The Mix and Match Lessons are easy to “assemble.” You just pick a Bible verse, a Bible story, an object lesson, etc. that you like and think go together and put those things in your lesson. You can use two verse, three objects lessons or whatever – as the name says, you simply mix and match your lesson elements to fit your needs and ways of doing things.

- About 40 writers with different backgrounds and occupations over a period of about 1500 years wrote the Bible.

- The Bible has 66 books – 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament

- Moses wrote the most Old Testament Books – 5

- Paul wrote the most New Testament Books – 14

- Psalms in the longest book in the Bible

- 2 John is the shortest book in the Bible

- Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible

- Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible

- Esther 8:9 is the longest verse in the Bible

- John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible

- There are 30,334 verses in the Bible and 1168 chapters in the Bible

- The Bible is the best-selling book of all time

Begin the lesson by asking the children how old they are – then introduce the story by telling them that Josiah, whom our story is about today, was only eight years old when he became the king of Judah. Then at the age of 16, Josiah began to seek after God with all his heart and at the age of 20, he reached his full legal age and started to clean up Judah, destroying the altars of the false gods the people worshiped. When he was 26, Josiah repaired the temple and people began to worship there again. Our story starts when the high priest found a scroll in the temple and Josiah discovers that his people have not been following the laws of God.

Josiah called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. He went up to the temple of the Lord and called for everyone in Judah to come to the temple – all the people from the least to the greatest. Josiah then read publicly to all of them all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which the high priest had found in the temple of the Lord. The king stood by the pillar of the temple and renewed the covenant (the promise of God to the people who obey Him) in the presence of the Lord - to follow the Lord and keep His commands with all his heart and all his soul. When Josiah did this he was telling everyone that he believed the words of the covenant written in the book. Then all the people pledged themselves to obey the covenant too.

Then Josiah ordered Hilkiah the high priest and all his helpers to remove anything from the temple that had been made for Baal and Asherah, the false gods the people had been worshiping. Josiah had all these things burned and he also did away with the pagan priests who led the people in worshipping the false gods. He destroyed everything that had to do with the false gods so the people would worship the true God and obey His commandments.

Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did – with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses. God blessed Josiah and the people because they read God’s Word and obeyed it.

God wants all of us to read His Word, the Bible, just like Josiah and the people of Judah did. When we read the Bible, then we know God’s plan for our lives and we can live for Him.

Close today’s lesson with a prayer asking God to help us learn about His Word and how to make it important in our lives.

This lesson is simply an overview of the four Gospels. You will want to write the four Gospels on the whiteboard or on poster board and then write the facts below as you discuss each one. Be sure to ask lots of questions to keep the children’s attention on what you are teaching. Also, the Parade of the Gospels goes great with this lesson.

Mark
• A Follower of Jesus and maybe a friend of Peter
• Presented Jesus as a SERVANT
• Wrote his book to the Romans
• Emphasized Jesus’ miracles

Luke
• Doctor - also wrote Acts
• Presented Jesus as the PERFECT MAN
• Wrote his book to the Greeks
• Emphasized Jesus’ parables

John
• Called the beloved disciple – also wrote 1st, 2nd, & 3rd John and the Revelation
• Presented Jesus as THE SON OF GOD
• Wrote his book to the world
• Emphasized Jesus’ doctrines (teachings)

Begin by asking the class if they have ever been reading the Bible and not understood what they had read. Ask them to give some examples and what they did to try to understand what the passage they read meant. That’s exactly what happened in our story today – someone was reading the scripture and didn’t understand what they were reading and God sent someone at just the right time to help them.

An angel from the Lord said to Philip, “Get up, and take the desert road that goes south from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So Philip went.

An Ethiopian man who had come to Jerusalem to worship was on his way home. The man was a eunuch, a high-ranking official in charge of all the treasures of Queen Candace of Ethiopia. As the official rode along in his carriage, he was reading the prophet Isaiah out loud.

The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that carriage, and stay close to it.”

Philip ran to the carriage and could hear the official reading the prophet Isaiah out loud. Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”

The official answered, “How can I understand unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to sit with him in his carriage.

This was the part of the Scriptures that the official was reading:

“He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
He was like a sheep that is silent
when its wool is cut off.
He didn’t open his mouth.

When he humbled himself,
he was not judged fairly.
Who from his generation
will talk about his life on earth being cut short?” (Isaiah 53:7 &

The official said to Philip, “I would like to know who the prophet is talking about. Is he talking about himself or someone else?” Then Philip spoke. Starting with that passage, Philip told the official the Good News about Jesus.

As they were going along the road, they came to some water. The official said to Philip, “Look, there’s some water. What can keep me from being baptized?”

The official ordered the carriage to stop. He and Philip stepped into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they had stepped out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official joyfully continued on his way and didn’t see Philip again.
Philip found himself in the city of Azotus. He traveled through all the cities and spread the Good News until he came to the city of Caesarea.

The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. Psalm 119:72

Write Psalm 119:72 on one side of a poster board. On the other side, write, “A Great Treasure.”

Start the lesson by showing the “A Great Treasure” side of the poster and ask the children to guess the treasure from the following clues:

This treasure is so valuable, people have died for it.

It’s worth millions of dollars to some people.

Most people don’t realize how valuable it is.

You probably have this treasure in your house.

What is it?

Let the class guess the treasure and show the other side of the poster if they guess correctly or after several attempts to get the correct answer.

Ask the children to read the verse with you a few times and then ask them to turn to Psalm 119. Give them time to look it up (you might have to help younger children find the reference). Ask them to follow along as you look at and discuss the following verses. Be sure to ask lots of questions to keep the discussion moving.

God’s Word is valuable because it:

A. Keeps believers from sin – vv. 9-11
B. Gives believers inner strength in times of sadness – v. 28
C. Gives hope to us – vv. 43, 49, 81, 114
D. Offers believers comfort in times of difficulty – vv. 55, 52
E. Gives guidance in our life’s journey – vv. 105, 130, 133
F. Gives peace to believers – v. 165
G. Gives help and encouragement in times of need – v. 18

Close by challenging the children to read their Bibles daily.

Start the story by asking the children if they have ever burned a book. How about a Bible? Well, in our story today, we find someone who did just that.

It starts when King Johoiakin sent one of his helpers, a man named Jehudi, to get a scroll (like a Bible today) that Jeremiah had written. The scroll was written because God had told Jeremiah to write down certain things to tell the people. A scribe (one who writes things for people) named Baruch had helped Jeremiah write down everything God had told him.

After the king burned up the scroll that Baruch had written and that

Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch, son of Neriah. As Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on it everything that was on the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah had burned.

End the story by telling the children that Satan always attacks God’s word and tries to destroy it – just like King Jehoiakim did. In the end, God’s word always remains; it is indestructible and will last forever.

Ask the class what this story teaches us about reading and knowing the Bible. What does it teach us about sharing our faith? Close in prayer.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:12-16

Begin by asking the class if they know what it means to have a Quiet Time. After they answer, explain that a Quiet Time is our time alone with God where we pray, read the Bible and think about God. The verses we read talk about a Quiet Time. They tell us about the Bible, about how Jesus is our high priest which means we can talk to Him and we are to come boldly to Him for forgiveness and when we have a need.

How to Start a Quiet Time

A. Plan a time to have your Quiet Time – what’s best for you, morning or maybe before you go to bed?
B. Choose a Bible book to start reading – a small Book like Mark is a good place to begin.
C. Only read a few verses at a time – it’s better to read three or four verses and understand them than reading a chapter that you don’t understand.
D. Take time to think about what you’ve read and what it means to you and your walk with God.
E. Make prayer part of your Quiet Time. Prayer is simply talking to God and allowing Him to talk to us.
F. Don’t worry if you miss a day – just do your Quiet Time the next day.
G. Don’t quit – you will find you will gradually learn to know God better and you begin to look forward to your time alone with God.

Close with asking the class to start a daily Quiet Time if they are not having one and to continue if they are already having one. Challenge them to do it just this week and that you’ll talk about how it went next week.

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:14-17

This lesson is simply an overview of the passage above. You will want to write the four things the Bible is useful for on the whiteboard or on poster board and then write the facts below as you discuss each one. Be sure to ask lots of questions to keep the children’s attention on what you are teaching.

The Bible is useful for:

Teaching
- We can learn from the Bible at church and home

Rebuking
- The Bible warns us against sin and doing wrong

Correcting
- The Bible tells us what to do when we sin so we can fix it

Training
- The Bible instructs us about God and His Son, Jesus
- The Bible shows us how to live and treat others

As you start the story, ask the children what it means to “listen to your elders?” After a few responses, tell the class that today’s story is about someone who “listened to his elder” and God used it to bless a whole nation.

Moses had to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and to the edge of the land God had promised them. He wanted everyone to know what was ahead for them and he spoke to all the people.

“I’m 120 years old now, and I’m not able to lead you anymore. Besides, the Lord has told me that I cannot cross the Jordan River. The Lord your God is the one who will cross the river ahead of you. He will destroy those nations as you arrive, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua will also cross the river ahead of you, as the Lord told you. The Lord will do to those nations what he did to our other enemies and to their lands when he destroyed them. The Lord will hand them over to you, and you must do to them everything that I commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid of them! The Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He won’t abandon you or leave you.”

Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous. You will go with these people into the land that the Lord will give them, as he swore to their ancestors. You will help them take possession of the land. The Lord is the one who is going ahead of you. He will be with you. He won’t abandon you or leave you. So don’t be afraid.”

Moses wrote down these teachings of God’s law and gave them to the priests who carried the ark of the Lord’s promise and to all the leaders of Israel. Then Moses commanded them, “Read these teachings so that they can hear them. Assemble the men, women, and children, as well as the foreigners who live in your cities. Have them listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and faithfully obey every word of these teachings. Their children, who don’t know these teachings, must hear them and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land that you are going to take possession of when you cross the Jordan River.”

God did just as Moses had said and the people of Israel conquered the people of the Promised Land and God blessed them.

Now it is about 10 years after Moses told Joshua and the leaders of Israel to gather the people together and read the teachings he had written down. Joshua did what Moses had said. He called all the people together and then he read all the Teachings—the blessings and curses—as they had all been written down by Moses. Joshua read Moses’ Teachings in front of the whole assembly of Israel, including women, children, and foreigners living among them. He did not leave out one word from everything Moses had commanded.

Moses knew that God’s word would help the people understand how God wanted them to live. God’s word is as real and meaningful today as it was when Moses wrote it and Joshua read it to the people.

Close the story by challenging your class to read God’s word every day, even if it is only a verse or two. Each time we read the Bible, it helps us understand more about God and His plan for our lives.

Print each of the names below on a separate sheet of paper along with the Bible reference. Let a child hold each one and discuss each one with the class. Ask questions to keep the discussion going.

Law – Psalm 119:1 – This word is used for God’s Word 220 times in the Old Testament. The Jews called the first five books of the Bible the torah, which means the law. The law really means “teaching or instruction.” God’s Word helps us know how God wants us to live.

Testimony – Psalm 119:2 – This word means “to bear witness.” It appears nine times in Psalm 119 and it implies the testimony of a witness telling what he knows to be true. The Bible is a testimony of God about Himself.

Precepts – Psalm 119:4 – this word always appears in the plural and its twenty-four occurrences are all in Psalms (twenty-one in Psalm 119). The precepts of God are the standards of conduct He has established for us to live by.

Stature – Psalm 119:5 – This word appears 128 in the Bible and comes from the Hebrew verb meaning to “engrave or write.” In Bible times, statutes (or decrees and laws) were engraved on metal or stone so people could read and keep them. God issues statutes for us to obey in His Word.

Judgment – Psalm 119:7 – This word comes from the verb meaning “to judge or govern.” It appears about 400 times in the Old Testament (sixteen times in Psalm 119). God’s word “judges” our actions and should govern and preside over our lives.

Word – Psalm 119:9 – This means God’s Word and that is what the Bible is, God’s Word to us. It tells us about God, how we are to live, what happens when we disobey God and how God has provided us with a way to be saved. It’s one of the great Bible words and sums up what the Bible is.

Close with prayer thanking God for the Bible.

As you begin the story, ask the children if they know what it means to “set an example.” Is it possible to set a good example? How about a bad example? In today’s story we see how Jesus and Paul set an example for us.

Our first example is Jesus. You probably know Jesus did many miracles but maybe you don’t know that Jesus often taught in the synagogues, and everyone praised him as a good teacher. One day Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual he went into the synagogue on the day of worship. He stood up to read the lesson. The attendant gave him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened it and found the place where it read:

“The Spirit of the Lord is with me.
He has anointed me
to tell the Good News to the poor.
He has sent me
to announce forgiveness to the prisoners of sin
and the restoring of sight to the blind,
to forgive those who have been shattered by sin,
to announce the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Is. 61:1 & 2)

Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue watched him closely. Then he said to them, “This passage came true today when you heard me read it.”

All the people spoke well of him. They were amazed to hear the gracious words flowing from his lips. Everyone was very impressed with Jesus and how he read and explained God’s Word.

Our second example is Paul. Paul wrote most of the New Testament and was one of the first missionaries in the early church. But did you know that he also taught in the synagogues.

One time while Paul and his friend Barnabas were traveling, they arrived in Antioch. On the day of worship they went into the synagogue and sat down.

After Paul had read from Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent a message to Paul and Barnabas. The message said, “Brothers, if you have any words of encouragement for the people, feel free to speak.” Paul then spoke to all those in the synagogue and told them about Jesus.

Close the story by asking the follow questions:

1. Jesus and Paul both did the same thing – what was it? (Read God’s word in the synagogue.)
2. What example did they set for us? (They read the scripture.)
3. What do you think this mean for us? (We should read the Bible too.)

Finish the story by asking the children what they can do to start reading God’s Word daily if they are not doing it already.

Have several Bibles of as many different sizes and styles as possible to show the class (be sure they all contain both the Old and New Testaments). Ask the children what the differences in these Bibles are – size, colors, pictures, etc. After they have had time to discuss the Bibles, point out that the Bibles might look different but on the inside they are the same. They contain the Old and New Testaments, the same words and all are called “The Word of God.”
Now explain that the Old and New Testaments are different – they are both The Word of God but they have different functions.

Here’s how the Old and New Testaments compare:

Introduce the lesson by asking the class what temptation means. Ask if they have ever been tempted to do something that was wrong. Now ask how many of them can quote at least one Bible verse. Explain that we are going to learn how Jesus quoted God’s Word when he was tempted by God’s enemy, the devil.

After Jesus was baptized, the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Jesus did not eat anything for 40 days and 40 nights. (This is called a fast.) At the end of that time, he was hungry.

The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

Jesus answered, “Scripture says, ‘A person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that God speaks.’” (Deut. 8:3)

Then the devil took him into the holy city and had him stand on the highest part of the temple. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, jump! Scripture says, ‘He will put his angels in charge of you. They will carry you in their hands so that you never hit your foot against a rock.’” The devil misquoted Psalm 91:11, 12 to try to get Jesus to do something that wasn’t a part of God’s plan. God’s plan was for Jesus to die on the cross for our sin. The devil was tempting Jesus to take a shortcut; if He jumped and landed unhurt, then everyone would know He was truly God’s son. He resisted the easy way and stayed true to God’s plan.

Jesus said to him, “Again, Scripture says, ‘Never tempt the Lord your God.’”(Deut. 6:16)

Once more the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms in the world and their glory. The devil said to him, “I will give you all this if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! Scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” (Deut. 6:13)

Then the devil left him, and angels came to take care of him.

Close by explaining that just as Jesus used God’s Word to resist temptation, we can too. We need to follow Jesus’ model and learn God’s Word and then use it when we are tempted. God’s Word has power to keep us from sin. It is our offensive weapon (a sword) that we can use to fight off the devil’s attacks. End in prayer by asking God to help us to follow Jesus’ example when we are tempted and resist with God’s Word.

Ask the children if they like games. Ask them if it would be fun to play a game without any rules. Everyone could play any way they wished, doing whatever they wanted. Would that really be fun? It might sound like fun at first but it really wouldn’t be any fun at all. Playing a game without rules would result in chaos and no one playing would enjoy it.

Explain that’s why so much of the Bible is made up of rules that God wants us to obey. He didn’t give us rules to keep us from enjoying our lives but so we could enjoy life to the fullest. When we obey God’s guidelines for life, we are happy and life is much better. When we ignore or disobey God’s rules, it’s like playing a game without any rules – we don’t enjoy it and our lives become a mess.

The Israelites had left Egypt and were camped at the foot of Mount Sinai. Moses goes up into the mountain to meet with God. There God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.

“Never have any other god but Me.”

“Never make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. Never worship them or serve them, because I, the LORD your God, am a God who does not tolerate rivals. I punish children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. But I show mercy to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments.”

“Remember the day of worship by observing it as a holy day. You have six days to do all your work. The seventh day is the day of worship dedicated to the LORD your God. You, your sons, your daughters, your male and female slaves, your cattle, and the foreigners living in your city must never do on work that day. In six days the LORD made heaven, earth, and the sea, along with everything in them. He didn’t work on the seventh day. That’s why the LORD blessed the day he stopped his work and set this day apart as holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live for a long time in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

“Never murder.”

“Never commit adultery.”

“Never steal.”

“Never lie when you testify about your neighbor.”

“Never desire to take your neighbor’s household away from him. Never desire to take your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him.”

All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the blast of the ram’s horn and saw the mountain covered with smoke. So they shook with fear and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we’ll listen. But don’t let God speak to us, or we’ll die!”

Moses answered the people, “Don’t be afraid! God has come only to test you, so that you will be in awe of him and will not sin.”

The people kept their distance while Moses went closer to the dark cloud where God was.

Close the lesson by asking the class what they think of God’s rules for their lives. Do they like having rules or not? Discuss their answers and close in prayer asking God to help us be obedient to His word.

A good way to present your object lesson(s) is make a “Bible” to put these items in to take out at the appropriate time. An easy way to do this is get a box that copy paper comes in and hold it so that the short side is facing you. Cut the two left hand corners of the box top and attach the “flap” on the top to the left hand side of the box. (Brass plated fasteners work well for this.) Now when you open the top of the box, it opens like the cover of a book. You can paint or cover the box with contact paper to make it look like a Bible.

Now you’re ready to put the 13 items into the box and take them out as you talk about each one. You can use all the objects for one lesson, use several items at a time to make several lessons or use one object at time for 13 separate object lessons. All of the objects or items you can find around the house or at your local toy store or Walmart.

A Mirror - James 1:23-25. Object needed: a small mirror. The Bible is like a mirror in that it reflects the nature of God and, when we look in it, it shows us who we really are – sinners in need of a savior.

A Seed – Matthew 13:18-23; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23. Object needed: a packet of seeds. The Bible is like seeds in that just as seeds grow and produce life, the Bible helps us to grow and produces abundant live with us. Just as a seed starts out very small but can produce a huge plant with much fruit, our walk with Christ is the same way.

Water – Ephesians 5:25-27. Object needed: a small bottle of water. The Bible is like water in that we must have water to live. We also use water to bathe – it cleans us on the outside. The Bible gives us life and it cleans us – on the inside.

A Sword – Hebrews 119:105; Proverbs 6:23; 2 Peter 1:19. Object needed: small toy sword. The Bible is like a sword in that it is our defense from the devil’s attacks. It provides protection for us and it’s the Christian’s only offensive weapon.

Gold – Psalm 19:10; 119:127. Object needed: gold colored coins or a block of wood spray painted gold. The Bible is like gold in that it is pure, precious and has great value.

Silver – Psalm 12:6. Object needed: silver colored coins or a block of wood spray painted silver. The Bible is like silver in that is precious and has great value.

Milk – 1 Peter 2:2. Object needed: An empty carton of milk (this can be a pint size or smaller). The Bible is like milk in that it gives nourishment. Milk is what a baby drinks to grow and the Bible helps a “baby” Christian to grow in his relationship to God.

Mea t – Hebrews 12-14. Object needed: a toy plastic steak or a magazine picture of a steak. The Bible is like meat in that it gives nourishment. As a Christian grows in his relationship with God, he can begin to “eat the meat of the Word.”

Bread – John 6:51. Object needed: a slice of bread, a toy plastic loaf of bread, a magazine picture of bread, etc. The Bible is like bread in that it provides nourishment.

Honey – Psalm 19:10. Object needed: a small jar of honey. The Bible is like honey in that it provides nourishment and is sweet. The Bible is sweet to the believer.

A Hammer – Jeremiah 23:29. Object needed: a small hammer. The Bible is like a hammer in that it builds up the good things in our lives. A hammer can also tear things down and the Bible can tear down the things in our lives that don’t need to be there.

A Fire – Jeremiah 20:9; Luke 24:32. Object needed: matches or the Burning Bible gospel illusion. The Bible is like a fire in that it burns the bad things out of our lives. It also can put a fire (or desire) to do good things in our hearts and minds.

By Larry Hipps

1.Called

To be a true success in God’s work, there must be a calling. We have to know that what we are doing for the Lord was ordained by the Lord and that we are following His will for our lives. When a Christian tries to minister in an area where God has not called him, it’s like trying to put a round peg in a square hole, it just doesn’t fit no matter how hard you push or hammer it.

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace,” 2 Tim. 1:9

Step 2 - Prepare the Church—Help your church membership understand what you are trying to accomplish with this new ministry. Make sure they know what problems may arise. People are always down on what they are not up on—if they know the reasons behind something and the potential difficulties, they are much more likely to be supportive and accommodating.

Step 7 - Develop the Sunday Schedule—When the bus or van arrives, what will the children do and where will they go? Will they stay for both Sunday School and worship? Do you need to have someone meet the bus and escort them to and from class? Make sure your leaders know where the bus riders are supposed to be and the times and procedures for unloading and loading the bus or van.

Step 8 - Establish the Routes—Decide where you want to run your routes and then design them by time rather than by distance. Most churches find that it’s best if you have less then one hour from the time the first rider is picked up until you reach the church. This will be “trial and error” at first but you will soon discover the time to leave in order to get back on time.

Step 9 - Hold a “Kick-Off” Meeting with Everyone Involved—Nothing breeds excitement like excitement and starting your new ministry with everyone involved in a big meeting is always exciting. Use this time to remind everyone of what this new ministry is seeking to accomplish and that they are all a team working together to make this goal a reality.

Step 10 - Launch the Ministry!

3. Who will we responsible? Will it be a staff member or a lay person who answers to a staff member?

4. How much money are we willing to invest?

5. How will this money be provided?

6. How many vehicles will we start with? Buses or vans or both?

7. Does our church membership understand the purpose of this new ministry?

8. Do we understand potential problems as well as the blessings this ministry could bring?

9. How will be provide traing for our leadership in this new ministry?

10. Are we committed to making this new ministry successful?

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Chick here for Bus Ministry Books & Material

Plus, we have the rising cost of curriculum to contend with as we plan our Children’s Church program. For example, one supplier’s 13 week curriculum is $299 and another’s one-year program is $595. Now both are excellent – they include puppets, music and just about everything you need but no matter how good the curriculum might be, most churches simply couldn’t afford the cost.

If these problems are ones you face, you might want to consider developing your own Children’s Church program. OK, I know you’re laughing at this point, but it’s really not as difficult as you might think. Once you understand the basics and get a few lessons under your belt, you’ll find it’s really a painless process that anyone can do.

Step 2 – Develop an Objective for the Central Theme. Your objective is what you want the children to learn from the lesson - what you want them to leave with and apply to their lives.

Step 3 – Choose an Appropriate Bible Story and Bible Verse for the Central Theme and Objective.

Step 4 – List What Resources You have to Support the Central Theme and Objective. Do you have a puppet skit that would fit, a Gospel trick that would work, an object lesson that would back up your theme? This is why building up a supply of material is important. It takes time but the more resources you have, the more choices you will have to use in your program.

Step 5 – Plan Your Schedule and Write it Down. Remember that you will have many things that you’ll do every week in your program. You’ll want to teach the Bible verse, sing, play a review game, etc. The important thing is to do things a little differently each week and change things up so it’s not “the same old thing in the same old way.”

Now, let’s put together a Children’s Church program using the above steps.

Step 1 – Our Central Theme will be “Prayer.” (We could even decide to have a several week series on prayer.)

Step 2 – Our Objective will be “God hears and answers our prayers - we should pray daily.”

Step 3 – We will use the story of Hezekiah, from II Kings 20:1-11 and our Bible verse will be 1 John 5:14, “. . .if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”

Step 4 – We have the following resources to support our theme and objective: the puppets are going to “sing” the song, “Still Haven’t Got What I’m Praying For,” from the RPM 5 CD, a dress-up character, Billy the Baker, is going to bring an object lesson, “Pretzels and Prayers” from the book, 50 Magic Object Lessons You Can Do, and a white board picture story called “Prayer,” from the book Dewey’s Gospel Cartoon Fun.

Step 5 – Our Schedule:

Two Songs (One fun and silly song as we get started and an upbeat song with a Bible truth)

Welcome and Behavior Rules

Memory Verse 1 John 5:14 (Disappearing verse on the white board)

Puppets Sing “Still Haven’t Got What I’m Praying For,”

Two Songs

Object Lesson “Pretzels and Prayers” with Dress-up Character, Billy the Baker

Two Songs

Bible Story (Introduce with white board story “Prayer”)

Invitation

Review Game (“Peanut Butter and Jelly” from the book Mouse on a Mission)

Announcements

Dismiss

You have the basics now for developing a Children’s Church program, but remember it takes prayer, practice and preparation to do it well. You can do it – give it a try!

Taken from BTI News and written by Dr. Larry Hipps.

All books and material used can be obtained from Bring Them In.
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Here’s a brief history of Larry’s Ministry with the Bring Them In Evangelistic Association Inc.

Dr. Larry Hipps has spent all of his adult life working in the local church. He began in 1970 in Flint River Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama, his home church.

From 1988 to 2004, Larry served as the Children’s Teaching Pastor responsible for the Bus Ministry, Children’s Church and AWANA Club at the Sagemont Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. (Sagemont Church has over 15,000 members.) There he conducted three Children’s services (averaging over 500 each Sunday), and was responsible for the church’s seven bus routes, which run on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. The AWANA Club averaged over 500 each week, 3 year olds – 12th grade.

Larry Hipps now heads the Bring Them In Ministries on a full time basis and through the Bring Them In Evangelistic Association, he publishes/edits BTI News. Bring Them In conducts Children’s Conferences and Seminars across the country that are attended by hundreds of Children’s Ministry workers each year. The ministry also provides unique resource material designed for those in all areas of the Children’s Ministry.

Larry has spoken in Revivals, Bus and Children’s Church Conferences, Church Camps and Church Growth Seminars by invitation in 34 states, Canada, Mexico and South Africa.

Larry Hipps is the president of the International Bus Ministry Association and the author of several books, including the BTI Children’s Church Lessons, the BTI Bus Director’s Manual and the BTI Bus Captain’s Handbook.

Bring Them In was started after a Bus Ministry Conference by Wick Brandon, who was the publisher/editor from March, 1971 until January, 1972. The first issues of Bring Them In were simply copied pages stapled together. THe first issue of Bring Them In is shown at the right.

In 1972, the magazine as passed on to S. Ray Sadler, who served as the publisher/editor until his untimely death in a small plane crash in November of that year. His brother, Joe R. Sadler took over the periodical until June, 1975.

In September, 1975 Larry Hipps became the publisher/editor and began to expand the ministry from just the magazine to a multi-facetted non-profit ministry. The first issue of BTI Magazine under Larry’s leadership was published in October, 1975. The October, 1975 issue (shown below) was the first published by Larry Hipps (on the right), shown on the cover with Sam Wolfe, then pastor of West Huntsville (AL) Baptist Church.

Larry has continually published the quarterly periodical for the past 30 years taking it from primarily a Bus Ministry magazine to a publication covering many areas of the Children’s Ministry.

BTI also published a short-lived magazine called Puppet UpDate in 1978.

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It all started with the first conference in September, 1976 at the Tower Grove Baptist Church in St. Louis, MO with 476 people. Since then, well over 15,000 have attended a BTI training event.

We have several conferences and seminars planned for the upcoming months and it’s a wonderful, low cost way to train and motivate your children’s ministry workers. You can get more info by clicking on the headline above.

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Plus we are working on and searching for new material all the time. It’s our desire to help children’s ministry workers by providing them with pertinent resources that will assist them as they strive to reach and teach children for Christ.
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We will be able to book more of the BTI Children’s Ministry Conferences, have more seminars, have time to develop more resources and be available to help more churches without being limited to only a few weekends a year.