7 Ideas for Teaching Children in Your Church About Missions

It’s never too early to begin teaching children about missions. How can your church prepare children to believe and share the gospel?

By Meredith Cook

When my children were born, my husband and I committed to raising them in a gospel-centered home, discipling them to know and love God. We pray every day for their salvation. Not only that but we are dedicated to teaching them what Jesus has told us to do with His gospel—go and make disciples of all nations. The Great Commission is the believer’s call to action. And we want our kids to know what it means to obey Jesus’s command to go.

This is a weighty responsibility, and I am thankful our church partners with us in it. I recently wrote about how parents can teach their kids about missions. But there are many ways the church can come alongside families to reinforce that teaching. Pastors, you can incorporate a Great Commission focus in your church that reaches even the tiniest of congregants.

Here is a list of ways to get started. I tried to include ideas that would suit churches of all sizes and budgets in hopes that you can utilize some of these to teach the children in your church about Christ’s call to the nations.

1. Books

Books are a great way to introduce kids to missions and missionaries and can spark conversations with kids about how they might tell others about Jesus. 

Here are a few ways you might use books in your children’s ministry. (If you’re not sure where to start, I created a list of good books here).

• Place a bookshelf in every classroom and fill it with books about missions and missionaries. (My church does this. And I frequently find my kids’ teachers reading books to them when I pick them up on Sunday mornings.)
• Purchase books in bulk and sell them to congregants at a discount. Many publishers and booksellers offer bulk or ministry discounts. Make sure to include books for children!
• Many churches give a book, such as a storybook Bible, to families who participate in a baby dedication service. Consider adding a book about missions or missionaries for these families.

“Books are a great way to introduce kids to missions and missionaries and can spark conversations with kids about how they might tell others about Jesus.” — @meredithcook716 Share on X

2. Grab bags

Every quarter, our children’s ministry gives out what they call “Gospel Grab Bags.” These are a plain gift bag filled with activity sheets, crafts, and a list of ideas and activities that help parents and their children live missionally in their communities and share the gospel with those around them.

That last part is key. Your church can create a similar resource that gives parents and kids practical ideas on how to share the gospel and serve their communities together. For example, last Easter’s grab bag came with Easter eggs, gospel tracts, and invite cards. Parents could host an egg hunt at their home for neighborhood families, give them a gospel tract, and invite them to church on Easter Sunday.

3. Prayer resources

If your church has sent out missionaries, prominently display their prayer cards in your church building. Let congregants know the cards are available to take home, and encourage parents to pray with their kids for those missionaries.

If you’re looking for additional resources or if your church hasn’t yet sent missionaries, there are a few ways you can direct prayer for missions in your children’s ministry:

• Check out IMB’s prayer guide, NAMB’s prayer calendar, or B&H’s prayer resources, many of which are geared toward kids. You can pair these with other children’s books about missions to direct prayers for the nations.
• Partner with churches in your town or region to pray for missionaries sent out of those churches.
• Create your own prayer guide for the nations, geared specifically to the kids in your church. Use it in the kids’ classes and send it home with families.

4. Curriculum with a missions focus

Research children’s ministry curriculum that incorporates missions teaching. Or, consider supplementing your current curriculum with a missions focus. You can do this via specific missions curriculum, such as that developed by the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU). Alternatively, you can create your own missions supplement by simply taking time each week to teach kids about a missionary. Prayer cards or books from the lists I linked above can help with this.

5. Missions display

A bright display appeals to kids of all ages and is a simple way of teaching children and adults alike about missions. Include pictures of missionary families from your church and/or missionaries from history. Display a map that corresponds to where these missionaries served and use push pins to show where your church has gone on short-term mission trips. Or, adjust the display to focus on a region or country where your church is working to proclaim Jesus’s name. If you like visual examples, here’s an article with more ideas and pictures of other churches’ missions displays.

“A bright display appeals to kids of all ages and is a simple way of teaching children and adults alike about missions.” — @meredithcook716 Share on X

This can be easily tailored to your space constraints. Some churches may choose to display it on a wall, while others may use a folding table and trifold poster board.

6. Missions offering

Chances are your church collects a special offering for missions at a specific time of year, like the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Growing up, my church used the rice-bowl-shaped banks for Lottie Moon. On the day we brought it back to church, our pastor would tell all the kids to bring their bowl-bank to the front during the offertory.

Your church can do something similar, albeit without the rice bowl bank. Find ways to include your children’s ministry in missions giving. Perhaps combine this idea with the grab bag listed above and give parents ideas to help their kids raise money for missions.

7. Missions events

Consider hosting missions events at your church that involve your children’s ministry. Here are some ideas:

• Invite a missionary speaker to your church. If you don’t know one personally, you can contact the IMB to request a speaker. Let them speak to your kids’ ministry, and allow kids to ask questions about their work, country of service, friends, etc. If appropriate, invite older missionary kids to share their experiences, too.
• Set aside time for a missions emphasis. Invite missionary partners to set up tables with information about their country of service, samples of local food, prayer cards, etc. Encourage them to bring items that may appeal to little ones as well.
• Create opportunities for families to serve on mission together. A service project that seeks to share the gospel with the community is a great way to show even toddlers how to share the good news in their neighborhoods. These experiences might be the gateway for later missionary endeavors. Some examples include volunteering at your church’s food pantry, a school supply drive, or handing out candy at your town’s Halloween festival. Just make sure you’re also showing kids how to share the gospel with those you encounter!
• Livestream an IMB Sending Celebration. A commissioning service is one of the most compelling ways of teaching parents and children alike about what it means to obey Christ’s call to missions. As missionaries are sent out, they testify to all who are present that Christ is worthy of their sacrifice so that all may hear of His name.

“A service project that seeks to share the gospel with the community is a great way to show even toddlers how to share the good news in their neighborhoods.” — @meredithcook716 Share on X

It’s never too early to begin teaching children about missions. Churches are a vital partner with parents seeking to raise their children to believe the gospel and share it with others. May God send many of these children out as missionaries themselves!

For permission to republish this article, contact Marissa Postell Sullivan.