Making it Meaningful: 3 Teaching Practices We Avoid with RivKids

By Brad Kidder

[intro]To say I grew up in the church would be an understatement. My family spent what seemed like every spare moment either in the physical church building or with other friends and family who were a part of our church. We rarely missed a Sunday School class, morning service, or Vacation Bible School. This was all on top of the countless hours that my parents spent leading and serving in our church.[/intro]

One of my roles here at Riverview is to oversee our teaching in RivKids, our children’s ministry. Each week in our K-6th classes we take the same material that is being taught in our adult weekend services and translate it in a way that is engaging and at the level of our kids in these age ranges. As we write our RivKids’ lessons each week there are three things that we try to avoid.

#1. Treating the Bible like a book of facts to memorize.

The Bible is literature, meaning the authors of the Bible wrote it in many different forms (poetry, letters, parables, etc…) to communicate clear and timeless truth. This means that we can’t approach it like we would a textbook or dictionary. With kids we are often tempted to focus on teaching them facts about the Bible, as opposed to the meaning and content of it. Instead of quizzing kids on the names of Jesus’ twelve disciples, or the number of books in the New Testament, our focus is on teaching kids the content the authors intended for us to know. We still think facts about the Bible are helpful for us to recall the content we have learned, but it is not our primary objective.

#2. Just Memorize It (and Then We Will Give You Candy!!!)

Another thing we avoid is memorization without comprehension. Bible memorization for many is a very helpful tool to focus on the content of God’s Word and for God to use that to guide our lives. Memorizing the Bible without understanding the content is much less helpful, and robs kids from learning the value of what they are memorizing.

In RivKids when we teach kids a verse we are going to go to great lengths to teach them what it means!  It’s our goal that kids learn the value of knowing and understanding God’s Word, not just memorizing it so that they can earn a piece of candy, prize, or medal of honor. We still occasionally use fun rewards (because, well, candy is amazing!), but we use these for prizes in simple games and other fun activities that show kids that gathering as the church is enjoyable, and that fun is a form of worship.

#3. Moralism

Finally, the thing we avoid above all else is moralism. Moralism is when we assume that the primary role of the Bible is behavior modification, instead of changing our hearts as we encounter who Jesus is and what He has done. When we teach the kids a story like David and Goliath we don’t tell the kids that they are like David and when hard times come they can pick up three stones and beat the giants in their lives. Instead, we teach our kids that David is a picture of Jesus. When we come up against our sin and other giants that can’t be conquered we can be confident that Jesus has already won the battle for us and slain that giant! This keeps the central message of the Gospel clear and teaches kids that God is primarily focused on what they believe about Jesus, which will in turn change the way they live.

I am so thankful for the time that my parents put in to show me the value of learning from God’s Word and loving God’s people. This laid for me a foundation of the importance of a positive view of God and a thirst for His Word that has carried into my personal and professional ministry. It’s an honor and privilege to partner with parents at Riverview to proclaim the liberating power of the Gospel to kids each and every week in RivKids. Thank you for trusting us with your kids!