How to help children and teens to serve

Serving alongside people is one of the best ways to connect with others and feel part of a church. So we should be encouraging the kids and teens we know to serve in any way they are capable of and tp connect with people in the church outside of their family.

• Welcoming
  Imagine going to a church for the first time, maybe you’re a student investigating the local churches, maybe you’ve been invited by a friend to a guest service, or perhaps you’re a mum whose young child has been asking questions about God that you don’t know how to answer. By the open door is a teenager who shyly says ‘Hi’ and hands you a notice sheet, a friend of theirs notices whether you do/don’t have children and appropriately offers them a worksheet or tells you where to find Sunday school (or not), then an older woman near the entrance says ‘Can I help you find somewhere to sit?’ and leads you into the church, ‘My names Beth, I don’t think I recognise you, what brings you to [name of church] today?’ You’re seated near someone in a similar situation and introduced. A group of small children with a stack of Bibles open to today’s passage, are going round offering them to everyone in case someone needs them. The service hasn’t even started yet and already you’ve met a diverse range of people, some who are similar to you, some who are different; people are helpful, polite, friendly but not pushy, you know some names and they know yours and what you see around you resembles a large loving family. What can you do to make everyone feel welcome? What tasks can be given to children or young people which don’t ask too much of them but make them a vital part of the process?

• The Notices
  Reading the notices should be memorable and getting teens and children involved goes a long way towards making that happen. The best I’ve ever seen is when two of the congregation were asked to come up and create an action to represent each of the notices as they were read out.
  Display relevant powerpoint slides as the notices are being read to catch the attention of the younger people around.
  Get someone different up to read a specific; this is particularly useful if advertising a holiday club, missionary visit, church working party or some other special event.
  Tell the children you’re going to see if they’re listening properly and then make some obvious mistakes they can correct: “This Wednesday at 7:30 will be our regular monthly yarp meeting.” “Finally after the service we will be serving boiled eggs and cheese from the kitchen, please do hang around especially if you’re a visitor as we’d love to get to know you.”

• Practical help
  Serving Teas and Coffees: Not a child friendly activity, although there are probably some who can be trusted with handing round a plate of biscuits without eating them all. Encourage teens to help out and organise this alongside the adults on the rota.
  Chair moving: If the church hall needs to be emptied after the Sunday service then everybody except the very elderly, infirm and very tiny can help out with this. If it needs doing call for all hands on deck, but be sure to put an adult in charge of directing the kids.
  Sound desk and projection: You don’t need to be highly tech savvy to be trained to do these, although teens have an advantage over a lot of adults having grown up in a more technological world. Do make sure that anyone responsible for these will pay attention – I knew a teenager who regularly fell asleep at the sound desk!
  Handing out worksheets/pens/clipboards/notice sheets/hymn books/Bibles: Pretty much anyone can do this!
  Snuffing out candles: My favourite job as a child, I used to fight my big sister for the chance. The churches I’ve been to since then haven’t had candles so this may not be applicable for every congregation.
  Decorating the church: Either on a weekly flower rota or for special occasions. Have someone patient and artistic (if you can find such a person) directing the overall effect.