Setting the Stage for Positive Ministry: Strategies for reaching kids of all needs and abilities

Working with kids has always required strategies. There are so many differences between us as leaders and the children we serve and it is our job to bridge those differences. There have been many thoughtfully created mechanisms to bridge these gaps in communication, teaching, and reasoning; and we use many of them in our ministries to help a child understand and know the love of God. Some strategies are hundreds of years old, and some are brand new. All of these strategies can be great and useful, but not every strategy is right for every kid, and some strategies are wrong for some kids. Instead of picking strategies as a one-size fits all, let's be mindful about what we are communicating to these kids about who God is and what the church is because the first and most important strategy for us as leaders is self-reflection.

This session includes a short but helpful 'toolbox' of strategies for working with kids of all kinds and abilities, but the goal is to better prepare you with the implementation of those strategies, and to use the right ones for the right kids to communicate the right things about God. Our kids often forget what we teach them, but they remember how we treat them and what that says about us and our good God."

Nicholas Inder works for Awana Canada International which believes "that when a child feels they belong to a community, one that cares for them and shows the love of Jesus, they will experience the Spirit and believe in the Word of God, they will develop a biblical worldview and that will guide them in their faith journey to become lifelong disciples." In his role as the Ministry Development Coordinator in the Prairies, he visits churches and kids ministries in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta to train kids ministry leaders on formats and strategies to improve their ministries and impact on their kids. Nicholas loves kids ministry programs and loves seeing them grow both in their reach of the community around them and the depth of their teaching of the Word. Nicholas has about a decade in serving in pastoral ministry, a Bachelors in Pastoral Leadership, and is working on his Masters in Clinical Pastoral Counselling.