You Are Qualified to Teach!

If you had to write a job description for a Sunday school teacher, what qualifications would you include? Maybe your list would look like this:

  • Christian for many years
  • Teaching experience
  • Excellent knowledge of the Bible
  • Skilled in arts and crafts
  • Willing to spend long hours preparing
  • Highly organized

While these are wonderful qualities, believe it or not, none are required for you to be successful as a teacher for children or youth!

The curriculum provides what you need in terms of Bible background information, teaching tips for classroom management, lots of activity options, and guidance for how to structure the time you have. The sessions are intentionally designed so that you will not have to spend long hours preparing.

So what is required for faith formation leaders beyond what the curriculum offers? In short, it can be summed up by the greatest commandments: Love for God. Love for children and youth. And love for self.

  1.  Love for God: You may have become a Christian when you were a teenager, or maybe faith is new to you. Either way, you have something important to offer. When you are with the group, express your love for God in genuine, heartfelt ways. Sing songs you love. Pray in ways that feel comfortable to you. Children and youth will respond to your sincerity and come to understand that faith can be expressed in a multitude of unique ways.
  2. Love for children and youth: Get to know the children and youth through informal conversation. Connect about the things you have in common with them, be it a love for baking, a favorite local sports team, or the pets you have. Ask about their interests and experiences. These interactions help build trust and lay the groundwork for deeper conversations about faith, God, and the joys and challenges of life.
  3. Love for self: You are enough, as you are. Your unique gifts, values, experiences, and interests can play an important role in helping form faith in the children and youth you work with. Trust that God has invited you to this work and will impact their lives because of who you are, not despite you!

So if you have a “Teachers Should Be” list in your head, rip it up! Know that the curriculum provides a map to guide you. When you add in love for God, children, and yourself, the curriculum will spring to life. Who knows what will happen next?!

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