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Do you have a Master Plan for how your Children’s Ministry is forming disciples? Life long disciples are not made by accident - they are a result of careful planning and strategic ministry.

Check out the Discipleship Master Plan PDF on DiscipleLand.com It is sure to stimulate your thinking and help you better plan for the ultimate goal of your ministry - making disciples!

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This is part 6 in a 12 part Series on D.I.S.C.I.P.L.E.S.H.I.P. - Twelve Tips to help you become a more effective discipler of children.

Prayer is one of those things we often talk about more than we actually do! Just to make sure we don’t do that right now, lets both STOP, RIGHT NOW, and pray before going forward. Go for it. Ask God to open your heart to how Prayer could transform and empower your discipling!

(Pssst! you should be praying right now!)

O.K., welcome back! Few Christians, if any, would argue the point that the most important thing we can do for our children is to pray for them… but does our action match our words? If you devotion to children and the cause of Christ were measured ONLY by your prayer life - what would the conclusion be? My goal is not to motivate by guilt, but to challenge you to evaluate how important prayer is in practise in your ministry to children.

When it comes to praying for our disciples - those kids who we are intentionally investing in spiritually - there are two important aspects to praying for them. Obviously, we ought to be praying FOR them, but we also should pray WITH them. Let’s look at both and why they are important.

PRAYING FOR YOUR STUDENTS.

While I could provide a long list of verses about prayer, let me focus on just one and make a few points.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phil. 4:6

This concise verse contains some of the best teaching on prayer and it is very applicable to praying for the children we are ministering too.

1. “Do not be anxious.” There is a lot that can worry us about children in today’s world. The dangers to both the minds, bodies, and souls can be terrifying to us who love them. There is great spiritual warfare for their hearts and minds, and without spiritual power and intervenion, most kids will end up chooseing the “broad road” that leads to destruction. But here God tells us, the answer is not to be anxious, it is to pray! If we truly care about the children in our lives, we ought to be praying for them, and often! It is the single most powerful thing we can do to prevent the things that make us anxious for them. Make a list of the kids you care about, and prayer for them by name. Ask God to protect them, to challenge them, to draw them to Himself and to give them a curiousity for the Word of God and a hunger for righteousness. Pray for courage to withstand temptation and patience in the midst of trails. Pray that they would choose friends who draw them closer to God and not away. And prayer for their parents who have such a challenging God. A prayer for parents is a blessing to their children!
2. “By prayer and petition.” I’ve always found it facinating that in this verse God separates “prayer” and “petition.” To many people, prayer = petition. All they ever do when they pray is ask for stuff. God desires for us to make requests of Him, as a Father, he delights in giving good things to His children, but notice “petition” is mentioned secondary to “prayer” - which is simply communication and fellowship with God. Make sure that you are spending time getting to know the heart of God, not just asking Him for things you want - even good things. The first thing God wants is YOU!
3. “With Thanksgiving.” This is a powerful key to prayer! Too often we pray and “hope” God will answer. That isn’t faith. When we pray “with thanksgiving” we are asking in anticipation of what God will do. Are we manipulating God? Far from it! But we are demonstating faith that He will do that is best in the situation. When a child gives a list of Christmas Wishes to a parent, they don’t think for a second they won’t get something - or that they will be disappointed on that morning - but they don’t always get what they ask for. They DO get what Mom and Dad decide is best for them at that age, and probably what they can afford. The good thing with God is, He can afford anything! So ask with thanksgiving! You can even say in your prayer of petition, “God I thank you already for how you are going to answer this prayer because I know your love for this child is perfect and exceeds even what I can imagine. Thank you for loving me, for hearing me, and for answering my prayer!” No need to wait around and see “if” God answers - if you pray according to His Will - He WILL answer! So thank Him in advance!
4. “Present your requests to God.” We do need to actually present them to God! This may seem like pointing out the obvious. But I know as a father, there are many things I am willing to do with or for my son that I only do if he actually asks me. Part of it is that God doesn’t force Himself on us, but it is also that He wants to see what we would like to see Him do. If we don’t ask, we are likely not to notice or thank Him even if He does it. But when we ask, we’ll see it when it happens! I can’t help wondering what things I’ve missed out on in life from both my earthly and heavenly fathers simply because I didn’t bother to ask! So present your requests to God TODAY! What are you waiting for?

PRAYING WITH YOUR STUDENTS

It is also important to pray WITH your students, and I don’t mean just opening in prayer. Skip that if it is nothing but a formality! Don’t be flipant with God. Remember Who it is you are talking to! When you pray with your students, it helps teach them how to prayer. It humbles us as we acknowledge Who we are following. It shows we care as we pray for them. And you can rejoice together when God answers prayer.

A few tips:

• Ask your students for prayer requests. Your job is not just to teach them biblical knowledge, it is to transform them into a disciple of Jesus.
• WRITE THEM DOWN. Keep a journal, use a note card in your Bible, your PDA, something so that you are reminded to prayer later.
• Pray for them throughout the week, you may want to call or e-mail to check in on them. It will surprise them and show you truly are concerned for them.
• Follow up by asking about them later - this proves you really prayed and really care! If you say you will pray about a sick grandma and never ask how she is doing, did you really prayer? Did you really care? How could you still be praying if you don’t even know if she is alive still?
• Share your own concerns with them, so they see you are real. You don’t need to share your deepest struggles, but demonstrate your own dependance on God by sharing the things you are currently praying about. As they see God answer your prayers, they will share in the rejoicing and be all the more eager to make prayer a part of their life.
• Pray for others besides yourselves. Pray for their parents. Ask them how you can pray for their parents. Kids who are upset with their parents will be forced to see their parents in a new light - as other people with problems, worries, concerns and struggles. If they talk about kids they are having issues with, what a perfect opportunity to demonstrate “praying for our enemies!”

Don’t just give prayer lip service - make it an essential part of your discipling and you will see God work because he loves to answer prayer!

Looking for a fun way to remind kids what to pray about?

Check out A Hand in Prayer on Kidology.org. It is a “handy” way to teach young children to remember what to pray for by using each finger on their hand to represent something.

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Last month I was in Fresno, CA where I did a DL academy. The church asked me to speak in the morning services on “Satan’s Seductions” and follow-up with the parents Sunday afternoon and Monday evening. We had a great response from the parents who were very interested in understanding the culture their kids are living in today. One point I made was the fact that many of today’s church kids have never personalized their God. He is still the God of their parents and their church. We discussed the mass exodus we are experiencing from the church by our pre-teens and teens and how Satan has seduced them into a world that opposes everything we believe as committed Christians.

Within 24 hours of our meetings I received email messages from three families. One mom said that when she went home Monday night her young teen daughter informed her that she no longer believed in God. She was very grateful that she had attended the meetings and had something to say to her daughter. The other families confirmed the things I had presented and told me the sad stories of their own battles with evil in their homes.

Under the noses of parents and pastors is another world that has one objective . . . seducing our kids and destroying Christian families. Last week I read a stat from the Association of Family and Marriage Ministry that in 2006 there were 42,000,000 porn pages available to our kids on the internet and 25% of all search engine requests are for porn. The largest group of viewers of internet porn are children between 12 and 17 years old. As Christian parents and leaders in the church we have a giant to slay who is taunting us at every turn. We can’t give up, we must keep fighting for the hearts, minds and souls of our kids.

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Check out DiscipleLand’s beautiful Bible banners!

Whether you use DiscipleLand Bible Curriculum or not, you should know about the amazingly beautiful decorative banners that DiscipleLand is now producing. These beautiful banners are eight feet long and five feet wide and feature the eye popping artwork from DiscipleLand’s artist, Rob Lassetter.

What a fantastic piece to use in classrooms or as the first thing people see entering your children’s ministry area. Right Now this banner is $50 off as the first release. More are soon to come.

Custom sizes are possible, it just need to be proportionally equivalent and must be ordered by phone at 800-284-0158. For 5′x8′ banners ORDER ONLINE TODAY!

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This is part 5 in a 12 part Series on D.I.S.C.I.P.L.E.S.H.I.P. - Twelve Tips to help you become a more effective discipler of children.

Investing in the spiritual development of children is the best investment possible on this earth. There is no greater way to see a return on your investment of time and resources. I used this theme in a recruiting brochure once (available on Kidology.org for your use!) that openned with the following:

The purpose of that recruiting campaign was to encourage adults to see volunteering in the same light as they view their financial investment.  It asked:

Our goal was to guide individuals toward thinking strategically about children’s ministry (aka “investment”), volunteering in several areas (aka “diversified”) and to consider the long range benefits of thier service (aka “portfolio”). Instead of the mind-set, “I already serve in nursery, I’m covered” we asked them to consider “in what other way can I invest in kids.” This doesn’t mean we over work our volunteers - it means there is more than one way to invest in kids, many aren’t in the classroom! One of the options on the response form, oops, excuse me, the “Investment Response Form” was to inquire about being a discipler of children.

Let me tell you - please hear me - the BEST investment you can make in children’s ministry is to become a discipler of children. Whether you are the children’s pastor/director or voluneer in the trenches of weekly ministry, there is nothing that will be as fulfilling or as effective as discipling individual kids. Nothing.

I’ve planned and pulled off countless Vacation Bible Schools, Kids Crusades, Backyard Bible Blasts, Fun Fairs, Water Wars, Overnighters and taught well over 1000 Kids Church services (conservative estimate!) not to mention special events I’ve been hired to do at other churches or on the mission field. I’ve been to many more meetings, outings, and done more than my fair share of “child care” situations I redeemed by making them more than mere child care. But where do I see the most fruit in over thirty years of ministry (only half of which was as a vocational minister)? In the children I discipled.

The kids I intentionally discipled are the ones in Bible college. The children I discipled are the ones I see getting baptised (one just this past Sunday, now a senior in high school). The boys I spent time with one on one are now camp counselors, dating Christian girls, serving the Lord on mission trips (I get their support raising letters every year) and by far more “on fire” for God than most young people.

Let me be clear - I am NOT taking credit for any of these kids spiritual passion, much is owed to the parents and others who invested in them, and they deserve a lot of credit too for their choices. But I do find it encouraging and telling that so many of the kids I discipled are the ones I see the most fruit in. It has been demostrated in several studies that the #1 common denominator in children who stay committed to their Christian faith as adults are those who had an adult, other than a parent, show an interest in their spiritual development as a young person. So it doesn’t surprise me that the kids I discipled are doing so well now that they are no longer kids.

But I also see the most fruit from those Jesus discipled. Perhaps He was on to something.

Like Jesus, we must minister to the masses - but don’t miss out on the power of focusing on individuals while you’re at it. If you aren’t focusing on any individual kids, you are robing yourself of some of the most fulfilling experiences in ministry, and you are robbing those kids of a great advantage in their spiritual journey.

HOW DO YOU INVEST IN KIDS?

1. The most important thing you can invest is your TIME! Talking to kids one on one is critical. They will remember those conversations for years - and especially when they are struggling as teenagers. Take kids out to eat and on outings and talk about spiritual things. The common thought that just hanging out is enough is wrong. You don’t need to preach at them, but talk about things that matter.
2. Write kids letters where you give advice, share what you see in them you admire. Complilment them, describe your hopes for their future with gentle encouragement to keep walking with the Lord.
3. Invest in resources for the kids you are discipling or focusing on. When you get a discipling book to go through, like Awesome Adventure, you are communicating their value to you. (My wife and I wrote Awesome Adventure for discipling kids and used it our ‘home made’ version for years before DiscipleLand published it and made it the attractive tool it is now.)
4. You can also buy kids a helpful Bible. “Kids Bibles” are great, but it may surprise you that the Bible I have bought for most of the kids I disciple is a Thomas Chain Reference Bible. When I recieved mine from my dad I was told it was “for adults” but that he could tell I was ready for a serious Bible. It inspirted me to get serious about studying the Bible, not just reading it. When you give a child a study Bible you honor them as well as equip them.
5. Invest in kids in little ways - treating them out to eat. Getting them little gifts to reward them along the way. (I am not talking about bribes, I’m referring to gifts when they do a good job, there is a difference!) Showing you care by investing in their life communicates more than you can imagine. I bought a kid a new basketball, a new jacket, or a toy they collected. Spending my money to say “I love you” and “I know your world” is money well spent.
6. You can also in vest in kids by helping them in other areas of struggle besides just the “spiritual” because all of life is spiritual! I have a study system I learned in college that can take any struggling student and turn them into a successful student in one quarter. I have helped so many student first with their school work and then with their walk with God.

Consider the kids in your life who need some focused attention, and ask yourself, “How can I invest in this child?” God will give you the answer. Your job, then, is to put your money, your time, or your effort where His heart is.

The results will become the highlight of your ministry.

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Kids are on the Internet. Whether we like it or not, the Internet today is not something kids are fascinated with, it is simply a part of their life. It’s not “new” to them, it is just their world. Being online is normal for them. In fact, if you aren’t online, they may almost wonder what’s wrong with you. While we can decry the dangers of the Internet (as we should!) and provide advice on use and filters (and we should!) one of the best ways to address the problem is not to only fight it, but redeem it.

The Internet provides incredible opportunity to connect with kids during the week and in the home. And DiscipleLand has jumped on this opportunity and added a FREE service for DiscipleLand teachers to connect with their students and for parents to invest computer time into more spiritual beneficial activities.

It’s called DISCIPLEZONE.com

It’s a place for kids to continue learning after church, for parents to connect with their child’s teacher and for teacher’s to have a way to greet their kids during the week an extend the learning process.

And it’s all free!

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY IT?

Go to DiscipleZone.com (link opens in a separate window) and click on the KIDS button. Next you will see a fun control panel. This is where kids enter the key code found on the student take-home paper (highlighted by their teacher). It’s a simple code–the first dial is the curriculum level, 1-6. (enter 2 for example) Next is the quarter letter, A = Fall; B = Winter; C = Spring; D = Summer. (go ahead, enter B) The last dial is the lesson number. (for an example, choose any number.)

You will then be asked if you have a Class Code. Here is a trial code you can use: Enter TRTRT

You’ll be greeted by a screen with a Bible passage or story and a collection of buttons the kids can choose from.

Here is an overview of the elements offered to kids in DiscipleZone.

Every element of DiscipleZone contributes to the discipleship process:

The printed Disciple Guides offer 24 “how-to” skills for victorious Christian living . To see an overview of the DiscipleSkill development plan, click here

Children memorize Bible verses that capture the heart of each lesson. Find the KeyVerse on the printed Disciple Guides for each lesson.

For each Bible lesson, kids and parents enjoy additional pictures, background information discussion questions, and family activities. Encourage parents to read the text together, discuss the questions, and commit to doing the suggested activities as a family.

Children meet a new people group each quarter, expanding their focus to regions around the globe! WorldWatch also offers missionary biographies and missions education segments to be taught by teachers or parents. To see an overview of WorldWatch missions education, click here.

DiscipleLand’s Bible Reading Plan. Kids and parents read through a specific part of the Bible each week, based on their grade level. To see the complete reading plan, click here.

Children encounter classic hymns that have inspired Christians for centuries. For a complete list of hymns studied, click here.

These engaging stories, starring Dee, Cy, Paul, and Chip, reinforce each Bible lesson and will help your kids apply God’s Word to their lives. To learn more about Dee, Cy, and Paul, click here.

LEAVE A NOTE FOR YOUR STUDENTS!

One of the cool features is the ability to leave a note for the kids. Be sure to click on the Yellow Note for a note from ME to YOU! (You’ll never know the message until you check!)

There are so many creative applications to this note feature beyond just a nice greeting to the kids. Use it to:

• Ask a review question that if they bring the answer on a slip of paper, you’ll have a treat for them!
• Provide a “code word” of the week that if they know it, they get to volunteer in class for games etc.
• Let them know about class events and activities.
• Announce who has a birthday this week!
• Tell them to wear a certain color shirt to church on Sunday!
• Ask them to bring props that will go with your lesson.
• BE CREATIVE!

There is enough content for each week for parents and kids to spend 10-15 minutes exploring the topic they learned about in church a little further, as well as learning about missions and some historical hymns, complete with music playing.

DiscipleZone.com equips parents and teachers to use the Internet to build upon the learning that took place at church.

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If you follow this blog, you may have caught the post What Happened To The Bible. It fueled a healthy discussion over on Kidology.org. Then, Christine Yount, editor-in-chief at Children’s Ministry Magazine featured it on her blog.

Then, I was honored when Christine asked if she could interview me for her podcast on the subject. You can listen to the podcast here.

Christine Yount is a leading voice in children’s ministry and someone you need to keep in your virtual circle of advisors. I’m excited to see her blogging and podcasting now. I’ve been listening to her for as long as I can remember and her longevity in children’s ministry leadership is a true mark of someone who is dedicated to a mission, not to a business or just trying to being heard. When Christine Yount speaks, I listen. (That doesn’t mean I always agree - but it does mean she forces me to think and constantly be evaluating. And I love that!)

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This is part 4 in a 12 part Series on D.I.S.C.I.P.L.E.S.H.I.P. - Twelve Tips to help you become a more effective discipler of children.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

The purpose of discipleship is not to merely pass on spiritual or biblical information. It is to guide and stimulate spiritual GROWTH in those you disciple. What you know is not as important as what you do, and what you do is not as important as who you are. As a discipler, one of the most critical aspects of your job is to challenge your disciplee to the next level in their walk with Christ.

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. - 1 Thessalonians 5:14

You are not asking them to be a Super Christian, or to be perfect - but you are challenging them to move ahead, to progress from where they currently are. How do you do that?

The first key is knowing where they are currently and then challenge them to move to the next realistic level. How often do they read their Bible, honestly? If it is once or twice a week - encouraging daily devotions may be the worst thing you can do. It may lead to a sense of failure or discouragement. But if you can encourage them to one extra day a week than they are currently doing, you have progress. Offer to use a phone call, email or text message to remind them. And let them hold you accountable too!

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. - 2 Timothy 4:2

If they have not memorized much scripture, some I’ve already stated is critical, then work on something together. A psalm perhaps. If they have memorized a lot, then challenge them to memorize a book! I would have never memorized the book of James if my discipler hadn’t said, “I think you are ready to discover the power of memorizing an entire book.” So I did, and have led many others in memorizing books since then.

What about witnessing? We all know we should be witnessing to the lost - it’s tough! So we need to be challenged. Ask who their unsaved friends are. Help them think of ways to witness, starting with little ways. Encourage some cold turkey witnessing to strangers. I know that had a profound impact on me early in my Christian walk.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. - Proverbs 27:17

There are many aspects to the Christian faith. Whatever your lesson is on - make it personal. Get out of the theory and into real life. Ask them to tell you how they are REALLY doing in that area. If it is sensitive, then ask them to write it privately and seal it in an envelop. Then challge them to think of somethin they need to do or change to see improvement. Have them open the envelope in a month or year and see how things have improved.

One of the things I like to do with the guys I am in a discipling relationship with, or more often, a mutual accountability relationship with, is to ask the guys how they are doing with the Three W’s:

• Walk - their walk with God
• Wife - their marriage and family
• Work - their job and/or ministry

We give each other a number from 1 to 10, one being terrible and ten being perfect. As you might guess, no one ever gives a ten! This enables us to be honest without giving any personal or private info, though as we explain our “3″ or “6.5″ often we find ourselves willing and able to share what is going on in our walk, with our wife, or in our work and how it is impacting our life.

With kids, you can ask the same 1-10 question at a child’s level. How is your relationship with your parents? Your friends? How’s it going at school?

BUT HERE IS THE KEY: You have to ask, “What would it take to see that number go up?” Press for specific action steps they could take to see improvement. Things they can do, not things they hope will change. Then follow up to encourage them to succeed and to celebrate improvements and success.

It is a fact of our nature that we don’t improve unless we are challenged and then held accountable. The good news you can provide that critical help to those you disciple and even those you just care about.

So don’t just teach, become an encouager, in fact, a challenger. God will use you to help others in your life go to the Next Level in their spiritual journey.

…But let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebrews 10:25

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Sir Isaac Newton (English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist. and theologian) was one of the most brilliant men who ever lived. He told a fellow scientist who wondered how Newton was able to accomplish so much, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Children, at every point in their development, stand on the shoulders of their former selves. Kids cannot write a meaningful essay until they are able to create a coherent paragraph; they cannot write a strong paragraph if they have not learned basic grammar and word meanings. Similarly, children cannot solve differential equations until they have mastered algebra; they do not understand algebra unless they first grasp arithmetic.

This principle is true in music, art, and other academic disciplines as well—but it is also valid in spiritual endeavors. If the foundation is weak, efforts to build will be fraught with problems. Jesus concludes His Sermon on the Mount with a graphic illustration of this same principle (Matthew 7:24-27).

Studies in cognitive psychology and language acquisition conclusively demonstrate that children are much more likely to retain new learning (transferring it from short-term to long-term memory) if a memory framework already exists. Sequential, cumulative, or incremental learning ensures that children will build a foundation that is essential to later growth. It also ensures that they will process new material in the way that their brains are set up to learn—thus adding to existing memory.

In a nutshell, that is why discipleship training must be sequential. Lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ are built incrementally. Effective discipleship interweaves three dimensions—knowledge + character + conduct. The Bible illumines a finite number of “must know” topics to understand, “must be” traits to exhibit, and “must do” activities to experience. When a child’s developmental process includes that knowledge, those traits, and those experiences, we can be reasonably assured that we have done our part to build a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ.

Why do children need “sequenced” discipleship? Knowledge builds on knowledge. Character builds on character. Conduct builds on conduct. Kids who miss out on foundational aspects of their spiritual development spend much of their lives “wandering in the wilderness.” But children who receive a sequential Christian education enjoy the “land of milk and honey.” They withstand harsh winds and tossing waves (Ephesians 4:14-16). They remain firm, standing on the shoulders of spiritual giants who have gone before them (Hebrews 12:1-2).

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Here is an outline that might be helpful for a class on discipleship

OVERRIDING PRINCIPLES OF TRUE DISCIPLESHIP

A True Disciple of Jesus is:

1. Humble - Matthew 18:1-5
2. Obedient - John 14:15,23-24
3. A Servant - Mark 9:33-37; 10:35-45

TERMS OF TRUE DISCIPLESHIP

A True Disciple has a:

1. Supreme Love for Jesus Christ - Luke 14:26
2. Denial of Self - Matthew 16:24
3. Deliberate Choosing of the Cross - Matthew 16:24
4. Life Spent in Following Jesus - Matthew 16:24
5. Fervent Love for all who Belong to Christ - John 13:35
6. Unswerving Continuance in God’s Word - John 8:31
7. Forsaking of All to Follow Jesus - Luke 14:33
8. Life Pattern of Prayer - Matthew 6:5-15
9. Life Pattern of Evangelism and Discipleship - Matthew 28:19-20

HINDRANCES TO TRUE DISCIPLESHIP

A True Disciple does NOT look to be:

1. Too Quick - The Love of Earthly Comforts - Luke 9:57-58
2. Too Slow - The Precedence of a Job or Occupation - Luke 9:59-60
3. Too Easy - The Priority of Tender Family Ties - Luke 9:61-62

These are notes from a workshop taught by David Brown, Lombard, IL

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