FAM 423 Final Exam

Name: Andi Lynch

Practical Skills in Childrens Ministry
1. CFW Walther said, Properly distinguishing the Law and the Gospel is the highest
and most difficult art of Christians in general and of theologians in particular. It is
taught only by the Holy Spirit in the school of experience. Why is this so
challenging?
Distinguishing between the law and gospel is very hard because to us humans we love to
focus on the law. Everything else in our lives is going through a give and take system (you
give something and you get something out of it). We are use to having to do things in order
to receive anything. It is very hard for us humans to understand that God gives us
forgiveness as a gift and there is nothing that we can do to earn that gift. We constantly
want to think that we have to do things so that we can earn Gods love, but that is not what
God is about. God loves us because we are His and He chooses us, not because we
earned His love but because He loved us first.
2. What does it mean to teach for in/trans/formation?
Information:To teach so there is a change
Formation: implies more than head knowledge giving form or shape to something
Transformation: quickly or slowly changes that occur as we are conformed in the image of
Christ.
The process of being shaped from the Holy Spirit into the likeness of Christ.

3. How could you use the Biblical event of the flood to teach
a. Law?-God can not stand sin and the people that lived before the flood were
consumed by sin. The Lord saw how great mans wickedness on the earth
had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that He had made man on the earth,
and His heart was filled with pain Genesis 6:5-6. God is a just judge and no
matter what even though He loves the people that He created He is a Holy
God and cannot accept sin. God had seen that the people were sinning and
that they were not repenting (being sorry) for their sin and asking God to
forgive them.
b. Gospel?-God saw that there was a man named Noah that sinned and yet was
sorry for his sin and was asking God to forgive him. God saw that Noah did
not have evil all the time in his heart, Noah also had God. God loved Noah so
much that He told Noah that He was going to drown the whole world because
they have sinned and that Noah needed to build an ark. God in His mercy
decided to spare Noah and his family, and after the flood God stayed and
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blessed Noah because He loves His creation. God loved Noah and us so
much that in the future God sent His only son Jesus to be a perfect and Holy
sacrifice so that when God looked at us instead of seeing evil sin, God will see
Jesus holiness and are sins will be forgiven.
c. Moralism?-The people who lived before the flood were doing evil and doing
bad things without being sorry about it. They liked doing the bad things and
kept on doing them. Noah and his family did sin but they were sorry and
asked God for forgiveness for doing bad things, and then they tried not to do
bad things in the future. Like the evil people we do bad things, however like
Noah we need to say we are sorry for doing those bad things and ask God for
forgivness.
4. Identify 4 of the people groups we discussed with whom one must intentionally foster
relationships, and give one example of how you could build a relationship with this
group or individual.
a. Parents- have a parent fun day, or teaching seminar
b. Children- Sunday school, ask about their favorite things
c. volunteers- take them out to eat and talk about goals that they have for the
ministry
d. Pastor- have monthly meetings where you show what you would like to do with
the program and what your goals are
5. Give 4 Biblical examples of children being present with their parents in worship.
a. Parents were specifically commanded to include their children as participants
in the Passover celebration. (Exodus 12:21-27)
b. Gods people were instructed to include their children in the Feast of Weeks.
(Deuteronomy 16:9-11)
c. Gods people were instructed to include their children in the Feast of
Tabernacles. (Deuteronomy 16:13-14)
d. Family integrated worship continued to be practiced during the time of Joshua.
Despite what appears to be a very long worship event, children were present
for the entire reading of the Torah. (Joshua 8:34)
6. When confronted with a child with special needs, why is it important to consider
strengths, struggles, signs and strategies?
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a. Strengths- These children are creative, energetic, have the ability to think
outside the box, average or above average intelligence many times, and are
friendly. They are very capable of learning they just need the right tool.
Figuring out their strengths will help you find the right tool to teach with.
b. Struggles- It is important to figure out the struggles so you can keep the childs
struggling to a minimum. The child is probably already frustrated with different
things going on in his or her life and expecting them to magically overcome
their struggles will only frustrate them more.
c. Signs-Know the signs of special needs so that you may help the parents come
up with a diagnosis early so that the child does not have to struggle and not
receive the care that they need. The more you know the signs the easier and
faster it is for the child to receive additional help.
d. Strategies-Know effective strategies to help overcome the special need, so
that the child can focus on what is important God and not be distracted and
frustrated with what they can or cannot do.
7. Name and define the 4 Ps of lesson preparation.
a. Pray-Pray that God will give you a deep understanding of the lesson and the
verses in the Bible. Pray that the lesson takes root in the teachers heart.
b. Prepare- Get to know the lesson as soon as possible, meditate on the lesson
is their law and gospel, is there anyway for parents to follow up, also how will
things need to be set up.
c. Practice- Get familiar with the lesson so that you do not just read off of a script
but so that you know the lesson by heart.
d. Present it- You have practiced this lesson for so long now go share the good
news of God!
8. Identify 4 specific ways you could help children worship other than through the use of
music.
a. Reading the Bible and discussing what we have read. This will help word
centered children who learn through the use of words.
b. Give the story through a puppet or have the children act it out themselves.
This will help emotion-centered children because they can form a deep
relationship with the story or the puppet and take what is being said to heart.

c. Have a set prayer time or prayer corner that children can go to. This will help
the symbol centered children because they will have a special time and place
to connect to God.
d. Provide opportunities for them to help out with different community projects
with the church. Let them have a chance to live out their faith and be able to
provides services, so that they can live out their faith.
9. Think about the church you most often attend. Which 2 of Mark Holmans 6 keys in
family ministry are most embraced by your church? Explain how they are lived out in
the congregation. (If your church does not currently understand the importance of
family ministry, which 2 would be the most critical place to start the journey and
why?)
a. The Critical ole of the Senior Pastor- Our senior pastor with the other
leadership realize the need for a faith at home driven church. We have
different steps that we do at different ages for example we give bibles to
children who are entering 3rd grade. The senior pastor helps us with these
stepping stones.
b. Faith at home must be a part of the mission of the church. The entire church
is working to teach the children about God.

10. Check out my home church (faithtroy.org) and give evidence of why you think Faith is
either an Add-a-Silo church or a Church of Family Ministry.
Add-a-Silo the website has a lot of division between the different age groups. There are
events specifically for children, teens, and parents and they are separate of each other.

11. If your future church asked you to initiate providing family devotional resources for
parents, which internet resource would you recommend? Why?
I like JC playzone because they give you a lot of different options for different activities,
there are devos, prayers, coloring pages and lots of more.

12. If your future church was contemplating creating stepping stone events for families,
name 2 pros and 2 cons that would need to be considered.
a. Pro- You can help and monitor how families are doing on thief faith lives by
giving them a stage and a goal for each stepping stone.

b. Pro-The family is teaching these stepping stones and will get help if they need
it.
c. Con-The family is getting these resources but there is no guarantee that it is
being done in the home.
d. Con-You need to have everything ready and have looked over the doctrine to
make sure that everything is doctrinally sound.
13. Describe how a classroom space can speak of safety, inclusivity, hospitality and the
supernatural.
a. Safety- The room has to be safe so that the parents and children feel
comfortable being in the room. Have the room baby safe so that children are
not hurt. EX. Cover all outlets and do not have sharp corners on tables.
b. Inclusity- Make the classroom for the children, have toys that the children like,
put their pictures on the wall make it their space.
c. Hospitality- make the children feel at home, do not have scary pictures.
d. Supernatural- provide a prayer place where the children are able to
experience prayer time with God.
14. You are trying to spend a few minutes talking with a child. Another child keeps
interrupting the conversation. Remembering Love and Logic, how might you
respond using an enforceable statement?
Feel free to say what you need to say after I talk with this child. I want to show this child
respect just as I will you.
a. How might you respond using the broken record technique?
Continue to say I am talking to this person I cannot talk to you right now.
15. A child continues running in the room after being asked to walk. Remembering Love
and Logic, how might you respond using choices?
You can walk with the rest of the group or you can hold my hand.
a. How might you respond using empathy with consequences?
Uhh Ohh looks like you are having a hard time walking, why dont you go and hold the door
for everyone as we walk out and then walk back with the group.

16. What Scriptural truth could be a transforming agent in the lives of helicopter parents?

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an
example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in
purity. 1 Timmothy 4:12
a. Drill sergeant parents?
Children are open to following God they have to learn and be able to fall and have God pick
them up.

Statements taken from the books weve read. T or F

17. It is important to provide an environment in which children are extrinsically motivated
to learn. F
18. Games and crafts can be a waste of time. F
19. Drawing attention to reluctant kids will encourage participation. F
20. Every congregational member has the potential to be involved in CM in some way. T
21. Children can guide adults as we seek to grow in our relationship with God. T
22. The best news is Gods Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and
Forever Love. T (A freebee!)

Choose a Sunday School curriculum from each publishing company listed below. Use the
given form to evaluate each for potential use in your home church. Support your yes, no
or neutral response with evidence. (PS Its fine if we disagree I simply ask you to
support your responses.)

Sunday School Curriculum Review & Selection

Publishing Company

CPH

Group

David C Cook

Curriculum Name you

Chose to Review

Cross Explorations

Hands On Bible
Cirriculum Set

Bible in Life

Doctrinally sound?

Yes

Dont know

Uses NIV but cant tell for

sure

Affordable?

Price for everything is hard

to figure out or even find

$570.00

Had to add up on your own

Compatible with your

calendar and clock time
frames?
In harmony with the
program format that works
for your church?
Creative?

Yes 3 year program 60 min

total per class

6 lessons

60 min, from 2 to 8 years

yes

Cant find out

yes

yes

Yes has a focus object for

each lesson

Cant tell

Age & developmentally

appropriate?

Yes has many ages

Very specific for ages

Yes have supplies for many

different ages

Able to be easily edited?

Cant see an example not

sure if you can edit it

Not likely very detailed and

everything goes together

Yes goes through all ages

and is able to be edited

Easily used by volunteers

and
director/superintendent?
Filled with supplemental
activities like music,
games and crafts?
Visually appealing?

Yes has many different

things to do

It says that it is one of the

easiest curriculums to teach

Says easy to teach

Cant see the activities but it

says there is a take home
activities
Website is nice

Yes lots of things to do

Can not tell

yes

yes

Additional Comments:

I wish I could see an

example of the lesson

Uses NIV may be

doctrinally sound but cant
tell for sure

My First Choice:

Second

Seems really easy to teach,

and very appealing not can
not see an example without
giving an email
First choice

third