Fundraising Ideas for Your Bible Clubs

Don’t let a lack of funds keep you from having an exciting and dynamic All-Stars for Jesus Bible Club program. Here are some ideas for funding your Bible Clubs.

Registration Fee: Have an annual registration fee of $20.00 to $25.00 per child. Just as sports teams have a sign-up fee for equipment and supply costs, your All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs can, too. Let the parents know that the registration fee will help to cover the costs of T-shirts, caps, pennants and awards. Even if you set the registration fee at $35.00, this is still a real bargain for all of these items compared to the sign-up costs for sports. You can have “family packages” so no family has to pay more than $100.00 (or whatever amount you set) to enroll all of their children in Bible clubs for the year.

If you have church members sponsor children whose families can’t afford to pay the entire amount (see the All-Stars sponsors information in the report below), let families know that All-Stars scholarships are available. Families who wish to apply for a scholarship can fill out a simple form letting you know how much of the cost they are able to pay themselves. The scholarships can then be awarded to families based on their financial need and how many children they have attending Bible clubs.

All-Stars Sponsors: Have your church members sponsor children for All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs. Most people would jump at the chance to support children in a positive, Bible-based program. Decorate a wall or bulletin board in your church as the “All-Stars Hall of Fame.” Place one of the All-Stars for Jesus Bible Club Posters in the middle of the wall or board. Have people purchase stars, for either the entire registration amount or an amount of their choosing. From the All-Stars Resource CD or the website, use the “All-Stars Gold Donor” Star pattern for people who contribute the entire amount, and the other Star pattern for the other donors. Print two stars for each of your donors — one on paper and one on card stock. Write a brief note of thanks on the paper star (or have the child receiving a scholarship write the note) and give it to the donor. Cut out the card stock star, print the donor’s name in the middle, and add glitter around the edges. Add the cardboard stars to the “Hall of Fame,” taping them around the poster.

For more fundraising ideas, download the report below. Click on the image to download the "How to Pay for Your Club" Fundraising Ideas Report plus additional resources for your Bible Club.

VBS Memory Verse Coloring Pages

Here are some coloring pages we’ve created for the 2011 VBS programs.

For each program, there is a coloring page for every day of VBS—a total of five pages. Each coloring page has the daily memory verse and the Bible theme. If you have younger children, you can feel free to shorten the verse by whiting out (or taping over) the final phrase before copying the coloring page. Each coloring page shows a picture to complement the Bible memory verse or Bible point for that day. The coloring pages come in sets of five pages for just $4.99 per set. The best part is, you can make as many copies as you need!

For Nazareth, there is a set of coloring pages for the New Living Translation, a separate set for the New International Version, and a separate set for the King James Version. (The NLT is the version used on the Bible memory makers.) 

(Click on the images above to go to the download pages—NLT is on the left, NIV is on the right, and KJV is on the bottom.)

For your SonSurf VBS, there is a set of coloring pages for the New International Version and a separate set for the King James Version. (The NIV verses are used on the Connection Cards and other SonSurf printed materials.)

(Click on the images above to download the pages—

KJV is on the left and NIV is on the right)

For the Main Street VBS, every coloring page has a portion of the daily memory verse, I Timothy 4:12. Each day we've added a few more words to the verse so by Day 5 the entire verse is shown. There is a set of coloring pages for the New International Version and a separate set for the King James Version. (These are the versions used on the Bible memory posters.) 

(Click the images above to download the pages—

KJV is on the left and the NIV is on the right)

For the PandaMania VBS, there is a coloring page for the New International Version and one for the New Living Version. At the end of your VBS week, your students will have all five of the memory verses—a fun keepsake reminder of their week at vacation Bible school.

(Click images above to download the PandaMania coloring pages—

NLT is on the left and the NIV is on the right)

For Go the Distance, the Mega Sports Camp VBS, the coloring pages have the daily memory verse portion in the New International Version along with the lesson focus and Scripture. Each day we've added a few more words to the verses so by Day 5 both verses, 2 Timothy 4:7-8, are shown in their entirety.

(Click on the image above to download the pages.)

If you’d like to take a look at any of these VBS Starter Kits, visit Shop VBS for more information, craft downloads, and to order your starter kits. 

Fundraising Ideas for Your Bible Club

Don't let a lack of funds keep you from  having an exciting and dynamic All-Stars for Jesus program. Here are some ideas for funding your Bible clubs. For even more ideas plus a kick-off party with reproducible invitations and patterns, download the FREE report: How to Pay for Your All-Stars for Jesus Bible Club.

Registration Fee
Have an annual registration fee of $20.00 to $25.00 per child. Just as sports teams have a sign-up fee for equipment and supply costs, your All-Stars for Jesus Bible clubs can, too. Let your students' parents know that the registration fee will help to cover the costs of shirt, caps, pennants, and awards. Provide scholarships for needy families and "family packages" so no family has to pay more than $75.00 (or whatever amount you set). Have church members sponsor children whose families can't afford to pay the entire amount.

Special Offerings
Have a special Bible Club offering over five weeks, and challenge your congregation to reach a certain goal. Give an update following each week, letting everyone know how much was raised. Have an artistic church member draw a thermometer with some benchmarks indicated at the quarter, half, and three-quarter points, with the goal at the top. Color the "mercury" in the thermometer red each week to show how the offering is progressing. Collect a different coin each week for the first four weeks (of course other coins and bills are welcome, too!): Week 1 pennies, Week 2 nickels, Week 3 dimes, Week 4 quarters, Week 5 bills.

All-Stars Sponsors

Have your church members sponsor children for All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs. Read the free report for bulletin board ideas. Most people will jump at the chance to support children in a positive, Bible-teaching program. Have sponsors purchase stars for the entire Bible club registration amount or an amount of their choosing. Cut out two stars for each of of your donors—one to add to your "Hall of Fame" bulletin board. Write a note of thanks on the other star and give it to the donor (or have the child receiving the scholarship write the note).

Yard or Rummage Sale
Encourage your congregation to clean out their closets and garages and bring the unneeded items (in good condition) to the church for a giant rummage sale. Be sure to advertise that all the proceeds will be used to fund the All-Stars for Jesus Bible Club programs at your church. Have children and teens from your church set up a bake sale at the rummage sale to sell donuts, coffee, muffins, cookies, and juice donated (and baked) by members of your congregation.

Business Sponsors

Ask several local businesses to sponsor your All-stars for Jesus Bible Clubs. Include the business names on all promotional materials and encourage your congregation members to frequent those businesses. Create a donor star for each business and add them to your "Hall of Fame" bulletin board.

Stuck on All-Stars for Jesus
Make a list of items needed for your Bible clubs and the cost of each item. Print each item needed and its price on a sticky note (notes shaped like stars would be great). Post the notes on a bulletin board or wall and have your congregation members go "shopping." Each member can choose a sticky note and then pay for the items at the All-Stars Sponsor Table or your church office. Give each "shopper" a donor star on which to print his name and then add to your "Hall of Fame."

For more fundraising ideas, download the FREE report: How to Pay for Your All-Stars for Jesus Bible Club.

Setting Up Your Preschool Bible Club Room

It is extremely important that your Bible club classroom provides a bright, cheerful, welcoming environment where the children want to stay. Following are some basic guidelines for setting up your preschool room:

Space

Thirty-five square feet is recommended for each child in a preschool class. Toddlers and preschoolers are very active and require plenty of space for active movement. As much as possible, do not use a room that is smaller than 12 x 16 feet for your Honeybees or Cubby Bears classroom. Ideally, for a class of 12 children, you should have a room with a minimum size of 15 x 30 feet or larger. (A rectangular room gives a much more open appearance than does a square room.)

The room should be on the ground floor, if possible, and restrooms should be close by. A Dutch door is useful so the parents do not enter the room when they bring their children to the meeting. Electrical outlets should be above the children’s reach or kept capped with safety covers.

Floor coverings

Floor coverings should allow children to participate freely and sit on the floor. Floors should be spot-resistant and relatively easy to clean so the children can participate in “messy” activities freely. For colder climates, carpet is much warmer and will allow more freedom to use the floor year around. (You may wish to have a non-carpeted area for “messy” activities and snacks.)

No matter what your floor covering is, a large story rug, big enough for all the children and teachers to sit on, is necessary as a “gathering spot” for stories and group activities. A large flower-shaped rug could be created from burlap-backed felt or colorful carpet scraps sewed together.

Ventilation and lighting

There should be plenty of fresh air and light, but windows should open from the top only so little ones cannot accidentally fall out.

Wall coverings

Light colors are airy and restful, while bright colors may over-stimulate the children and cause behavior problems; use bright colors for accents. Choose paint or wallpaper that is non-toxic. Do not use murals as they can be a distraction to toddlers. However, a black-and-white coloring mural can be a fun area for your little ones to scribble color or add stickers. You will need two bulletin boards or other areas where posters, the Honeybees or Cubby Bears Attendance Chart, and other materials may be mounted on the wall.

Room layout

See the illustration in the PDF article below for a suggested room layout suitable for a class of up to 12 children using three learning centers.

Download FREE report

For more information about setting up your preschool Bible Club room, download the FREE PDF "How to Set Up Your Preschool Classrooms."

KJV Midweek Bible Club Program

Looking for a fun midweek Bible Club program that uses the King James Version of the Bible? Look no further! All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs are the only Bible clubs for two-year-olds through sixth grade that are easy to teach, fun for kids, Bible based, and so flexible they can be used any time!

God loves his children. He commanded parents to "train up a child in the way he should go" (Proverbs 22:6). We want each child to know that he or she is a star in Jesus' eyes, no matter what the child's skills and abilities. Jesus loves children just as they are. 

All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs are designed to help churches and parents teach children to know God, to believe in Jesus as their Savior, and to live for Him. All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs help children to feel loved and accepted so they, in turn, can share the love of Jesus with their friends and families. Researchers say that 43% of people who are Christians accepted Christ as Savior before the age of 13! We want to help you reach that 43%...and more!

Take a look at the age levels available in All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs:

            Honeybees for Jesus — ages 2 & 3

            Cubby Bears for Jesus —  ages 4 & 5

            All-Stars for Jesus Primaries —  grades 1 & 2

            All-Stars for Jesus Middlers —  grades 3 & 4

            ASF56 Preteens —  grades 5 & 6

            All-Stars for Jesus Explorers — combined grades 1 through 6

You and your kids will love the Multi-Use meetings, interactive activities, teacher-friendly lessons, KJV memory verses, optional awards program, and helpful resources that are all part of the All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs.

Every part of each All-Stars for Jesus meeting relates to the Bible lesson and reinforces that week’s theme or memory verse. Throughout each quarter, suggestions are provided to help teachers present the salvation message to their students.

We count it a privilege to partner with teachers and to provide you with the tools you need for the spiritual education of your students and their families. There is no greater calling than to teach children about Jesus!

Customer testimony: "We've been using the All-Stars for Jesus program for a couple years now. We used to use Awana^® but found that the children lost interest in their student books. The kids love the All-Stars for Jesus program, and especially love the award books! Not only are they attractive and fun, but they have a lot of solid life-application activities that vary from week to week. We've kept the same AWANA format and adapted the All-Stars curriculum to fit perfectly for us." —Marnie Clawson, Chesterfield, MO

How to Recruit Preschool Leaders

How do you recruit preschool leaders for your Bible club and Sunday school programs?

Prayerfully and with a lot of help! This is a big job, so meet with your Christian education director, children’s pastor, Bible club director, or Sunday school superintendent. Begin with prayer, asking the Lord to direct you to the people whom He wants to teach your precious preschoolers. Ask Him to prepare the hearts of these people to be receptive to becoming leaders or helpers in your preschooler program.

To ensure your preschoolers the very best experiences in your programs, look for leaders and teachers with the following qualifications:

• Dedicated Christians who seek to live for Christ daily, who study God’s Word, and who know the plan of salvation

• Are tuned in to preschoolers, and able to build upon their natural interests

• Enjoy sharing in the children’s joy of discovery

• Are warm, outgoing, and have a genuine love and sensitivity for preschoolers

• Appreciate and seek to follow God’s command to teach children

• Have a basic understanding of preschoolers in terms of their physical, mental, and emotional development as well as their spiritual needs

• Are reliable and disciplined to prepare for each task

• Are suitable role models for preschoolers

Make a list of qualified people who might be interested, and make an appointment to visit them in their homes or at church. Explain your preschool program and the responsibilities of a preschooler leader or helper. Ask him or her to pray about the decision, and leave some preschool Bible club materials, a Getting Started Manual, or a Leader's Guide for review.

It is good to involve a variety of people in working with your preschooler program: fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, college students, or adults with older children may all enjoy working with young kids. Make a concerted effort to get men involved in the program—particularly fathers of preschoolers. They will love it, and so will the kids. Having male role models often helps to reduce discipline problems, too.

One children's pastor says that he only selects FAT teachers for his classes:

   F aithful

   A vailable

   T eachable!

Organize a list of “substitute” teachers from which to draw in case a regular leader or helper is unable to attend at any time during the year. Be sure to fill each vacancy as soon as possible.

There are most likely people in your church who aren’t available on a weekly basis or don’t want to be tied to a schedule, but do like to help when presented with a special need. These are the people who can help you by preparing craft materials, cutting out visuals, updating bulletin boards, decorating the Bible club rooms, praying for leaders and students, or making or providing snacks. Throughout the process, ask God for direction and guidance. Pray with each person you invite to be part of your Bible club team. Give each one specific guidance and instruction so he or she understands exactly what the responsibilities will be. Then show your appreciation for their help, just as you show your appreciation to your regular leaders and helpers.

Thank God for bringing each person to your Bible club program. Spend time in prayer together before beginning each new quarter of your Bible clubs. Thank God for the blessings He has provided and ask for His guidance and wisdom to overcome any challenges. 

The leaders are the most important part of your preschool program-not because they do everything themselves, but because they are the only means through which children can be truly involved and discipled. The most successful preschool group is usually the one where the adult leaders do less so the children can do more. This is the toughest kind of leadership, but it's the kind that produces disciples and leaders in your preschoolers.

Every Child Can Be an All-Star for Jesus

God loves his children. He commanded parents to "train up a child in the way he should go" (Proverbs 22:6). We want each child to know that he or she is a star in Jesus' eyes, no matter what the child's skills and abilities are. Jesus loves children just as they are. 

All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs are designed to help churches and parents teach children to know God, to believe in Jesus as their Savior, and to live for Him. All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs help children to feel loved and accepted so they, in turn, can share the love of Jesus with their friends and families. Researchers say that 43% of people who are Christians accepted Christ as Savior before the age of 13! We want to help you reach that 43%...and more!

Bible clubs also offer a non-threatening place for children who might never attend a regular church service or Sunday school class to learn about Jesus in a fun, casual atmosphere. In a whole where children are exposed to a variety of bad influences coming from all directions, All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs are places of love and encouragement, where kids can safely learn how to say no to those bad influences and learn how to live a victorious life in Christ!

So...what exactly IS All-Stars for Jesus?

All-Stars for Jesus provides everything you need for an exciting ministry to children!

All-Stars for Jesus is:

• A multi-use Bible curriculum in a fun club environment for age 2 through grade 6, with an optional awards program.
• A program that provides solid Bible teaching in a fun and interesting way for kids—one that directs them to know and follow Jesus.
• Curriculum that is easy to teach and includes helpful options for teachers, giving you maximum flexibility.
• Age appropriate memory verses to help children hide God's Word in their hearts.
• Bible- and curriculum-based, rather than activity-based. Each part of the lesson focuses on God, Jesus, and God's Word.
• Age appropriate and fun for kids of all ages.
• Bible-centered—every activity helps kids focus on God's Word and begin to share what they learn with others.
• A way to help churches reach the children and families in their communities for Christ.

The All-Stars for Jesus Bible Club program is designed to lead children from age two through sixth grade to a personal faith in Jesus, to teach them about God's love and care, to encourage them to grow spiritually, and to give them a solid biblical foundation for their lives.

All-Stars for Jesus partners with churches to extend their outreach from just Sunday school to mid-week, Sunday evening, or other times children can gather to learn about Jesus. All-Stars meetings are fun, less formal time with a variety of interesting and fun activities to direct the child's attention to God's Word. The optional awards program offers a further way to extend the Bible learning into the home.

What unique features does All-Stars for Jesus have?

Each All-Stars for Jesus age-level Flex-lesson Leader's Guide has everything you need for two meetings a week—to use for Sunday morning and mid-week, Sunday evening and after-school Bible club, or whenever great Bible lessons are needed. Or, you have extra options for one meeting a week!

• Easy-Trac meeting plans direct the leader step-by-step through each weekly program, and let you see at a glance which activities and materials to use.
• The optional awards program provides more opportunities for kids to learn about Jesus by completing Bible learning activities in their award books at home. When each activity is completed, children earn colorful awards to place on a cap or pennant. Plus, each child could have ALL first-year awards for as low as 82 cents per week!
• All-Stars for Jesus offers not only five age-level programs for children age 2 through grade 6, but also the All-Stars Explorers program for combined grades 1 through 6 in one classroom and the Preschool All-in-One Kit for combined ages 2-5 plus reproducible activity sheets.
• There are no membership fees, dues, or doctrinal requirements—just fun, Bible-based, solid Christian learning.
• The All-Stars Promo Kits (included with your Starter Kits) offer great resources to promote your clubs: promotional posters, clip art, fundraising ideas, and club kickoff plans!
• All-Stars for Jesus offers lots of colorful "fun stuff" as gifts, awards, and promotions.
• All-Stars for Jesus is an affordable program. The Flex-Lesson Leader's Guide provides two lessons a week!
• Christian Ed Warehouse offers Standing Orders on All-Stars for Jesus quarterly curriculum so you don't even have to remember to order! Plus, Standing Orders receive a 10%-%15 discount every quarter. We'll send you an email reminder so you can make changes before your curriculum ships.
• There is no requirement that you use all available materials—just choose the options that will work best with your group and your finances.

Does all this sound like something you would like for your church? Visit eChurchDepot.com and order your Starter Kits for a 60-day risk-free review! Or download FREE samples of each age level and order a FREE Lesson Sampler to review with your church. May God bless you as you lead children and their families to a personal relationship with Jesus.

All-Stars for Jesus TEAM Spirit

Join the All-Stars for Jesus TEAM!

TEAM = Totally fun, Easy to teach, Awesome lessons, More affordable

Totally fun for kids
All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs are filled with exciting, interactive Bible learning activities, crafts, and games—all in a fun-filled club atmosphere. Kids are eager to come to All-Stars for Jesus—and they'll want to invite their non-churched friends!

Easy to teach
Each weekly Bible club comes with complete step-by-step instructions for quick, simple preparation. Our Easy-Trac meeting plans let you see at a glance which activities and materials to use. Plus, the Flex-Lessons give you maximum flexibility to accommodate the changing needs of your kids and your program.

Awesome Bible lessons
All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs is the only curriculum-based midweek Bible club program, so you reinforce what your kids learn in Sunday school. Plus, every activity helps the kids focus back on the Bible lesson or meeting theme.

More affordable
We offer an Explorers Bible Club for combined age levels in one Bible club: an All-Stars for Jesus program for grades 1-6 in one complete affordable kit. Plus, we have All-in-One Kits for a variety of age levels: Preschool (ages 2-5), Primaries (grades 1-3), and Explorers (grades 1-6) with reproducible student sheets on CD-ROM. No more wasted papers. No more running out of student sheets when visitors come. Also check out our All-Stars Promo Kit for fundraising ideas, promotional posters, clip art, club kickoff ideas, and more!

All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs are the only Bible-based curricula that allows flexibility with your lessons for all age levels. There are no membership fees, registration forms, or doctrinal requirements—just fun, Bible-based, solid Christian learning. We are so confident that you will love our Bible clubs that we guarantee results—or your money back!

Like Other Bible Clubs, such as Awana^®, All-Stars for Jesus includes Bible memory as a key element in each lesson. And while Pioneer Clubs^® offer Bible exploration and memory work, All-Stars for Jesus offers that, plus incorporates the Bible point from each lesson's Bible story into every game, activity, craft, snack, song, and memory verse! Your kids are learning God's Word through everything they do!

Customer testimony: "We've been using the All-Stars for Jesus program for a couple of years now. We used to use Awana^® but found that the children lost interest in their student books. The kids love the All-Stars for Jesus program, and especially love the award books! Not only are they attractive and fun, but they have a lot of solid life-application activities which vary from week to week. We've kept the same AWANA format and adapted the All-Stars curriculum to fit perfectly for us."


— Marnie Clawson, Chesterfield, MO

All children are stars in Jesus' eyes. They don't have to excel at music, academics, sports, or anything else—Jesus loves them just the way they are. All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs help every child feel loved and accepted. Order your Starter Kits and take 60 days to review the materials—no risk! You can return any or all of the materials, no questions asked! Just quality Bible teaching to get your students into God's Word.

Stay in Touch

As a Bible Club leader or helper, you spend just as much (or more) time relating to your students as you do teaching them Bible facts and concepts. When a child is absent, let him know you are concerned. Here are a few ideas:

1. On the first absence, send a postcard or make a phone call letting the child know that he or she was missed.
2. If the absences continue, you may want to send a letter along with any missed Classroom Activity Sheets or Take-Home Papers.
3. Next, try another phone call and/or a personal visit, inviting the child to a specific event (such as a party). Keep your attitude cheerful and upbeat during the call or visit, letting the child know you care about him or her.
4. Finally, have a card-writing session, where the other students send notes to the absent child, letting him know he is missed. 

Download FREE "We missed you" postcards at ChristianEdWarehouse.com. Print them onto card stock in color, or print them in black and white and let your students color them before sending them to the absent children.

Throughout the process, keep the child and his or her family in prayer. Ask God to give you His wisdom in determining the best approach to use in each situation.

Bible Club Registration Cards & Certificates

At the beginning of the summer, hold a Bible Clubs registration night to get children pre-registered for fall. Serve refreshments, introduce the leaders, and have parents fill out a registration card for each of their children. Here is a registration card for each age level of All-Stars for Jesus Bible Clubs that you can download and print out or photocopy. You can print the registration cards in color, or select grayscale on your printer settings to print the cards in black and white. Cut them apart and give some to each Bible Club leader. When a new child joins your Bible Club program, have the parent fill out a card so your teachers are aware of any allergies or special needs the child has. This is also the place to record the child’s birthday and emergency contact information, too. Have the child’s teacher send him a birthday card a few days before his birthday. Children love to get mail!

You can print free postcards by visiting ChristianEdWarehouse.com. Postcards for each Bible club age level are available for downloading and printing in color or in black and white. If you prefer to purchase the postcards rather than printing them yourself, you can order them online or print out an easy order form and fax it to us at 1-800-891-1795. If you prefer to call, use our toll-free number: 1-800-854-1531.

When children learn memory verses, have their Bible Club leader recognize their accomplishments at the end of the year with a special certificate. Hold an awards ceremony and invite parents to attend. Each child who learned at least one verse during the year should receive a certificate. Begin the awards presentation with those children, and end with the ones who have learned the most verses.

You may want to give a special award to the child from each Bible club or age group who has learned the most verses. (All-Stars for Jesus wristbands, pencils, gift Bibles, All-Stars for Jesus pins, All-Stars for Jesus witness bracelet craft kits, bookmarks, and other awards make great incentive gifts.) Let parents applaud after each child is recognized. Have the children stand in the front of the room and hold up their certificates while parents take photos. Close with a prayer thanking God for the Bible and for helping the children hide His Word in their hearts.

What Kind of Bible Club Leader Are You? (Part 2)

As a Bible Club leader or teacher,  it is important to nurture and develop in yourself the qualities and skills you need to relate to children in a helpful way. The first part of this article was posted on April 5. Here are six additional questions to ask yourself:

5. Am I innovative and creative?

Creative ideas are valuable only when they are actually implemented. A creative Bible Club leader must be able to dream up ideas as well as make those ideas happen. In addition, creative leaders must be able to take someone else’s idea and make it a reality in their own group.

There are many ways to get good ideas. Obviously the entire All-Stars for Jesus Bible Club program is designed to provide you with simple, easy-to-use ideas. Many Sunday school curricula contain helpful teaching suggestions. In addition, it is very important to listen. Listen to the students. Listen to the parents. Listen to other children’s ministry workers. And from what you hear, you should be able to adapt your teaching materials to work with your group.

Always be open to new ideas or new ways of doing things. Just because you haven’t seen something work, don’t assume it won’t work. Even if you tried something before and it didn’t work, be willing to give it a second chance.

6. Am I happy with myself?

Teachers and leaders who have committed their lives to Christ and are reasonably happy with themselves won’t be devastated when the first student acts up. And they won’t give up the first time something doesn’t go as planned. Furthermore, happy leaders and teachers won’t manipulate students to achieve “manufactured” results; they will minister to the students for Jesus’ sake.

Have fun with the students you’re trying to reach. Go to their homes. Go to their ball games and school plays. Play video and computer games with them. Be their friend.

7. Am I hungry for spiritual results?

The effective Bible Club leader or Sunday school teacher has a drive to accomplish and an urge to compete against the world for the attention of young students. You should have an insatiable hunger to see young people brought to a place of personal commitment to Jesus Christ. Develop a hunger for more spiritual growth in your own life as well as in the lives of those to whom you minister.

8. Do I use common sense?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.” Anyone who works with other people must realize that the key to success is not intelligence; the key to successful relationships is awareness of others, a willingness to learn, the ability to cope with the unexpected and genuine interest and caring for others.

These attributes are vital to successful leadership of students. Use common sense. Be flexible. Learn to respond to the needs and moods of your students, as well as to the situations they face and the environments in which they live. Help them cope with the situations in their homes and show them how to deal with the mistakes they make. One of your most important responsibilities as a teacher and leader is to minister to the everyday needs of your young students.

9. Am I tactful?

Effective Christian leadership calls for tact, persuasiveness and humor. You’ll need these attributes to overcome resistance to change and because you’ll work with many different people. Some teachers and leaders become so wrapped up in their “mission” that they become tactless, abrasive and disruptive, to the point they simply run over people in a rough-shod, uncaring manner. Your true goal and mission must be to respond to the needs of each individual student in kind, loving, tactful ways.

When you take the time to tactfully sell your ideas, to laugh a little (even at yourself, when necessary) and show you care, you will be more fun to be around, your students will notice and you will be able to accomplish a great deal for the kingdom of God.

10. Do I have courage?

Any role of leadership demands courage. To succeed as a leader or teacher, you have to take risks. Probably some of your meetings and lessons won’t be great successes. Some of your parties might flop. You might face some touchy situations you’ll wish you hadn’t gotten into.

It will take courage to go to a parent regarding his or her child. It will take courage to help your students deal with issues they might face: bullies, parent divorces, depression, cliques, broken relationships and more.

 Molding a child’s life is truly an awesome responsibility, but Jesus provided powerful encouragement when He said, “It is not the will of your Father…that one of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:14) Although some of your students may not be so little anymore, this promise proves that the person who is committed to nurturing the spiritual life of a child or teenager is working in cooperation with the will of God! You can be assured then, that the Lord will direct you and guide you as you seek to guide children to love and serve Him.