One of the most valuable things we can teach kids to help them grow as healthy disciples is that outreach and missions are more than short-term projects or one-time events. Throughout the week, you’ve heard some incredible ideas of how to incorporate missions into your kids’ ministry.

How do you create a culture of outreach and missions in your kids’ ministry? Today, I wanted to share three simple ways you can incorporate missions throughout your kids’ ministry.

Three Simple Ideas to Incorporate Missions Throughout Your KidMin

As you plan for the upcoming school year, here are three easy ways you can create missions-related activities to create a culture of outreach in your kids’ ministry:

• Develop partnerships with various ministries in your community. While some children may be able to find a niche in serving fairly easily, you will need to creatively design ways for all kids to be involved in missions. For example, some kids might learn they enjoy serving food at a local food bank. Other kids might learn they like to help with sports-related outreach events. Providing a variety of missions-related opportunities for kids to participate in throughout the year helps them find the outreach areas in which they most enjoy using their gifts.
• Find a long-term overseas missions project to support. Providing kids with the opportunity to raise money or send resources to a missions project is one of the most valuable ways to teach them about the impact they can make for the Kingdom. While one-time projects are also valuable, think about ways you can partner with a missions organization to help kids develop a long-term mindset for using their resources to help others. For example, developing a long-term partnership with an organization that provides food, water, and education to kids in need provides the opportunity to show kids the tangible difference they can make on a long-term basis.
• Adopt a church planting or international missionary family. A great way to instill the value of missions in the kids you minister to is by finding a family that has moved to a new city or country for the purpose of reaching people for Christ. If possible, find a family to focus on. Then have kids regularly write encouraging notes and letters. Building a relationship with church planters and missionaries is a great way to teach kids how they can play a role in the larger Kingdom work around the world.

What are some creative ways you’ve created a culture of missions and outreach in your kids’ ministry?