{"id":71,"date":"2012-06-04T21:30:13","date_gmt":"2012-06-05T01:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/faithkids.faithlafayette.org\/?p=71"},"modified":"2014-07-22T11:07:30","modified_gmt":"2014-07-22T15:07:30","slug":"starting-relationships-with","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/faithkids\/starting-relationships-with\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Kids Reach Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

Josh listened intently\u00a0in Sunday School.\u00a0 His teacher spoke convincingly about every person’s need for Christ.\u00a0 She encouraged Josh and his classmates to thank God for what He had done in their lives, and she challenged them to reach out to other kids who didn’t know Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Josh sat there, he thought about the kids at school and in his neighborhood.\u00a0 He wasn’t sure if some of them were Christians, but he knew that at least a couple of them weren’t.\u00a0 Josh left class both grateful and nervous.\u00a0 He understood and agreed with everything his teacher had said.\u00a0 He knew that God wanted to use him to reach other kids.\u00a0 He wanted to be obedient.\u00a0 But he didn’t know what to do.\u00a0 How\u00a0was he supposed to go about\u00a0“reaching out” to other kids?<\/span><\/p>\n

The next day at school, he saw Bryce at recess.\u00a0 Bryce wasn’t playing with anyone at the moment, so Josh went up to him.\u00a0 As he approached Bryce, Josh said to himself, “I’ve got to reach out.\u00a0 I’ve got to reach out.\u00a0 I’ve got to…Hey, Bryce!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hi, Josh.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Uh…what are you doing,” Josh stammered.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Nothin’ really,” Bryce replied.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Uh…”<\/span><\/p>\n

Josh froze.\u00a0What came next?\u00a0 He had started the conversation, but he wasn’t sure what to do now.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Staring for a few moments at Josh, Bryce asked,\u00a0<\/span>“Was there something you wanted to say?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Searching for something…anything to say, Josh began to get flustered.\u00a0 He could hear the ticking of an imaginary stopwatch booming in his ears.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Eventually he responded, “No, just…’Hey.’\u00a0 Okay, see ya’.” \u00a0And Josh scuttled away.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Discouraged by the attempt, Josh thought to himself, “I’m no good at this.\u00a0 That’s the last time I ever try that.”\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Steps for Improvement<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ever felt like Josh?\u00a0 I sure have–and not just when I was an awkward kid.\u00a0 I have\u00a0experienced this more times than I can count as an awkward adult.\u00a0 The thing that helps me to keep getting back on the horse is a little preparation.\u00a0 Kids need that too.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a pastor, teacher, and even more importantly, as a parent, I want to help kids learn to reach out to those God has placed in their lives.\u00a0 It’s important that we teach kids not just about the need for outreach but also some techniques for going about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Step 1:\u00a0 Set Your Expectations<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

We need to begin our preparation with the baseline understanding that outreach is not an event.\u00a0 Some people place significant emphasis on “the conversation.”\u00a0 They obsess over how to get from “Hi, my name is…” to “Would you like to trust Jesus right now?”\u00a0 (That’s a lot of pressure for one\u00a0discussion to bear.)\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of viewing outreach as something that happens as part of a single life-changing conversation, we ought to view it as something that takes place in the context of an ongoing, life-changing relationship.\u00a0 That’s how Jesus ministered to His disciples and how they, in turn, ministered to theirs.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

While there are some notable exceptions found in Scripture, I think we ought to help kids view outreach-through-relationships as their standard M.O.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Step 2:\u00a0 Ask Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n

A relationship begins with getting to know someone. \u00a0<\/span>Thinking through some simple questions to help get conversations going can really help kids as they begin a relationship with someone.\u00a0 Here’s a list of some sample questions to ask..<\/span>.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Hi, I’m __________.\u00a0 What’s your name?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Where do you go to school?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • What grade are you in?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • What’s your favorite subject?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Do you have any brothers or sisters?\u00a0 How old are they?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Have you done anything fun this week\/weekend\/summer, etc.?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • What kinds of things do you like to do (read, play video games, etc.)?\u00a0 <\/span><\/li>\n
  • What’s your favorite sport?\u00a0 What’s your favorite team?\u00a0 Your favorite player?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Do you play any sports?\u00a0 How long have you been playing?\u00a0 What position?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • What’s your favorite food?\u00a0 Do you have a favorite restaurant?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • What’s your favorite movie?\u00a0 Have you seen __________?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Would you like to play __________ with me\/us?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Not every question will make inroads with every child, but most enjoy talking about themselves.\u00a0 So,\u00a0if you just keep asking questions, that will typically get a conversation going.\u00a0 And if you can really get a conversation going, a meaningful relationship is just a around the corner.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Step 3: Role Play<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Some kids will find it helpful to practice asking some of these questions.\u00a0 Think about the different kinds of situations in which a child will find himself.\u00a0 Then, choose one and let\u00a0the child ask you questions as if you were the person he was trying to reach.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

    I’ve done this in some of our Children’s Ministries classes to demonstrate how to relate to visitors.\u00a0 I’ve also done it at home with my son to help him in reaching out to the other kids in his Sunday School class.\u00a0\u00a0Kids really seem to enjoy it.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

    Step 4:\u00a0 Emphasize the Goal<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    It can be easy for a child (as well as any adult) to view a relationship as something that exists for his enjoyment.\u00a0 We need to remind kids of the goal for our relationships–the glory of God.<\/span><\/p>\n

    1 Corinthians 10:31
    \nWhether, then, you eat or drink or\u00a0 whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Bringing glory to God will likely look different with different people.\u00a0 If a child is reaching out to a Christian, bringing glory to God will involve encouraging that individual to grow in his relationship with the Lord.\u00a0 <\/span>Conversely, if a child is beginning a relationship with someone who isn’t yet a follower of Christ, the best way he can glorify God is by lovingly, patiently, and respectfully\u00a0encouraging his new friend to trust Christ as His Savior.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

    Now, some might argue, “That’s pretty craven…teaching kids that they ought to view every relationship in terms of some religious goal.\u00a0 Telling someone that they need to change their beliefs isn’t loving at all.\u00a0 The loving thing would be to accept them as they are–regardless of what they believe.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    From a humanistic perspective, I can certainly understand that point of view.\u00a0 The problem here is that the humanistic perspective isn’t the most important one to consider.\u00a0 God has given us His perspective on the matter in the pages of Scripture.<\/span><\/p>\n

    God has told us that man’s greatest need isn’t food, water, or even air.\u00a0 His greatest need is forgiveness.\u00a0 And God has graciously offered forgiveness to any who will acknowledge his sin and embrace Christ as his Savior.\u00a0 <\/span>In light of that perspective, the most loving thing we can do for another person is to\u00a0encourage, persuade, and yes, even urge them to act on God’s offer.\u00a0 That brings glory to God, and we need to remind kids of this goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Some Benefits<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

    Teaching kids to use relationships in reaching out to others will\u00a0\u00a0do a couple of things for them…<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. It will help them develop concern for others. <\/strong> Instead of viewing people as trophies to be won, kids will learn to view others as souls for whom Jesus died who deserve\u00a0our time and personal investment.
      \n<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. It will ward off discouragement. <\/strong>Event-minded outreach places emphasis on an immediate response to the presentation of the message.\u00a0 If someone doesn’t respond, we tend to view the event as a failure and discouragement can easily follow.<\/span><\/span> \n

      Relationally-minded outreach sees another person’s accpetance of Christ as only part of the relationship.\u00a0 So, if that person doesn’t respond to this conversation, that’s okay.\u00a0 Maybe God will lead them to respond when you get together a week from next Thursday.\u00a0 That will help kids to keep developing the relationship.
      \n<\/span><\/li>\n

    3. It will encourage prayer.\u00a0 <\/strong>The more time kids spend with someone, the more dear that person will become to them, and the more they will come to understand that salvation truly is the work of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 That should motivate them to faithfully pray for the people in their lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      What ideas do you have for helping kids reach out to others?<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      As a pastor, teacher, and even more importantly, as a parent, I want to help kids learn to reach out to those God has placed in their lives. It’s important that we teach kids not just about the need for outreach but also some techniques for going about it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[41,24,33],"tags":[4935,5231,229,43],"yoast_head":"\nHelping Kids Reach Out - Faith Kids Connection<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/faithkids\/starting-relationships-with\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Helping Kids Reach Out - Faith Kids Connection\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As a pastor, teacher, and even more importantly, as a parent, I want to help kids learn to reach out to those God has placed in their lives. 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