Ready, Set, Train!

I once walked into a teaching situation in the beginning of a new Sunday school year with absolutely no idea of what I was doing. No training or teaching materials had been given ahead of time. I was simply shown where the teaching manual was and given a 5-minute crash course. Needless to say, the Sunday school hour did not go so well, and I was rather frustrated and worn-out by the end of the class time. There is an old saying: “A tired puppy is a happy puppy.” There needs to be a new saying: “A fully prepared, trained teacher is a happy teacher.” At Children Desiring God, we would love to help equip and assist local churches in training children’s and youth ministry workers for the important calling of teaching the next generation the glorious truths of God. Here are a few free video resources we’d like to recommend:
A Vision for God-Centered Children’s and Youth Ministry

If at all possible, every ministry leader, volunteer, and parent should watch the following 3-part series by David and Sally Michael. Many people have commented that this series has literally changed their life and the way they view and do ministry. I have watched these sessions at least 10 times over the years…and I still get inspired!

Part 1—A Vision for God-Centered Worship in the Next Generation
https://vimeo.com/21400553

Part 2—A Vision for Biblical Literacy in the Next Generation
https://vimeo.com/21405271

Part 3—A Vision for Encouraging Faith in the Next Generation
https://vimeo.com/21409866

Implementing the Vision in Your Teaching

These next two videos and their accompanying handouts are a really helpful resource for teachers. Not only do they discuss general teaching principles with various age groups, but they also explain how to actually use the CDG curriculum.

Preschool Lesson Preparation (Handouts available here.)
https://vimeo.com/22245367

Preschool Teaching and Small Group Leading (Handouts available here.)
https://vimeo.com/22242514

Elementary Lesson Preparation and Presentation ((Handouts available here.)
https://vimeo.com/23087391

These are just the “tip of the iceberg” of free training resources available from CDG. Go here for a topical index of additional training seminars.