5 Biblical Lessons Your Children's Ministry Should Focus On

As children’s ministry leaders, we’re in the unique position to guide kids toward becoming lifelong disciples of Christ. Instilling biblical principles at an early age gives them a head start in understanding God’s Word and the truths that shape our faith. These lessons also serve as the basis for their spiritual compass, which will guide them through life’s challenges for years to come.

By using direct references from Scripture and a biblically-based curriculum, we can lay the foundation for a faith-filled future that reflects Christ’s teachings. Let’s explore five key biblical lessons that every children’s ministry should incorporate, along with Bible references to back them up.

1. God’s Love for Us

Key verse: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16, ESV

God’s love is the foundation of our faith. By helping kids understand God’s love, we encourage them to embrace their faith fully, trust in God completely, and extend love to others through their actions.

There are several unique attributes of God’s love that we must share with our kids:

• It’s unconditional, meaning God loves us freely without conditions
• It’s everlasting and has no end, no matter what happens in life
• It’s sacrificial, symbolized by the ultimate sacrifice: Jesus’s death for our sins

Use memory verses to help kids remember the magnitude of God’s love. This way, they’ll be reminded of their value in God’s eyes no matter the difficulties they face in life. We should also demonstrate Christ-like love to show kids what it looks like in action. After all, love and support from imperfect humans can demonstrate only a sliver of God’s perfect love for us.

2. Obedience to God

Key verse: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” — Ephesians 6:1-3, ESV

Obedience to God is a recurring theme in the Bible, as well as a key lesson to help kids understand respect, healthy discipline, and responsibility. By teaching children the importance of following God’s Word, we’ll not only encourage them to respect trusted authority figures but also turn them into leaders by empowering them.

Here are a few ways we can help children with this lesson:

• Share Bible stories: Scripture provides numerous examples of obedience to God, which our ministries can pull from to demonstrate the value of the lesson. Take Noah, for example. Noah’s obedience to God’s command to build an ark saved his family, future generations, and the earth’s animals. Through Noah’s story, kids can see that God blesses those who obey him. 
• Play games: Make it fun for children to practice listening and following instructions by reinforcing the lesson through a game of Simon Says. This allows kids to practice listening carefully and acting accordingly.
• Initiate service projects: Put this lesson into action by creating opportunities for kids to serve others. Orchestrate a volunteer opportunity through a nonprofit or a program that serves the church. This act of service will show kids the value of obedience to God and the impact of helping others.

If kids demonstrate obedience in a significant way, such as excelling in a volunteer project, show your appreciation to positively reinforce their behavior. Thanking kids encourages continued obedience to God in both big and small ways.

3. Forgiveness

Key verse: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” — Colossians 3:12-13, ESV

As Wonder Ink explains, it’s crucial to teach kids the importance of relationships with other believers. They should be able to connect with their families, peers, and even your ministry’s volunteers. But every relationship can have hiccups, and teaching kids how to navigate that turmoil is key to demonstrating how to show Christ-like love to imperfect humans.

Here are a few ways to practice forgiveness in children’s ministry:

• Role-play: Demonstrate situations where forgiveness is needed and how to practice it. Consider role-playing what not to do, as well, to show the differences between our natural responses to hurt and anger versus reacting in forgiveness.
• Forgiveness journal: Encourage kids to reflect on times when they felt hurt and how they forgave the person who hurt them. By thinking of real-life examples, kids can draw a direct connection between the importance of forgiveness and their own lives, making the lesson more meaningful to them.
• Prayer time: Offer a moment for kids to pray over the situations in which they were hurt. For younger kids, consider guiding them through this prayer to help them practice thinking critically about how to talk to God.

In addition to practicing forgiveness, emphasize God’s forgiveness of our sins. Reminding kids that they need forgiveness, too, can make them more willing to forgive others and help them see that we all need compassion. And encourage them that forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetfulness, you can both forgive and remember. Not every relationship will return to what it was before, but you can still choose to forgive.

4. Trust in God

Key verse: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” — Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV

It’s easy to have spiritual conversations about following God, but as ministry leaders, our goal is to get children to walk the walk. This means fully relying on God in all situations, having confidence in his plans for their lives, and gaining peace knowing that God is in control.

Use the story of David’s encounter with Goliath to show how trusting God leads to victory—even though David was young and inexperienced, he trusted God to help him defeat Goliath, and God followed through! Kids will understand that no matter how unlikely a situation may seem, God is powerful enough to bring victory.

And encourage kids that sometimes victory with God looks upside down to the world. But we can trust and have faith in our good and holy God.

5. Abiding by God’s Word

Key verse: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” — Psalm 119:105, ESV

While children’s ministry is the perfect environment for introducing kids to God’s Word and teaching them to interpret it, biblical teaching is ineffective unless kids actually turn to Scripture on their own each day. After all, the Bible is a guide for life, not just a topic for discussion on Sundays.

Choose a children’s church curriculum that points kids back to Scripture. You can always explore a curriculum’s scope and sequence to see what verses or passages it focuses on and ensure the curriculum is Bible-centric.

Also, use biblical examples to demonstrate the importance of relying on God’s Word. The instance of Jesus using Scripture to resist temptation (Matthew 4:1-11) is a perfect example. By quoting Scripture, Jesus demonstrates:

• The importance of memorizing Scripture so that it comes to mind naturally, no matter where you are or what you’re doing
• The power of biblical wisdom, which can guide us and protect us in real-life situations
• God’s Word as a message to believers rather than a book of outdated stories

Incorporate activities that allow kids to practice using Scripture, such as memory verse challenges or a Bible treasure hunt, where kids have to find relevant verses to respond to a specific situation. This helps children understand how to live by Scripture and apply it to their lives.

Children’s ministry lessons should align with the church’s theology, core values, and (most importantly) biblical truths. Weaving lessons from Scripture into your teaching equips children to pursue a personal relationship with God, laying the foundation for a life centered on Christ.