An intrinsic interest in God
I was recently turned on to What the Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain. It is not necessarily a book about teaching college courses; it is more a book about general teaching and the concepts can be applied to any age group.
I like the section in the book on pages 46-47. People have an intrinsic interest guiding their quest for knowledge. I began to think specifically as a children’s minister and how to apply that to a child’s intrinsic interest in understanding God and faith. In my years of ministry and teaching children at church, I have never really been one to come right out and ask children the “salvation question.” I feel like that is probing them to make a faith decision before they truly understand what salvation is all about. Rather, I strive to create learning environments of various forms by giving all the information children need to peak their intrinsic interests and make the important faith decision on their own. Then I keep my eyes and ears open for those moments when they ask questions, or more importantly, when they begin to tell me about salvation. If they can solve the problem on their own then they’ve mastered their quest. It is even more exciting when parents say their children are talking about salvation at home. That way I know the children are thinking about it during personal times and not only in Bible study.