A complete discipleship system for leading intentional preteen and youth ministry
If I have learned anything over the years in Children’s Ministry, it’s that you should never underestimate the power of a preteen! They can be so much fun to be around, they can serve the Lord with incredible zeal, and at a moment’s notice, they can make you want to pull your hair out! Nevertheless, you must be careful not to undervalue their ability to love and serve the Lord, the depth of discussions about spiritual things, or conversations about how to live out their faith. While they are learning and growing, they also have a way of teaching us, as leaders, so much.
There are several things we can do to set our preteen ministry up for success.
Your preteen ministry (class) may look different from my church, but we chose to follow where our preteens are in our public school, which means the preteen ministry in our church is 5th and 6th graders. Our preteens are together in Bible study on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. We sometimes mix the look of these meetings by having times when they met as a large group and then broke off into boys’ and girls’ small groups. Right now, they meet together as a whole class. Do what works best for your church.
Pro Tip: Add donuts to their Sunday morning routine. They will love you for it!
Preteens need time to be together to build a sense of community and friendships and grow in Christ-likeness. Before Bible study on Sunday mornings, our preteens have a space where they can play pool, ping pong, foosball, and eat donuts. It’s a preteen thing! It’s a semi-structured time designed for them to hang out together before they start their Bible study. It’s a big deal to them to get to go into the preteen room because it is arranged a little differently and is their own space. We do some pretty simple outreach events in this space, like eating pizza and playing games. It’s an easy way for them to invite their friends to church.
Pro Tip: Ask your preteen students what they like to do. It doesn’t have to be expensive, sometimes, just a fun time to hang out and build relationships.
Preteens can be amazing at serving others. They can also be totally absorbed in themselves. It’s important to encourage them to give back and consider the needs of others. It’s also important that they connect what the Bible teaches with easy application steps for living out their faith. Be a safe place where they feel free to talk, discuss, and ask questions without judgment. Always encourage them to take another step closer to Jesus!
Pro Tip: Write down their application steps and ask them about it the next time you see them to give them a little accountability.
Preteen Ministry can be fun as well as challenging! Hang in there! Love them big! It will be worth it! You are making a difference for the Kingdom!
Deep Discipleship Preteens is a complete curriculum and system with everything you need for ministry to 4th—6th grade students.
