Every Sunday morning when I was a young children’s pastor, I cruised the halls, looking into the children’s ministry rooms to observe the work of the ministry.
After doing this for years, I began to recognize a basic but huge difference in how the Bible truth was communicated: some people presented the truth, but others shared the truth.
Presenting the Truth
Teachers “presenting” the truth know all about the Bible story, are aware of every fact, have the wording down perfectly, and communicate in age-appropriate ways.
These teachers have good stories to illustrate the Bible Truth, and occasionally they have some kind of media, a visual aid or video clip that captures the children’s interest.
“Presenters” are usually very skilled and polished; their presentation is excellent.
Yet after watching thousands of children listen to hundreds of presentations, I realized that “presenters” lack one key trait: authenticity. They don’t teach the biblical truth from their heart or their personal experience.
Children sense authenticity or the lack of it, and when authenticity is missing, the children have trouble connecting to the Bible truth.
One time I saw a “presenter” teach five-year-olds about Jesus ascending to heaven. During the presentation, a child asked if Jesus’ ears popped when He went up! Another asked if He was flying with Superman when He flew to heaven.
For so many children, the Bible is a collection of stories akin to Disney tales like The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Pinocchio—and the list goes on and on.
For many children, the Bible’s Jonah tale is another fantastic (as in fantasy) story.
For me, one of the main differences between the Jonah story and Pinocchio is, the Jonah story changed my life. When I teach it to children that way, the children sense it and respond to the, yes, authenticity.
Sharing the Truth
In contrast to that are those who “share” the truth.
“Sharers” frequently have all the skills, resources, and excellence of “presenters”, but “sharers” are genuine and authentic. The Bible truth flows from their heart.
I’m most fascinated, though, by “sharers” who aren’t those super-skilled teachers who have all the resources and a lot of experience.
On numerous occasions I’ve watched leaders teach children a Bible Truth in a manner far from ideal. However, these teachers more than compensated for the lack of polish by sharing from their heart with passion and conviction.
Children sense the authenticity and spiritual passion of such leaders, and despite what some might deem their methodological shortcomings, these leaders engage with children in deep and profound ways.
Closing Thoughts
The Word of God and the Bible Truth in a lesson is not something to be memorized, recited when prompted, and kept in the mental recesses of our mind.
Instead, Bible Truth is to be internalized and, as a result, life changing. This begins with the teacher.
A solid biblical understanding of a passage is essential for any leader, but knowing truth and confining it to the mind “puffs up” and benefits no one (1 Corinthians 8:1).
Before you teach the truth of God’s Word to children, ask God to work that truth into your own life.
Thank you Daniel. I'm blessed with your short messages which inspire me to be better servent for God.