The more I study about church planting and the evolving church culture that is existing today, the more I see Children Church Conference teachers and presenters always had the answers to effective ministry. Creative leadership is a new concept to many church leaders but those who have done children's ministries already have known this. Another lesson I learned was to make your services the best hour of the week. I also learned how to create lasting, rememorable concepts by using visuals such as props and video because 80% of what is learned visually is retained.
Everything I keep reading has been established years ago when children's ministries became popular in the United States. There is nothing new under the sun. The funny thing is that these ideas worked for children's ministries. Why didn't we think to use them for teaching adults? Now we are and we're seeing great results! Some of our successful churches are using the same principles.
I have been packing up my books. I picked up "What every Sunday School Teacher Should Know" by Elmer L. Towns. Towns is a great teacher and author for the local church. I think this book should be retitled to say "What every Pastor, Church Leader, Staff Member, and Lay Leader Should Know." These are some of the things he says:
1. You Can Make a Difference in a Life
2. Students Learn Differently
3. Effective Teaching Begins on Your Knees
4. Your Actions Speak Louder Than Words
5. You Can't Lead Your Class Until You Know Where You're Going
6. Students Like a Good Story
7. Students Learn by Looking
8. Memorizing is Necessary
9. Application is Everything
10. How to Make Your Class Inviting
11. Growing a Class Through Friendship Evangelism
