A complete discipleship system for leading intentional preteen and youth ministry
An old Greek proverb reads, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
An essential truth about preteen ministry is that it is a seed-planting ministry. Every week you plant seeds, you will probably never see the fruit. The sooner you can understand this, the more satisfying the work of preteen ministry becomes. Because you have realistic expectations, you will find joy in the process of seed planting, not just in the eventual fruit. This joy and fulfillment in the journey makes preteen ministry so rewarding. So, what kinds of seeds should you be planting in your preteen ministry? Here are five seeds you can plant in your preteens.
As we all know, spiritual disciplines are hard to maintain consistently. When you practice spiritual disciplines inside your ministry, you help preteens feel confident about doing them on their own at home. You plant these seeds by providing space in your ministry for preteens to pray, meditate on scripture, and even journal.
Few preteens see themselves as having leadership potential, and the ones that do rarely exercise it for the benefit of others. It’s important to sow seeds of Godly leadership in preteens by giving them opportunities to lead. Try giving them a simple task to own or having them read a Bible passage aloud. These simple opportunities tell preteens that they have something to contribute to the body of Christ.
Preteens are starting to expand their friend groups. They need help understanding what godly friendship looks like. One way to sow seeds of biblical community is by helping them have spiritual conversations with one another in small groups. They need to feel natural talking about Jesus with their friends. Preteen ministries that provide times of conversation around the Bible set the foundation for lifelong community engagement.
The world of preteens is rapidly expanding, and they are encountering ideas and opinions from various voices. How will they discern truth unless they are taught the skills? You can plant seeds of discernment by asking them why they believe what they think. Don’t be so quick to give an answer and push back when you think you’re getting the Sunday school answer they are trained to give. Providing a place where they can ask the tough questions teaches them how to find the truth for themselves.
Preteens are learning the art of empathy and are notoriously bad at it. They need help seeing the needs of others and meeting those needs. So, we need to provide opportunities for service so that preteens can learn how to serve. But opportunities aren’t enough. We must teach them the “why” of servanthood, not just the “how.”
Which of these seeds is present in your ministry? Which one is missing? How will you embrace a seed-planting mindset in your ministry this week? Answering those questions will bless the future of your ministry.
Deep Discipleship Preteens is a complete curriculum and system with everything you need for ministry to 4th–6th grade students.
