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Tips for Training Summer Interns In Children’s and Youth Ministry

By on June 9, 2017 0
Tips for Training Summer Interns In Children's and Youth Ministry - Teach One Reach One

My Intern Training Tub

Summer interns are great. If your program can afford one or more summer interns, they can add a lot of energy and enthusiasm to your ministry. It’s important to remember though, that no matter how well-educated they may be, they still lack a great deal of experience. Some may even be majoring in topics having little if anything to do with education or ministry. They may have a heart to impact lives for God, energy to do anything you ask and enthusiasm that rekindles yours.

Without training though, they may not reach their godly potential to serve your ministry this summer. In extreme cases, they may even accidentally do your ministry and the young people it serves more harm than good. If your intern orientation resembles more of a tour, a long to-do list and a free lunch, you are leaving your intern, your ministry and the children it serves vulnerable.

Take the extra time this summer to develop a more formal training program. Use the first couple of days to make sure your interns are ready to take on the responsibilities you will give them. You can include planning for events as part of the process, but make sure even interns majoring in education and ministry are taught the basics by you or someone on your team. It’s really the only way you can be sure, your interns will follow the standards you have set for your ministry.

What are some of the things you may want to include in your intern training? There are probably a lot of options, but these are some we have found interns have most appreciated.

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The One Quality Sunday School Teachers Must Have To Be Effective

By on May 26, 2017 0

The One Quality Sunday School Teachers Must Have To Be Effective - Teach One Reach OneI guess the first question we must ask is, “What defines effective Sunday School teaching?” If we asked 100 different people, we would probably get 100 slightly different answers. I would imagine for most of us though, we would consider ourselves effective if we made a positive difference in the spiritual foundation building of our students.

We sometime allow ourselves to forget the purposes of Sunday School (or any Bible class for that matter). Initially, Sunday School was created (educated guess, I grant you) to assist parents in teaching their children about God and what He wanted for them and from them. It was an opportunity to reinforce what the parents were already teaching at home. If done really well, it also provided additional practice in Christian Life Skills, teaching areas of the Bible not yet taught at home and more.

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Teaching Children’s Bible Classes Like Your Hair Is On Fire

By on May 19, 2017 0
Teaching Children's Bible Classes Like Your Hair Is On Fire - Teach One Reach One

I tab great ideas in books. This one came away with plenty.

The focus of Teach One Reach One is helping volunteers in churches, ministries and on the mission field enhance what they are doing as they teach the Bible to children and teens (granted sometimes with a little secular education added in faith based tutoring programs). Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of great outside resources I can suggest for you to read that I believe are really going to take your teaching to the next level.

Most of the best books on education are written for the secular educator. With a little tweaking though, they can often give you lots of great tips for your Bible class as well.

Teach Like Your Hair is On Fire by Rafe Esquith is a classic in education circles. There is a reason books become classics. In non-fiction circles, it is usually because a lot of people have found them helpful. This book is no exception.

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Do You Actually Like the Kids or Teens in Your Bible Class?

By on April 14, 2017 0

Do You Actually Like the Kids or Teens in Your Bible Class - Teach One Reach OneJohn Maxwell – a leadership expert – wrote “How can you lead people when you don’t like or respect them?”  (Winning With People p. 21) As you know, Teach One Reach One strongly believes every volunteer who works with children or teens is a leader. So my question for you is “Do you actually like the kids or teens you teach?”

Your students don’t all wear the same shoes.  They were created by God to be individuals. Their environments and experiences also make them different. Even identical twins are not exactly alike. Some of those differences will naturally create an emotional distance between you and some of your students.

If you have a student who misbehaves or is disrespectful or even reminds you of someone (possibly yourself) you don’t like, you may bristle every time you see him or her.

Yet to really effectively point your students to God, you absolutely must find a way to like each one of them. For some, that will be easy. For others, you may always struggle with liking them. Yet, try you absolutely must. As John Maxwell might say – they can tell if you don’t like them and they won’t want to hear what you have to say – even if you are quoting God.

If you find yourself struggling to like a student, you might want to try some of these tips to help.

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Top Tips for Handling Student Responses in Children and Teen Bible Classes

By on March 31, 2017 0

Top Tips for Handling Student Responses in Children and Teen Bible Classes - Teach One Reach OneOne of the best ways to assess what students are learning and understanding in your class is to ask them questions. It’s also a great way to move them to higher levels of comprehension. Perhaps most importantly, their answers allow you to adjust your lesson in real time so students don’t walk away from your class confused or frustrated.

For your students though, your questions can cause them anxiety, fear and even dread. So what can you do to help them feel at ease, but still get the information you want from them? The key to successful questioning is not only in the questions you ask, but also in the way you respond to their answers – especially incorrect answers.

Here are some important tips to remember as you respond to student answers to your questions:

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