love they will learn to open their hearts to Him.

2)  Grade School:  They need a sense of success or competence in this industrious age level marked by curiosity, skill development, and performance.

Present to them this Jesus who came to earth as a baby but who grew in wisdom and did many wonderful things, the best of which was salvation.  If they study His life through His Word, they will become equipped to do good in life, to reach their potential in Him through His power.

3)  Junior High:  They need a sense of stability in this period of uncertainty with all the changes going on within them.

Present to them this Jesus who came to earth through a most peculiar set of circumstances and was not always understood as He grew and did the Father’s will. He kept doing the Father’s will regardless of how hard it was and how He felt.  If they learn to trust Him, He will help them navigate this turbulent time.

4)  Senior High:  They need a sense of identity as they transition into adulthood.

Present to them this Jesus who came to earth as a little baby though fully aware He was God.  As He grew, He did not let ego or peer direct His decisions but the Father.  If they discover who they are in Him, they will come to realize that it isn’t about what others think of them but what God thinks.

5)  Young Adults:  They need a sense of belonging and intimacy as they build relationships and learn to cope in a big world.

Present to them this Jesus who came to earth because God so loved the world and wanted to reconcile people to Himself.  Jesus knew His purpose, sought to accomplish His goals, yet remembered the people around Him and built relationships with them.  If they keep a relationship with Him their top priority, others pursuits will fall into place.

6)  Middle Aged Adults:  They need a sense of purpose as they begin to wonder if their life is really making a difference.

Present to them this Jesus who came to earth, with humble beginnings in the manger but didn’t stay there.  Rather, He went on to make a difference.  If they line up with Him, they too will live abundant and productive lives to the very end.

7)  Senior Aged Adults:  They need a sense of satisfaction and contentment, of fulfillment, with their lives, that they are leaving a legacy.

Present to them this Jesus who came to this earth to make a difference and so for the joy set before Him endured the cross, did not revile when reviled, but rather offered love and forgiveness.  If they continue to walk in Him, they too will live a life of integrity that others can look to as a role model.  If they have failed to walk faithfully, they can receive grace and forgiveness even now with Jesus’ challenge to “Go and sin no more.”

You can run any truth through these age level needs to increase relevancy.  If you don’t think too much about the difference these factors play in your students’ understanding and motivation, perhaps the Age Level Characteristics Resource from Ministry Tools Resource Center would be useful to you.  (The pages in that resource are included in a membership at TrainBibleTeachers.com under the individual age division pages.)

1)  how they were gifted

2)  how they were recruited

3)  how they perceived God would use them

How They Were Gifted:  If a person did not have the gift of teaching, exhortation, prophecy, or perhaps pastor, they tended to feel insecure, afraid of failing, and frustrated.  However, those who had these gifts, especially the gift of teaching, tended to find themselves with a renewable energy that converted into an excitement and passion about teaching.

How They Were Recruited:  If arm-twisted into teaching or made to feel guilty if they didn’t, more time than not, even if spiritually gifted to teach, they tended to lack enthusiasm and even begrudged the time they had to invest into teaching.  If nabbed in the parking lot, they tended to have a low view of their role.  However, those who were approached in a serious manner and were given time to pray about their decision, tended to perceive teaching with more of a priority and sense of purpose.  They tended to be more enthused and willing to invest time and effort into it.

How They Perceived God Would Use Them:  If just doing their time with hopes something good might come out of it, they tended to display some apathy, having a spiritual lethargy.  However, if they truly believed that God would use them to make a difference in people’s lives, trusting God to not let His Word return void (Isa. 55:11), they tended to find joy and have a sense of anticipation every time they entered the classroom.

The PowerPoint Presentation, Rediscovering the Joy of Teaching, addresses this point, showing how JOY comes through an anticipation of what Jesus will do through you as you invest into other people’s lives, keeping a proper perspective of your place and purpose in teaching.

If the needle on the gauge of your feelings toward teaching is pointing more toward “ugh” rather than excitement, perhaps  this resource is for you.  It can be used by individual teachers or in a group.  You do not need to have the PowerPoint program on your computer if you download Microsoft’s free viewer.

For those of you who are in leadership, remember these points as you recruit.  Look for people who are spiritually gifted to teach.  Take great care in the way you recruit people that you are communicating the importance of the task.  And, be sure to emphasize the ultimate purpose and potential of them teaching.

For those of you being sought after to teach, look for your best fit in ministry based on your spiritual gifts.  Do not let someone pressure you into teaching without spending time in prayer.   Know if it is something GOD wants you to do.  If it is, depend on Him to use you to make a difference in people’s lives. 

For those of you already teaching who do not feel very good about it, trust God to work through you, even if teaching is not your best fit or if you are not doing it for the right reasons because of how you were recruited.  Work toward a better fit in ministry when the time is right.  It is about God’s will and timing, which could be a temporary placement in teaching.

For those of you already teaching who do feel good about it, praise the Lord yet be careful.  Stay alert, standing firm in the Lord and His mighty power.  The enemy is like a roaring lion looking for those he can devour.  All that he must do is to rob you of your joy to render you less effective.

The Apostle Paul answers that question in his words to Timothy:
“… from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 3:15)

Paul goes on to in the very next verse to provide the ways God’s Word helps us.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

What better source to teach, rebuke, correct, and train children than the Bible.  The words of Scripture carry more authority and power than anything a parent or teacher can communicate.

The question is not “if” children
can learn the Bible but HOW.

The new PowerPoint presentation, Teaching the Bible to Children, helps you know “how.”

It one of the many teacher training resources available as part of a membership on TrainBibleTeachers.com and also is a separate item in the MinTools store.  Be sure to check it out because children really can learn the Bible!

1. They need a big picture perspective or philosophy under which all discipline should come.  This is like the canopy of the umbrella.  Without this material over the framework, or spokes, their efforts will not protect or provide shelter.  All that is done needs to come under the umbrella of God’s Word.  The Effectively Handling Classroom Discipline Workbook provides this kind of perspective.
2. Under that canopy are spokes, the framework on which the material hangs.  These are principles that can apply to all discipline situations.  Again, the workbook will help you work through these principles but the Handbook on the Basics of Classroom Discipline can also help with that.  Every month one of the discipline tips from that book is put on the site, replacing the previous month’s tip.
3. The umbrella with its canopy and framework won’t help unless you personally grab hold of it.  This is where the handle comes in — the specific application to your situation.  One reason I can’t provide steps to handling discipline problems is that there are so many variables.  For example, two children can engage in the same behavior but for different reasons making the application specific to that situation.

Currently one type of resource I am including for members of TrainBibleTeachers.com is a series of handouts to help with different discipline issues.  These one page tools present possible causes for each issue with resultant suggestions for each reason.  So far I’ve added handouts on:

• Attention-Getting Behavior with 3 possible causes
• Bringing Toys & Objects from Home with 3 possible causes
• Constantly or Excessively Moving Children with 3 possible causes
• Crying When Children Dropped off with 3 possible causes
• Talking Incessantly/Inappropriately with 3 possible causes
• Teasing & Bullying with 6 possible causes
• When Staff Kids Misbehave with 4 possible causes

As you keep God’s big picture perspective in mind and apply the principles in ways appropriate to your situation and student needs, “rainy days” won’t have to get you drenched with frustration and despair.  If you line up what you do with God and His Word, you can depend on God for the long-range results and short-term coverage.

Yet, in the typical teaching staff, you have veteran teachers and new teachers, good teachers and not-so-good teachers, teachers with a lot of Biblical knowledge and some with little to no understanding of God’s Word.  There are teachers who are spiritually mature and those who do little to maintain a consistent walk with the Lord.  Some teachers skillfully use a variety of methods and others are stuck in ruts.  Some know how to handle problem situations and others are ready to give up.   Then, of course, we get into the differences in learning styles among our teachers, the age levels they teach, etc., etc.

How can we even think that we will equip our teachers
effectively by training them with a “one-size-fits-all” approach?

To truly invest into teacher’s lives to make them better teachers, we need to tailor training to the individual teachers when possible by providing help in areas of greatest need and in formats most conducive to their learning bents and schedules.

This is the premise on which TrainBibleTeachers.com was built.  Please be sure to check it out!

As part of a membership at TrainBibleTeachers.com, you get access not only to links for materials on a variety of topics in a variety of means but also to handouts and worksheets I have written which you are permitted to copy and distribute to your teachers.  Right now I am working on putting up a series of one page handouts each on a different discipline issue teachers face.  The page gives a synopsis of the challenge that issue brings, possible causes, and corrective and circumventive measures you can take.  The point is that once you determine the cause, you can truly help the student.  Two students can be engaging in the same behavior but for different reasons.  If you approach both students the same way, you probably will do little to help one of them.  You may be able to stop the misbehavior but the need remains and will very likely resurface at a different time or in a different way. 

Teacher training and discipline issues are two examples of how cookie cutter approaches usually aren’t the most effective.  Where have you seen a cookie cutter approach applied that wasn’t very effective?