Teacher, I will help you!
Creating a Happy Church School Where Children Come

There is a place that is more stagnant than the Korean church.
It's a church school.
While they say things like, “Let’s save the next generation!” and “Let’s revive Sunday schools!”, they often drastically reduce the Ministry of Education’s budget or show no interest in its ministries, citing church finances as a reason.
Because the overall atmosphere of the church is like this, the morale of teachers who directly care for the children is even lower.
The church seems to want visible results, but the children don't seem to follow me in a way that suits my heart, and more than anything, I often feel like I'm the only one working among the same teachers.
With the doors of churches closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's even harder to see the children's faces. I became a teacher by chance, but I'm getting more and more tired.

It's certainly important to have expertise in online ministry to keep pace with the times and the needs of children.
However, I am concerned that without recognizing the essence of being a teacher and without having mastered the fundamentals of being a teacher, one could easily become a "teacher technician" rather than a true teacher who loves souls.
This could be like steamed buns without red bean paste, or bungeoppang without red bean paste.

We need to remember that the church is not an IT company.
This is an era in which technology is developing and a culture is being formed based on that technology.
That is why today's church cannot lead online culture in the online world.
However, the level of realistic online adaptation for the church will be the extent to which it follows the flow of online culture in the world and utilizes it within the church.

Online ministry can only be meaningful if it is conducted while maintaining the essence of a teacher and maintaining one's identity as a Sunday school teacher.
Even if you work hard and fail to reach their level or are not as sophisticated as the world, children can still be touched by their teacher's sincerity and be influenced by their faith.
--- p.20-22

Teachers have a tremendous influence on children, more than just friends.
A teacher's every word and every habit can influence the formation of children's values ​​and their way of life.
Therefore, a teacher must be a passionate person.
Children who learn from passionate teachers become passionate people.
Passionate teachers unconsciously and consciously influence children to live with passion for life, passion for their future, passion for their present life, and passion for God.


It is said that the church resembles the style of its pastor.
To be more precise, the congregation will come to resemble the style of their pastor.
Likewise, children in Sunday school classes inevitably end up imitating their teacher's style.
Think of yourself as a parent.
Do you want to send your child to a passionate teacher, or do you want to send your child to a teacher who says to your face, 'I don't want to serve as a Sunday school teacher.
Would you like to send a message to a teacher saying, "I'm doing this because I have to do church service?" The answer is obvious.
--- p.40-42

What makes a good teacher? A good teacher is one with a solid spiritual foundation.
The core of spiritual fundamentals is prayer.
Now, when Sunday schools are facing a crisis due to COVID-19, teachers must turn even more to prayer.
For teachers, prayer cannot be emphasized enough.
Because praying means entrusting my entire educational process to God.
To pray is to decide to trust in God's power, not my own, and in God's wisdom, not my own.

When does God work? He works only when we rely on and trust in Him.
The first of the eight beatitudes we are all familiar with is “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3).
The 'poor' mentioned here refers to extremely poor people who cannot survive on their own and can only survive with the help of others.
In other words, he is a person who will die if no one helps him.
Therefore, the person God is looking for is someone who cannot live a single day without God's help, someone who has the kind of heart and faith that can only live with God's help.
It means a state of relying entirely on God.
--- p.88-89

Teachers, as models for children, must abandon false thoughts, false words, and false actions.
Kids these days are really good at lying.
Only when teachers set an example and are truthful can children learn the truth.
Your appearance in church and your appearance in life must be consistent.
That is true life.
Exaggeration and false information must be completely eliminated from teachings.
If you ever say something wrong to your children, don't make excuses or blame them; ask for forgiveness.
Teachers can make mistakes too.
Therefore, if a teacher has done something wrong, he or she must repent to God and ask forgiveness from the children.

Teachers must live with the concept of 'before God' in every moment of life.
In Latin it is 'Coram Deo'.
When I am alone, the child I am teaching cannot see me, but I must look with eyes of faith and see that God is watching.
And as the title of a once-popular Christian bestseller once said, we must always live with the thought, "What would Jesus do?"

I hope that we will become teachers who listen to the words of Jesus, who is the truth, and live a life that holds on to the truth, discarding lies and living a life of truth.
Let us help our children in this age to become truly authentic disciples of Jesus.
--- p.124-126

In order for teachers to understand children, they must know their culture.
It requires the ability to interpret children's culture.
By God's grace, I have been in charge of teaching in various places and to various age groups.
What I felt was that culture is completely different depending on time, space, and age.

You can only become close to children if you know their culture.
Teaching the Word after a relationship has been established is more effective.
Children like teachers who cater to them.
Therefore, for effective education, teachers must make an effort to adapt to the children's culture.

If we compare culture to a vessel, the contents of the vessel are the gospel.
The content, the gospel, cannot change, but the vessel that holds the content can change.
The role of a vessel is to preserve its contents.
The reason teachers must adapt to the children's culture is to preserve the gospel intact and effectively convey it to the children.

--- p.177-179