Sunday School Teacher Training

35% of the population of South Africa are under 18 years of age.* That means there are almost 20 million children who need to hear the gospel message and be “trained up in the way they should go.” [Prov. 22:6] Most amaZioni have not had the opportunity to receive either formal or informal training in how to evangelize and train children.

ZEMA places a high value on reaching children for Christ. To this end, ZEMA offers regional children’s ministry trainings called Sunday School Teacher Training (SSTT). In Zulu, all children’s ministry is called Sunday School, so SSTT is an opportunity to train pastors and teachers to creatively reach their children wherever and whenever they can. SSTT attendees might range from a 30-year veteran of teaching children to a pastor who has never had a Sunday School in his church and has brought a few people with him so they can be equipped to start one.

 

SSTT Class Subjects (can vary from year to year)

• Biblical basis for children’s ministry
• topics relating to the teacher
• topics relating to the child
• how to study and prepare Bible lessons
• issues and strategies for teaching children
• the structure of the class
• the Gospel presentation for children
• preparing visual teaching aids
• practical ideas for teaching verses, Bible lessons, review sessions, crafts, music, and games

SSTT’s range from the theoretical to the practical. They focus on helping the teachers conduct their ministries on ‘a shoestring budget’ or, more realistically, a ‘zero’ budget.
If you were a fly on the wall you might see … 

What you Might See ...

• a deep dive Bible study on Moses in preparation of teaching a curriculum on Exodus
• a craft project on creating puppets from toilet rolls or old socks
• creating 4 different costumes from a single t-shirt for dramatizing the Bible story
• a discussion on childhood intelligences
• a teaching on the Inductive Bible study method
• how to use a pillow to teach about Christmas

Beyond SSTT, ZEMA missionaries help with children’s ministry by: creating culturally appropriate Biblically based curriculum, puppet ministry, teaching the ZEBS module on SS, preparing seminars and researching/connecting with other like-minded ministries to provide more resources for Zion churches, and, finally, prayer for the children of Africa and the frontline workers among this precious population.

“I used a hook for the first time this week and I had them hooked throughout the entire lesson!”

“I am so so excited to prepare a lesson on my own now using physical objects from around the house.”

“I used to be afraid to teach but now I feel like I can teach every day of the week.”