125 Collins Avenue, Mount Sterling, KY 40353

A non-profit ministry. Phone (859)497-0819

The Garrett House

Bible Learning Centers

PERMIT LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME

    How could anyone professing to be a Christian possibly FORBID little children to come near unto Christ? No Christian would tell a child "You can not go to Bible School and church." We would shudder to think of such a thing being said to a child or to an adult. No, we would never forbid a child to come near unto Christ........or would we?

    Consider these more subtle forms of forbidding children to come to Him. Far too many Bible school teachers are uninterested in the child as an individual. Through their indifference they are driving children away from the Bible class. The Bible school teacher is probably the most influential contact these children will have in the church (other than their parents). The teacher who is indifferent, cold and unhappy will greatly influence the children in her class; they will be influenced to stay away. The world is too full of cold, indifferent people; the child coming to Bible class will not see Christ living in the indifferent teacher and will soon stop attending class (if the parents will permit). If forced to attend class the child will "tune out" and not hear anything said in class. The indifferent teacher would never say to the child "You can not come to Bible school." but through her attitude she is shouting it!

    A warm, loving, happy teacher who greets each child in a special way will gain the love of the children and be able to greatly influence them to live their lives for Christ. This teacher makes each child know he is special, important and loved. The loving teacher is rewarded each time she sees one of her students. She sees joy and feels his love for her. She gets a new zeal every time she hears "Hey, that's my teacher!"

    Many teachers go to class without proper preparation. They spend very little time in study: just by reading the purchased lesson material they consider themselves ready to teach. The purchased lesson material can be a wonderful aid for the Bible teacher but all too often it is misused. Some teachers never even look at the Bible while preparing the lesson: they depend totally on the “textbook”. They then READ the lesson to the class (in a monotone) and they rarely use any variety in teaching methods. This teacher is FORBIDDING the children to come unto Christ.

    There are many aids for the teacher to use in teaching the Bible. Visual aids can be purchased for almost every lesson from the Bible. The attention and interest of the student is greatly increased when a large variety of visual aids are used. Making your own visuals can be fun and the children really don't mind if you are not an artist!

    Learn to be a "storyteller". The King James version of the Bible is very difficult to understand .......especially to a child! The teacher should use modern language in her storytelling. TELL IT AS IF IT HAPPENED YESTERDAY AND YOU WERE AN EYE-WITNESS. Get excited about it!!! Be dramatic!! Be careful that the children know you are telling a lesson from the Bible but speak in terms they understand. REMEMBER.....Jesus, the Master Teacher, taught His disciples in terms that were familiar to them.

    When making lesson applications, don't speak in general terms. Instead of saying "Today we learned from Joseph that all things work together for the good of them who God.” Why not tell a story from your own life which illustrates this application or make up a modern day story to illustrate. Use visuals when possible.

    The teacher is not totally to blame for her poor teaching ability. The leadership (elders, deacons, education directors, etc.) often neglect to TEACH THE TEACHER. Many teachers are crying out for better training but the church leadership often ignores this cry.

    With little or no training the teacher is put into a classroom with no idea of HOW to teach a class. Some of these teachers have enough drive and enough love for the Lord and lost souls to train themselves. They attend workshops and read books to gain knowledge. But what about the teacher who needs a little "push".....some encouragement from the leadership. She will go on in her ineffective manner for years. She may WANT to be a good teacher (and many times she THINKS she is a good teacher) but she doesn't know how to become one.

    The elders, deacons and educational directors who fail to lead by failing to teach the teacher are in effect telling the little child "Go away, we do not have time to spend on YOU!"

Elders, deacons, educational directors........PLEASE TEACH TEACHERS.

Lead them, encourage them, support them and honor them.

    Teachers, please learn how to teach. Read books on teaching, study old and new methods, attend every workshop/training session and class made available to you. We never reach the point of perfection but we must never stop trying ... never stop studying. Do all you can to become a better teacher.

NEVER LET IT BE SAID THAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FORBIDDING THE LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO CHRIST.

written by Bettye Garrett (published in the Christian Bible Teacher Magazine)