Core skills overview and introductory session
- 1. CORE Skills Developing and extending key skills for children’s ministry Katherine Lyddon Diocesan Children’s Work Adviser
- 2. 1. To help you to develop an understanding of children and the skills required to nurture children in their journey of faith. 3 Aims of CORE 2. To provide you with the opportunity to explore and reflect on your own experience of faith and Christian journey, and the effect it has on your own work with children. 3. To help you capture and share a vision of a Christian community which children's faith is expressed and valued.
- 3. Aim 1 : To help you to develop an understanding of children and the skills required to nurture children in their journey of faith. Learning outcomes : to experience and understand the process of how people develop, learn and grow in faith. To listen to and accompany children as partners in faith. To evaluate your own skills, gifts, strengths and weaknesses and identify a plan for personal development. To help children engage with the Bible as part of the living, personal and ongoing story. To work creatively with children, using a variety of methods to suit different learning styles. To develop skills to encourage children in expressing and valuing their spirituality and making their own response of faith. To share resources and ideas.
- 4. Aim 2 :to provide you with the opportunity to explore and reflect on your own experience of faith and Christian journey, and the effect it has on your own work with children. Learning outcomes : to recognise the need to feel valued, equipped and supported in your role. To reflect on and share your own faith story. To develop a reflective, enquiring approach to the Bible and its use in faith and life. To explore your experience of worship, celebration and spiritual life. To recognise the role of, and raise your awareness of, children’s ministry. To develop the skills and habit of reflecting on your work with children.
- 5. Aim 3 :to help you capture and share a vision of a Christian community which children's faith is expressed and valued. Learning outcomes : to articulate an understanding of God’s call to be a pilgrim people, a missionary community and a global family. To advocate the active participation of children in mission and ministry. To explore ways of working with children in a variety of contexts, including new expressions of church.
- 6. Introductory Session Katherine Lyddon Diocesan Children’s Work Adviser Developing and extending key skills for children’s ministry
- 7. Aim : to provide a basic introduction to working with children in a church context. Learning outcomes : to share hopes and fears about working with children. to explore issues around children, theology and culture. to consider how to approach a session with children. to determine future learning needs.
- 8. Who am I? Introduce who you are and say briefly your context of children’s work. How do you each feel half an hour before a session begins? What are your hopes and concerns about working with children and young people? What hopes and concerns will children bring with them to your group?
- 9. Why am I here? How did different people interpret the question? How did people feel during the exercise? What insights does this exercise give into working with children?
- 10. Children and their culture What is the message being given there about school/home/lifestyle/spirituality/ young women? List any words or phrases you don’t recognise. Identify one or two articles that you would like to share with the rest of the group. Note the main themes of the advertising.
- 11. Children and their culture What are the values communicated by the church? Which culture is easier to understand? How easy is it to be a part of both? How easy is it to make choices within each culture? If the church is ‘counter cultural’, what does that mean?
- 12. Children and the church Complete the ‘Children and Church’ questionnaire. Mark 0 for ‘Not true at all’ and 5 for ‘This is clearly our church’s belief and practice’. Share responses together. Take it and let children fill it in. Take it and let other church members fill it in.
- 13. Approaching a session What challenges have you met, or are you anticipating, in your work with children? Think of a memorable session. What worked well and why did you remember it?
- 14. Starting a session How can you start the session off to build relationships with the children? Using time in a session. Always build in time to engage with a group and individual children. Working with a whole group. Circle time techniques. Show and Tell. Positive affirmation games. Choosing activities. Always plan to spend time on what is important, avoid ‘producing’ for the adults. Working with other leaders. Plan and review together. Challenges
- 15. Code of Conduct Involve children in process of setting rules. Building relationships Rules set by the leaders Don’t run Don’t shout Don’t answer back When the leader is talking, listen. Have fun! Rules set by children Welcome to our club. We hope you have a good time but when you are here you need to do some things the club way. We don’t like anyone skittin’ people, because we are all friends. Don’t bring any sweets or chocolate just for you! We like playing silly games and running round but when the leaders tell us to stop, we STOP! You’ll probably find out that we are all a bit noisy and talk too much. But we need to remember that when one of the leaders is telling us what to do, we shut up and listen. And we need to listen to each other as well. We have one word that is banned - BORING . And we don’t use any swear words at all. We have drinks every week so you don’t need to bring your own. Finally, at the end of the night, one goes home until someone comes to pick them up. We hope you have a good time at our club. Rules agreed by everyone Welcome Be nice Help others especially new people. Do the activities when the leaders ask us to. Make new friends. Enjoy ourselves. Listen carefully. Join in. Don’t hit or kick people. Don’t refuse to join in. Don’t be nasty. Don’t run around the room. Don’t talk when someone else is talking. Don’t leave the club room.
- 16. Assessing Training Needs Look at the outline of these CORE sessions. Fill in the boxes to help you assess which topics are priorities for you.
- 17. Biblical thoughts Psalm 78:1-8, Matthew 18:1-5, Luke 13:34,35 If this was the only passage in the Bible you read, what would your ‘theology’ (your understanding of the God’s view) of children be? Sum it up in 3 statements. How would this affect the whole church? What do you feel about the way that you would work with children in your church and why?
- 18. Theologies Psalm 78:1-8, Matthew 18:1-5, Luke 13:34,35 Children are the Church of tomorrow. Children are the church of tomorrow but need to lead a Christian life now. Children are as much a part of the church as the rest of the congregation.
- 19. Worship 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
- 20. What ingredients (gifts and talents) do you bring to children’s ministry?
- 21. Thank you for coming Katherine Lyddon Diocesan Children’s Work Adviser
Editor's Notes
- #2: Who am I – flip chart, pens Why am I here? – post-its, pens Children and culture – children’s magazines and internet sites Children and the church – P20 photocopied Approaching a session – Building relationships - Assessing training needs – photocopy p21 Biblical thoughts – 3 bibles Worship – Bible, cake ingredients and cake to share.
- #9: Feedback to record hopes and fears on a flip chart. Discuss the hopes and concerns that the children may be bringing to the groups with which you are involved. Write these on the flipchart too, and compare this list with the first.
- #10: How many ways can this questions be answered? Write as many as your like, one on each Post-it note. Join up with one or two other people and talk about why each person is here. Come back together, how did different people interpret the question? How did you feel during the exercise? What insights does this exercise given into working with children?
- #11: Any adult who wants to work with children needs to understand a little about what it is like to be a child in today’s world. An adult leader can never be a child, but can make some effort to get inside the world of children. What influences our children? Values are strongly communicated through the media. Look at these magazines and websites and do the following: Share your findings.
- #12: The world of children and how children develop is explored further in CORE session 1.
- #14: Share the experience of a memorable session yo have led with children, one you have seen led, or one you experienced as a child. What worked well and why did you remember it? What challenges have you met, or are you anticipating, in your work with children?
- #15: Atmosphere, layout, welcome. How can you start the session off to build relationships with the children? When planning, always build in time to engage with a group and individual children. One-to-one conversations are usually easier when a child is engaged in a low-key practical task. Use ‘circle time’ techniques from time to time. With younger children, a ‘show and tell’ can be an important, regular part of the session. For older children, frequent positive affirmation games will build up the groups’ capacity to relate positively and share more deeply. Always plan to spend time on what is important, and avoid giving time to activities that benefit the adults more than the children. For example, if you meet on a Sunday morning, avoid a weekly commitment to ‘producing’ something that has to be performed for the adults in the church. Consider how you plan and review together.
- #16: How have your groups worked together so far? Many of our principles for working are implicit but with children, especially working with a new group or meeting for the first time after a break, it may be good to work together to produce a code of conduct and agree on it. The process is really important. You could take suggestions from adults and children, followed by a vote to decide which to include.
- #17: This session has drawn attention to just some of the skills and knowledge that are important for any adults working with children on behalf of their church. Some of this skils comes with experience, but only if you take time to do some conscious learning as well, and alos take time to reflect critically on your experiences. Look at the outline of these CORE sessions on the Assessing training needs questionnaire and fill in the boxes to help you assess which topics are priorities for you.
- #18: Split into 3 groups. Summarise in 3 statements what your theology would be if this was the only passage you new. How would this affect the church? Different church traditions have different ideas about why children are in church. Listen to these models and see if you recognise any of them.
- #19: CHILDREN ARE THE CHURCH OF TOMORROW – Children will become useful disciples when they become adult members. The church will aim at keeping them in contact with the church so that their real learning and work can begin when the time comes. THE CHILDREN ARE THE CHURCH OF TOMORROW BUT NEED TO LEAD A CHRISTIAN LIFE NOW – children’s work will be seen as schooling in the Christian life. The children’s activities may work on the assumption that the faith must be learnt and a Christian way of life followed. Information giving and Bible teaching will aim to lead to a vibrant adult faith and spiritual life. CHILDREN ARE PART OF TODAY’S CHURCH – the rest of the congregation will treat them as equally valuable members, it will make sure children’s provision in the church is of high quality, aimed at equipping children for ministry. Children will be enabled to take part in all aspects of church life. If someone came into your church and tried to guess what your theology of children was by watching thelife of the church, what conclusions do you think they would draw? Think about visiting another church and guessing what their theology of children might be.
- #20: Let’s listen to 1 Corinthians 12:4-6. It goes on to say that even the weaker parts are indispensable. God has given everyone gifts but they are all different.
- #21: Its like different ingredients in a cake. If you just have 1 ingredient (unless it’s the chocolate chips!) its not very nice by itself, but when you combine it with all the other ingredients, you make something quite delicious. Whilst listening to some music, think about the gifts and talents that you have in relation to children’s ministry. We all have a concern for children and we can offer our different skills in different ways.
- #22: Who am I – flip chart, pens Why am I here? – post-its, pens Children and culture – children’s magazines and internet sites Children and the church – P20 photocopied Approaching a session – Building relationships - Assessing training needs – photocopy p21 Biblical thoughts – 3 bibles Worship – Bible, cake ingredients and cake to share.