Leaders Share Tips to Get Children Involved in Evangelism and Service

Seventh-day Adventist children are a force to be reckoned with and, with the help of their parents and mentors, can become powerful witnesses for Jesus and agents of change in their churches and neighborhoods. This was the gist of several breakout sessions at the 2025 Atlantic Union Conference (AUC) SEEDS Festival of the Laity conference in Stamford, Connecticut, United States, March 28-30.

Children’s ministries leaders met with members serving and coordinating children at the local level, and other people interested in ministering to minors, to share advice, discuss ideas, and find ways of getting more children involved in evangelism and service. During the breakout sessions they discussed how to help children understand the 28 Adventist fundamental beliefs, how to teach children to witness, and how to teach children to show compassion for others.*

The Importance of Games

Games are important for children, and often children can learn while playing games, said Theresa Robidoux, associate Children’s Ministries director at AUC. During the sessions and as part of their training, attendees were able to participate in games and activities that can be adapted under different topics and circumstances.

In one of those games, participants, divided into small groups, rolled a giant foam die on the floor, and followed the prompts according to what they got. A heart shape on the die invited a participant to share what is needed to have a heart for child evangelism or something they have learned. A letter C meant that a child has a challenge. The participant was then invited to share that challenge before moving on the floor grid. Finally, an X equaled false teachings, and the participant was encouraged to mention one of them and return to the start.

“Games like these can help children not only to have fun but to reflect and connect to the message of the gospel,” Robidoux said.

Children in Mission

Another segment called participants to reflect what is mission for them and how to get children involved in activities to benefit others. A question invited attendees to discuss what words best describe how they see mission regarding children’s ministries and why. “Is mission an assignment, a duty, a task, a goal, or a calling?” she asked. “Is it a function, a job, a vocation, or a purpose?”

Minutes later an active discussion ensued, during which attendees compared their ideas about mission and children’s participation in it. “Mission gives children purpose, no doubt about it,” a participant said. “It’s a calling,” said another as she reflected on her experience in active service at her local church even before her baptism years before. A third said that she liked the word “goal,” because you can help the children under your care set goals for themselves regarding mission. “They can choose their own goals, as they accept that in life you always must have a goal,” she said.

Children and Compassion

According to Robidoux, another key question for leaders is how to help children show compassion for others in safe and meaningful ways. She explained that there are several compelling reasons to get children involved in mission, especially toward others. First, they can make a difference when leaders help them identify the needs of others. Then, responding to the needs of this world helps children develop into caring adults. Indeed, Robidoux emphasized, children easily understand the concept of compassion when they are given opportunities to show it. And in doing so, children can spread Jesus’s love in their churches and communities, she said.

The key, Robidoux added, is that children “understand what mission means and [accept] that they too have a mission.” She quoted Adventist Church cofounder Ellen G. White, who wrote, “Whole armies of children may come under Christ’s banner as missionaries, even in their childhood years. Never repulse the desire of children to do something for Jesus” (That I Know Him, p. 42).

As part of the training, participants brainstormed ideas about simple but impactful mission activities in their neighborhoods and communities. These included making cards for special occasions and public servants, collecting socks for homeless individuals, and raking leaves and leave a nice note. Other participants suggested building birdhouses, making sandwiches for emergency personnel, planting flowers in a garden, and spending intentional time visiting and talking to seniors.

“Some things have to be taught,” Robidoux said. “So, show [children] compassion by your example and teach them ways that they can show compassion to others.”

*Not every topic presented has been included in this story.