Transformational Children’s Ministry

Transformational children’s ministry is about fulfilling the Great Commission to make disciples of boys and girls around the world.

Churches are called to help boys and girls learn about a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. So many of them are living outside of God’s forgiveness and the life He intends for them.

They are lacking joy, peace and a sense of hope. Many of them are living in crisis zones. 

Even those living in wealthy and stable societies have not experienced unconditional love and a real sense of belonging. We have the joy and blessing of sharing the Good News that a child can have a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ and experience the new life He intends for them.

They can experience a peace that transcends their situation, have a sense of purpose in life and be a part of God’s forever family.

The keys to this kind of life-changing ministry can be found in one of the key places in the Bible where children’s ministry is the focus, namely Deuteronomy 6:4-9. 

The EGM Institute believes that there are five essential ministry elements found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

We also believe that you can find these same five transformational ministry elements in Jesus’ ministry as well as the Apostle Paul. These five elements are key for developing a transformational children’s ministry.

These five ministry principles can be summarized as follows:

Relationship

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. (Deuteronomy 6:4-6)

Transformational children’s ministry is relational ministry. In a relationship with their leaders, children experience for themselves the amazing love of Christ. They also learn from their leaders’ example what it looks like to live with Jesus as the Lord of every aspect of life. The Holy Spirit works through these honest, caring relationships that ministry workers develop with the children to bring life change and genuine transformation.

Experience

… sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:7)

Experience is a crucial element of the learning process, and experiential teaching helps connect biblical Truth to the children’s real life. Experiential teaching engages both the heart and the mind of boys and girls.

Truth

Impress them on your children. (Deuteronomy 6:7)

Children need to hear Bible Truth—and they need to hear it repeatedly. After all, the Word of God is more than a collection of stories, doctrines, and ideas. It is life-changing Truth that teaches us who God is and who we are. The Bible is the handbook for living the life God intends for all children. Its Truth stands at the core of God’s transformational work.

Discussion

Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:7)

Connecting the Word of God to the children’s real life is essential to our being able to effectively minister to them. Transformational children’s ministry means the workers engage the children by talking about the Truth of God’s Word and, in that context, about the challenges they face at home and at school. Discussing what God’s Word says about specific aspects and certain circumstances in their real life helps children understand the Bible and come closer to experiencing its relevance.

Response

Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:8-9)

Helping boys and girls respond to the Truth revealed in God’s Word is every teacher’s goal. So transformational children’s ministry makes sure that children have the opportunity to respond to God’s Truth.

This putting into practice what they learn is the next crucial step on the path toward life transformation. When we keep on responding to God’s Truth, He changes us. In fact, He transforms us into the likeness of Christ!

These five elements—Relationship, Experience, Truth, Discussion, and Response—are the building blocks of a transformational children’s ministry.

The Word of God comes alive for children and speaks into their real life in a fresh new way. In fact, thanks to these building blocks, many boys and girls experience the Bible’s relevance for the first time ever.

Having a personal relationship with Jesus takes on new meaning, and church is not just where adults make them go. Instead, church is a source of joy, friendship, and a sense of belonging.

The entire process looks something like this:

One More Essential 

Now, before I close, a children’s ministry blog would not be complete without hand motions. After all, everyone knows that hand motions are essential elements of children’s ministry .

So, to ensure the effectiveness of the Deuteronomy 6 model, we have created some hand motions to represent—and to help you remember—each of the five elements.

We have taught these hand motions to thousands of leaders around the world, resulting in a sort of ministry subculture, and these hand signals are a sign of membership.

Check back next week for another look at how these five qualities can affect your children’s ministry!