Two days ago I was running a training event for a church that's about to start new children's groups at a morning service that currently doesn't have any. They are in the unusual situation of starting something brand new but with known numbers of children (rather a lot of them!). I was encouraging them to see this as a strength, and to START AS THEY WANT TO GO ON by thinking strategically about the principles on which their groups will run.
Most of us aren't in this situation. It's far more likely that we have 'inherited' our groups - along with an interesting collection of traditions. (I once worked for a church which set up a kind of altar at the front of their 5-7s group - with a framed painting of Jesus and several candles - because they'd 'always done it that way'.) Even so, it's good to reassess our principles now and then, and see if we need to do a rethink.
Just two suggestions to get that process going:
ONE—we are in a partnership with parents (since the Bible tells us that parents have the primary responsibility for the spiritual eduction of children). We have their children for an hour or so - they have them for life. So ask whether your group is set up to develop that partnership, and support parents in their role. A simple starting point is to review how you communicate with parents, and whether you encourage them to follow up at home what you've been doing with their child this week.
TWO-what are your team commiting themselves to (and do they know?). I encouraged these new leaders to commit themselves to always arriving early enough to be completely prepared before any of the young people turn up, to praying together as a team before a session starts, and to meet up regularly as a team to encourage each other and do some team training together.
Our role as children's and youth leaders is to be Bible teachers. Thinking through these kind of issues strategically, and being intentional about how we lead our groups and work together, will support us in that Bible-teaching role.
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