I had the chance to attend a National VBSI training conference this past week. It was great, and I can't wait to take back some ideas to my church and state. But there is one breakout session that stuck out to me. It was titled Kids and Conversion and done by Jerry Vogel of Lifeway. This is such an important topic. A kids salvation is nothing to take lightly. So here are some things Jerry reminded me of this past week.
1. Stay away from "churchy" words.
Now of course those of us, who go to church regularly and have been a Christian for a while, understand what words such as repentance, salvation, and being washed in Jesus' blood mean. But a kid often does not. So be ready to explain these "churchy" words that we have become so accustomed to.
2. Always counsel kids 1 on 1.
This allows the child to speak for themselves. If you get a bunch together there will always be a few that speak up over the rest. Of course if a kid hears the "right" answer they are going to repeat it, because it is right. The question though still remains if they understand the why?
3. Ask open ended questions.
It is very easy to ask a yes or no question. Do you want to be saved? Do you want to spend eternity in hell? But as we counsel children, try and ask open ended question so you can better see where they stand spiritually. Questions like What is sin? Why do we need Jesus to save us? How did Jesus pay for our sins?
This is one of the highlights of being a kidmin leader, getting to see a child come to know Christ! How exciting! It doesn't get better than that. But let's make sure we counsel them in the right manner and let Jesus do the rest.
