RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Each week in our children's ministry service, we take a minute before the offering time to teach the kids a lesson about giving.  We are seeking to give them a foundation of generosity, so they can experience a lifetime of the blessings and joy of being a giver.

Here are 10 object lessons we've used in recent months to teach kids about giving.  Feel free to use these in your ministry.

Giving is Greater Than Receiving

• Read Acts 20:35 with the kids - "It is more blessed to give than to receive." 
• Show the kids the words Giving and Receiving.
• Ask the kids which the Bible says is greater...giving or receiving?
• Explain to the kids that it's okay to receive things.  It's nice to get awards, birthday gifts, etc. 
• Show the kids this - GIVING > RECEIVING.
• But it's even better to give to help others because it makes an eternal difference and you're like Jesus when you give.  He came to give instead of receive. 

Don't Close Your Eyes

• Read Proverbs 28:27 with the kids - "Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed." 
• Bring up a picture of kids in need.
• Explain that there are people locally and around the world who are in need.  They are in need physically and spiritually. 
• When we see this, we have two choices. 
• We can respond by giving or close our eyes to their needs. 
• Have the kids close their eyes to the picture of the kids in need for a few seconds and then open them back up. 
• Encourage kids to not close their eyes to those in need, but to look and respond by giving their offering to help others both physically and spiritually. 
• When you do this, God has promised to provide for your needs. 

Overflowing

• Read Luke 6:38 with the kids - "Give, and you will receive.  Your gift will return to you in full - pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap."
• Hold up an empty clear cup.
• Have another clear cup that is half full with water.
• Pour some water from the half full cup into the empty cup. 
• Bring out a clear pitcher of water. 
• Use the pitcher to overflow the cup you poured water from. 
• Explain as you are doing this that when we give, God has promised to fill us back up to overflowing.  You can't out give God. 

World's Tallest Tree

• Show a picture of General Sherman - the tallest tree in the world.  It is located in Sequoia National Park.  It is 102 feet around and 275 feel tall.
• It started as a simple seed that was planted in the ground years ago. (hold up a small seed and show the kids)
• When you give your offering, it's like planting a seed.  It will grow into big things and make a big impact in people's lives.  

In God We Trust

• Hold up a dollar bill. Ask kids if they have ever noticed that it says "In God We Trust."  
• This is a great reminder that when we give our offering, we can trust God to take care of us and provide for our needs.  

The Half-Eaten Apple

• Have the kids read Matthew 6:33a with you - "Seek the kingdom of God first."
• Hold up two apples - one whole and one half-eaten.
• Explain that we should put God first with our money (hold up the whole apple).
• When we don't give Him 10% or we give Him whatever is left over after we finish spending on things we want, it's like we are giving him the leftovers (hold up the half-eaten apple).
• Put God first in your giving.

Faithful with a Little

• Show a picture of a $1 bill and a $1000 bill. 
• The Bible says if you are faithful with a little, then God will trust you with more. 
• May not have a lot of money to give as a child.  Maybe you get a little money from your allowance, birthday gifts, chores, etc.  Whatever it is, it's not likely a thousand dollars.
• God says to be faithful to give from what you have now.  And as you are faithful with a $1, then God may give you the opportunity to be faithful with thousands of dollars one day.  
• Giving faithfully from the little you have now opens the door to give faithfully from much more one day. '

Smiling or Frowning?

• Read 2 Corinthians 9:7 with the kids - "Each one of you should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion.  For God loves a cheerful giver."
• Show a picture of the frowning face.  We can give money to God with a bad attitude.  Perhaps because your parents make you or you feel guilty. 
• Show a picture of the smiling face.  Or we can give with a good attitude that says, "I'm giving this back to God because He is awesome and I love Him.  He deserves my best!" 

When You Love Someone

• Share about a time you gave a gift to someone because you loved them. (examples - ring to wife, gift for family member, money to someone you wanted to help, etc.)
• Explain that we have the opportunity each week to show God how much we love Him by giving our offering.   

Guess How Much Money Is In My Pocket

• Tell the kids you have some money in your pocket.  Ask them to guess how much it is. 
• Pull out the coins and reveal how much you have.  See who was closest.
• Explain that God knows everything.  He knows how much money we have.  
• One of the ways we can worship Him for being so awesome, powerful and all-knowing, is by giving back some of our money to Him. 

Not knowing how to manage finances is a source of stress and even divorce in many families.

One of the best things you can do to help families is equip them in this area of their lives.

Last fall, we led thousands of our parents through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University.

We also gave them tips they can use to teach their kids about managing money.

Here are 3 great tips from Dave to help parents teach their kids about good financial practices.

Offer a commission to your kids instead of an allowance.  The word "allowance" means you make an allowance for someone because they are not able.  Instead, instill drive and dignity in your child's character and make sure they know they are able.

Kids do not develop those qualities when you hand them everything.  Life will not make allowance for you, but it will pay you what you earn.  It is crucial kids understand that money comes from work.  It doesn't come from Mom and Dad's pocket.  So, they need to be paid a commission.  When they work, they get paid.  If they don't work, they don't get paid.

Chores need to be very age appropriate.  When they are 6, they may help match socks in the laundry.  When they are 12, they may be expected to empty the dishwasher.  The older they become the more responsibility they can handle and the more chores they can take on, which in turn means making more money.

Teach children to spend wisely.  Have three envelopes for your kids.   The envelopes should be labeled Give, Save and Spend.  Have a payday once a week where you pay their commission and help them divide among the envelopes.

Teach children how to save.  When a kid saves money, it is not a mathematical event; it is a maturity event that gives dignity.  Help your kids set a goal and learn to delay pleasure while they save to reach that goal.

Children need to learn to save up for things they want so they experience the principle of delayed gratification.   There are a lot of great life lessons to learn through the process of saving.  Every teenager needs an emergency fund of $500.  This is really their cushion between them and life.  So if a tire goes flat, a cellphone breaks or any "teen-sized" emergency comes up, they have money in the bank to use and don't come running to their parents.  This gives them responsibility and a sense of independence as well as prepares them for when they leave home to have money set aside when emergencies happen.  

If parents can teach their kids how to steward money when they are young, it will set them up for a life-time of financial success.

As a children's ministry leader, our job is to equip parents and give them the tools they need for this.  A great resource to get into the hands of your parents is Dave's book - Smart Money Smart Kids: Raising the Next Generation to Win with Money.

SINGLE-PARENT HOMES
The retreat from marriage has left more and more children in single-parent homes.  Children in single-parent homes are often splitting time between parents on weekends which makes it more difficult to attend church consistently.  Studies also show that children whose parents have divorced are less likely to attend church.

THE RISE OF TELEVISION
Putman says the growing popularity of TV over the past five decades is a major ringleader behind declining rates of civic engagement, including church attendance.  Television and pop culture encourage "lethargy and passivity" and "materialist values" which create a tension with vibrant church attendance.

CULTURE WARS
The sexual revolutions of the 1960's and 1970's caused many young adults to steer clear of church.  This has emerged into the tension of abortion and gay marriage which has left many young adults viewing religion as an intolerant force they want nothing to do with. 

While these four factors have played a part in declining attendance in many churches, it does not mean churches cannot thrive in 2015.  There are churches that are reaching kids and families and are exploding with growth.

In this post, I share about the 20 largest and fastest growing children's ministries in America.  Check them out for ideas on how to build a growing, thriving church.

Recent reports give us an inside look at the latest trends in marriage and family in America.
  
Americans Still Like Marriage

• 67 percent of Americans disagree with the idea that marriage is outdated.
• 75 percent of Americans are either married or would like to get married.

Marriage Boosts Social Mobility  

• Marriage culture around a child is the greatest factor for his or her social mobility. 
• The strongest predictor is the percentage of children with single parents in a community.

Unwed Childbearing Remains High

• The unwed birth rate remains high at over 40 percent of all births.

Marriage Continues to Protect Against Child Poverty

• Children in single-parent homes are five times as likely to be poor compared to children in married-parent homes.

Married Households Make More Money

• Married men earn significantly more than single men.
• 32% of the growth in family income inequality since 1979 can be linked to the decline in the marriage rate.

Fertility Rate is at an All-Time Low

• For the past 10 years, America’s fertility rate has been trending downward.

Proportion of Single Americans is at an All-Time High

• In 2014, the number of single Americans hit an all-time high, now at 50.2%.  In the mid-1970s, the percentage was 37.4%.

Cohabitation is Common But Not Beneficial

• Most couples live together before they wed.
• 44% of Americans think that cohabitation before marriage is a good idea.  However, research suggests the opposite: cohabitation is linked to poorer marital quality.

Most Americans Report Multiple Sexual Partners

• Americans report having between 4 and 6 sexual partners over their lifetime. 
• Research indicates that those who only have sex with the person they marry report higher marital quality.

The Marriage Divide Continues

• 63% of births are outside of marriage.
• Among college-educated young women, 71 percent of births occur within marriage.  This leaves children in lower-income, and increasingly more so in working-class communities, without the multiple benefits of marriage.

Fathers Are Spending More Time with Their Children

• Fathers today spend significantly more time with their children than they did just two decades ago.
• Children with involved fathers on average have better outcomes, including an increased likelihood of graduating from college.
• However, fewer youth live with their fathers today than in past decades.

Though many of these trends are going in the wrong direction, it can be changed.  As we minister in a post-modern culture, we are seeing more and more families who simply don't know about God's plan for the home.  As we reach out to hurting, broken people and share the hope and forgiveness that is found in Christ, we can help them discover all that God wants for them.

In this previous post, I shared a unique strategy we developed to help kids get a heart for world missions.

We developed a gift shop called "Five Loaves and Two Fish."  Kids earn store money by bringing their Bible, saying their memory verse, attendance, etc.  They can then use the money to buy prizes out of the gift shop.

The unique twist...all of the prizes are for other people locally and around the world.  We then make their purchases a reality through our missions department.

The kids response to this has been overwhelming.  It is great seeing them develop a heart for giving instead of getting.

We recently remodeled the gift shop to make it more interactive.  Below are some pictures.  If you'd like more information about setting this up at your church, feel free to contact me.