7 Tips to Better Children’s Sermons

7 Tips to Better Children’s Sermons

an article for Children’s Sermon Leaders by (Rev) Neil MacQueen, www.sundaysoftware.com

Thank you for being willing to deliver the children’s sermon at your church. Jesus welcomed children and said their wide-eyed child-like qualities were the gold-standard in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:14). Your participation with them in worship is not only a blessing with lifelong consequences for them, -but can be a blessing to your spiritual journey as well. You’ve probably seen a lot of children’s sermons in your life and already have a sense of what passes for “good.” And you’ve probably winced at a few bad ones over the years too. What’s the difference between “good” and “wince”? I’ve delivered plenty of both! So let me suggest these 7 Tips to Better Children’s Sermons… all of which could be placed under the category of “Children First, Sermon Second.”

1. When you step forward to invite the children, make them feel invited!

Greet them as they come to you. Wait for the late-arriver to sit down. Make eye-contact. This will help YOU settle down too. Introduce yourself, and say things like, “I’m Jacob’s mom” and “Isn’t it fun to be up here on the steps at God’s house.” And smile! …some children have a fear of being in front of others, especially when there’s an unfamiliar adult up there. You’d think this would be obvious, but sometimes the pastor or adult leaders is UNaware of just how intimidating they can appear to a timid child.  Familiarity will help, but so will your body language, and what you’re doing when they come forward. I would often have a prop or papersack with me to make them more interested than afraid.

Sit or Stand? Some people sit down on the steps and let the children come forward, but I recommend staying on your feet AS they come forward -and sitting down later if the content permits. That way you can greet them, and you can step to the side- or bend to your knee if you see a timid one coming up, or begin to tap “helpers” if you’re going to do a demonstration. Each child is different. Some kids will balk at sitting near you if they see you on the steps waiting for them. Others will try to sit in your lap. If I sat down, I would also often get up to do something, and in particular, reach out to the kids who weren’t seated near me. Being primed to be playful and unpredictable is part of what makes the experience memorable. Nobody was ever quite sure what I was going to do, and that created and air of anticipation.

A long time ago a parent told me that her daughter was “scared of the man in the black robe”… which just happened to be me. Didn’t matter if I was standing or sitting. Funny thing was, she was the playmate of one of my kids and knew me well! Fair to assume other kids might have the same misgivings. I solved the problem by paying attention to who seemed a little bit intimidated about coming up front and giving them a little space as they approached. Then I did a number of things to put them at ease, including sweeping my robe’s billowy sleeves over their heads as they walked up, or tossing the end of my stoll at them. I’d often hold one of my story props as they approached which took the focus off me. At times, I would approach them ahead of time while they were with mom and dad and ask them to help me or bring the prop up to me when they came forward.   See #6 below.

“Invitation” goes beyond how you greet them. Invitation is also about the WARMTH of your presence and presentation. Some leaders are so focused on (or nervous about) what to say and do, that they forget to relate to the kids. One simple but effective way to structure this into your sermon is to take the time to ask questions, and then remember to deal tenderly with your response to their answers!  For example, when asking a question -to which a child has eagerly raised their hand but not gotten the ‘right’ answer, don’t just say, “no” and move on to the next hand. Take a moment to affirm the child. After the children’s sermon is over, give out a few high-fives, and make a point to acknowledge them in the cookie line after church.

2. Remember they are children when you speak.

If you use words that have more than 3 syllables or aren’t used in everyday language, then your words probably won’t be understood. If you use “church words,” such as “Grace” or “Forgiveness”, you need to unpack those words -or you might as well not use them. When using church words like “grace” …make sure you define what grace is either by an aside comment, by asking them to tell you, or by making such important words the point of your sermon. If you’re not good at speaking to children at their level, write out your children’s sermon -then force simplify your vocabulary, grammar, and concepts.

Once upon a time, children’s sermons included upper elementary age kids. But in many churches these days, they top out at around 2nd grade, and therefore your presentation must also. The younger they are, -the more you need to simplify your language concepts. See #4 below for more. 

3. Take your time and don’t rush.

If you rush you are wasting their time and yours. And keep it concise. Practice this discipline: write out your children’s sermon and then summarize it in one sentence. I knew a pastor who was so afraid of forgetting his summary sentence that he taped it to the top inside of the paper bag he always brought with him to hold his props. If you can’t summarize your children’s sermon in 15 seconds, then you probably can’t get it right in 3 minutes either. 
 

4. Avoid metaphors and object lessons.

Object lessons are easily identified by their “like” statements, as in, “I brought in this rock today to illustrate the point that God is like a rock in our lives.” The problem is that to a Kindergartner who thinks “concretely” -you have just taught them that God is a hard piece of stone and looks grey. Their minds cannot make the mental leap with you in the short time provided. Instead, use objects for what they are, -and avoid attaching symbolic meaning to them. (Use objects as PROPS to help tell a story. See #6 for more about this.) You can’t completely avoid metaphors (“like” comparisons) so stick to metaphors they understand: “God is like a good parent, a teacher, a coach” -but make sure you explain the metaphors.

A lot of wasted time and missed-opportunity has been disguised as OBTUSE object-lessons and CONVULUTED demonstrations. Some demonstrations are really just fun distractions. I love magic tricks and occasionally used them to illustrate what I thought was the point. “God makes the sin disappear!” But really, all I was demonstrating to the 6 years olds was “The pastor made a coin disappear from his hand, I wonder where it went?” (everybody loves these demonstrations, but they don’t teach the lesson to the younger kids). Use demonstrations sparingly and be sure to focus on “the point of it.”  Make sure the demonstration (or illustration) is focused on the point of the children’s sermon, and not some ancillary or obscure point. And make sure you slow down and explain this point!  (Better yet, tell a story…)

5. Tell stories.

If you want to describe faith or forgiveness, tell a story about it. Stories stick in the brain and the story can continue to teach its meaning after you’re gone. And practically speaking, storytelling grabs their attention quicker, keeps it longer, and it keeps you from groping for what to say next. See #6 and 7 for more about this. And make sure your stories are kid-friendly. Instead of a story about a man who went to work with his briefcase, tell a story about a boy who went to school. Note: you can make up your own stories! But… if the day’s scripture has a story in it, re-tell it.

Avoid stories from books, unless they are an overtly Christian story. Hearing a cute story about how a boy took care of a bunny is not a good illustration for the way God takes care of us. The point of children’s sermons is not to teach good morals, it’s to preach the word of God.

6. Use props in your story!

Props focus their attention. Their eyes will even track the prop as you move it. Props also put the storyteller at ease. But remember, a rock is just a rock to a 5 year old. They can’t quite understand that it is “the weight of sin weighing us down.”

Prop Suggestions: If you’re telling a story about when you were a little boy, bring a ballcap and toy. Involve the kids in your story by assigning roles and distributing props. For example, iIf you’re telling the story of the man let down through the roof, have one of the kids lay down on a blanket and put a bandage around their leg. Assign someone to be Jesus. And when it gets time to “lower” the man through the roof, you grab the blanket by the boy’s head (for safety) and let the kids grab the rest of the blanket and drag him a few feet towards Jesus. If you are telling the story of Moses talking to God on Mt. Sinai, throw a GIANT robe over the smallest girl and have her be Moses. If you’re telling the story of the disciples in the boat, have your oldest child lay down on a pillow you brought (and tell them not to wake up until you specifically ask them to) and during the story cue all the kids to shout “wake up Jesus.” And when it comes time for the waves to crash over the boat, don’t forget to sprinkle a little bit of water out of the squirt bottle you’ve secretly brought.

The secret to many successful storytellers and children’s sermon presenters is their props. Over the months and years, I would vary my delivery, and sometimes bring a big brown bag full of story props, which the kids eagerly awaited. There was a famous series of children’s sermon books called “Brown Bag Children’s Sermons” based on the idea of showing up with a bag of props which you revealed one at a time during the story. That bag sure got the kids attention. One Sunday, we told the story of Jesus and the 10 Lepers pulling 10 Barbie Dolls out of the bag (Ken was Jesus, of course), and made several of the boys hold them much to the giggles and grimmaces of the children. Years later in a Confirmation class, one of my students said it was one of his favorite stories because of that children’s sermon.Speaking of props…. YOU are a prop. Don’t stand or sit there stiff. Be animated. Especially with younger children (but also with all of us) our focus naturally goes to whatever moves. It’s a great way to keep their attention, especially when you’re trying to make your point. Props focus them. Your hands and facial expressions and where you move to will focus them too.

7. Last but certainly not least, make sure your message is God-centered, and not merely teaching some general moral or good piece of advice.

Ask this question about your children’s sermon: what is the Gospel in it? …what is the “good news about God” in it? In my experience watching other pastors and volunteers lead children’s sermons, this GOD-POINT is one of the things they most often leave out, or leave for the last moment of their children’s sermon. It happens because they run out of time, or didn’t think of the ‘point’ ahead of time. Children’s Sermons are not just sermons about “being good.”

HUGE TIP:  One of the ways I’ve “cured” myself of this teaching faux pas is to tell the kids the God-Point FIRST, -right at the beginning of my children’s sermon or Sunday School lesson (try it, it works!). And then reiterate it at the conclusion (and as often as you can during the presentation as well!).

The best way to make SURE that you’re God-centered is to always base your children sermon on one of the scripture readings from the day. This discipline of always basing your children’s sermon on one of the day’s Bible passages will also take the guesswork out of planning “what to teach.”  For more of my thoughts on children and youth ministry, look at my CE articles at www.sundaysoftware.com/articles

Copyright 2007. Updated 2010. Neil MacQueen, www.sundaysoftware.com
All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted for local church and non-profit teacher training use.

 Neil MacQueen is a Presbyterian minister, veteran of “the steps up front,” Children and Youth ministry writer and consultant,
and developer of interactive Bible software for children and youth.

 This article has been updated at www.sundaysoftware.com/articles/chsermon.htm