FourFiveSix.org: Great Ideas for your Preteen Ministry

Do you have leaders standing in the back of the room while all of your preteens are sitting up front? Do you want your leaders to sit among your students instead of sitting back?

Today on the podcast, Sean explores several ways to get your leaders to be physically present within the midst of the preteens in your ministry space.

Do you have a great way to get leaders sitting with the students that wasn’t mentioned on today’s podcast? Share it in the comment section below.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to [email protected]. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Today, Sean shares about a series he’s done twice with his preteens called “Pictures of Jesus”. He gives an overview of this series, and explains a really important element of the series that you can use with many lessons…giving the preteens a chance to DRAW what they are learning.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to [email protected]. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Looking to add a little excitement to your preservice time? Today’s podcast introduces a simple idea that you can use from time to time during preservice to add an element of excitement and fun.

Check out all of our podcasts and blogs about preservice; one of the most overlooked opportunities of each preteen ministry service!

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to [email protected]. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Sometimes, an upfront game at the beginning of service can be just the ticket to help preteens transition from the excitement of pre-service to focusing on the teacher.

However, a typical upfront games only involve a few students. If everybody is playing, it typically lacks the same transition power as when you have a few students up front who everybody else is focused on watching.

What to do? How do we take full advantage of the transition power of an upfront game, but at the same time involve everybody? Also, it would be nice to avoid having to pick students?

Today’s podcast presents an idea to resolve all this: it’s “Big to Small” Upfront Games. Listen to the podcast to see how this idea works.

This is an idea that we’ve included in some of the Deeply Rooted curriculum. You can see an example of this when you get your free copy of the Slime Event.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to [email protected]. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Sometimes, an upfront game at the beginning of service can be just the ticket to help preteens transition from the excitement of pre-service to focusing on the teacher.

However, a typical upfront games only involve a few students. If everybody is playing, it typically lacks the same transition power as when you have a few students up front who everybody else is focused on watching.

What to do? How do we take full advantage of the transition power of an upfront game, but at the same time involve everybody? Also, it would be nice to avoid having to pick students?

Today’s podcast presents an idea to resolve all this: it’s “Big to Small” Upfront Games. Listen to the podcast to see how this idea works.

This is an idea that we’ve included in some of the Deeply Rooted curriculum. You can see an example of this when you get your free copy of the Slime Event.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to [email protected]. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

If you like what you’re hearing, subscribe to the FourFiveSix podcast by clicking here and you’ll get great ideas for your preteen ministry four, five, or six times a week.

Here’s a fun game idea, that can be easily adjusted to match your group’s dynamics.

During pre-service, dress up and play the part of an investigative reporter. In Elevate (our preteen ministry), he was named Phillip Horchata.

Philip walks around asking randomly selected leaders and preteens to fill in the blanks on ONE prewritten sentence. These are the WITNESSES.

Here are some example sentences:

When I eat a PB&J sandwich, it makes me ____________.

If Peanut Butter and Jelly got into a fight, it would be ____________.

Every Christmas, I dream of peanut butter and jelly __________.

If peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were a song, it would be ___________.

Peanuts are Brown, Jelly is Red, Sandwiches are _______________.

Phillip records the name of the person filling in the blank for each sentence as well as their answer. He then writes down an alternate answer of his own creation next to the answer being given.

When service starts, and it’s time to play the game, Phillip Horchata comes to the stage and announces that he has been on the case of the missing peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He has narrowed it down to two suspects. He calls the two unsuspecting suspects to the stage, and says he has devised a test to see which of the two is GUILTY of the crime.

Then, Phillip calls forward one witness at a time, reads their sentence and gives both his/her real answer as well as the alternate answer. The suspects have to guess which answer they think was given by the witness, and which answer is the fake. If the suspect is correct, they earn a point.

The first suspect to 3 points has proven their innocence. He or she receives a prize. The guilty suspect is given some kind of consequence. In Elevate, our “guilty” suspect had to wear PB&J bagel handcuffs.

Listen to today’s podcast for more details about playing this fun game!

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to [email protected]. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Today, Makenna and Sean share an idea they picked up from this year’s SuperStart! tour.

Often in ministry, we are telling Biblical stories and looking for creative, fresh ways to tell these stories. This year’s SuperStart! demonstration a new technique for story-telling: Improv Story Telling.

Listen to today’s podcast for an example, which was created (like all true improv) in the moment and unedited.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to [email protected]. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Preteens are at a stage of development where they are moving from concrete, black-and-white thinking; to an age of considering a wide range of possible outcomes and choices.

As highlighted in this research summary, preteens are moving away from a blanket acceptance of morality to a place where they are defining, FOR THEMSELVES, what they believe.

Today on the podcast, Sean discusses this and considers what this means for us, as leaders of preteens. One thing it means is that open-ended and higher level questions is crucial to an effective ministry to preteens.

Mentioned on today’s podcast was this: The Power of Question small and large group training.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to [email protected]. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Preteens are at a stage of development where they are moving from concrete, black-and-white thinking; to an age of considering a wide range of possible outcomes and choices.

As highlighted in this research summary, preteens are moving away from a blanket acceptance of morality to a place where they are defining, FOR THEMSELVES, what they believe.

Today on the podcast, Sean discusses this and considers what this means for us, as leaders of preteens. One thing it means is that open-ended and higher level questions is crucial to an effective ministry to preteens.

Mentioned on today’s podcast was this: The Power of Question small and large group training.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to [email protected]. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.

Today, Makenna and Sean share an idea they picked up from this year’s SuperStart! tour.

Often in ministry, we are telling Biblical stories and looking for creative, fresh ways to tell these stories. This year’s SuperStart! demonstration a new technique for story-telling: Improv Story Telling.

Listen to today’s podcast for an example, which was created (like all true improv) in the moment and unedited.

Have a question about preteen ministry or a unique preteen ministry idea that we can feature on our podcast? Send it to [email protected]. Looking for a great community of preteen leaders that you can plug into? Join us at http://fourfivesix.org/.