Well-Equipped Volunteer: Train & Grow Your Children's Ministry Volunteers

#2 – Make Prayer a Significant Part of Application Time

My second tip in this series on leading application time is this – make prayer a significant part of application time.

During application, time should be spent asking good questions and encouraging your students to think carefully about how they can apply the Biblical truth taught during the lesson to their lives. A good portion of your application time should also be spent praying about the truth taught and asking God to transform us and give us opportunity to live His truth in our daily lives.

In order to make prayer a significant part of application time, you as a teacher/small group leader need to be praying out loud for your students and your students need to be praying for themselves and each other.

Leaders should be praying out loud for their students.

As you pray for your students you will be teaching them they we depend on God for everything – for the grace to live our lives His way, for the strength to make the right choices.

Pray for your students that God would provide opportunities that week where the truth they have learned will be applied.

Pray specifically and praise God when you see answers to prayer.

Leaders should be teaching their students to pray for each other and themselves.

Give your students the opportunity to pray (out loud or privately) for each other and for themselves. Remember, kids need to be taught how to pray. Show them through specific teaching, praying out loud yourself, and keeping a prayer journal how to talk with God through prayer.

Encourage the kids to pray about specific, appropriate responses to the Biblical truth that was taught that morning. Also, encourage them to pray that God would give them ideas of how to put into practice in the upcoming week what they learned. And encourage them to pray that God would give them strength and tools to remember the truth and obey it.

Finally, give the kids the opportunity to share about how God has helped them apply truth and then thank God for it. Start your prayer time with the chance to share about how God has worked in their lives during the previous week.

Keep a prayer journal and let the kids see that God hears and answers prayer. Then take the time to praise God for listening and answering their prayers.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7