Training Evangelistic Kids Tip #4: Don't Interrupt!

My main focus as a mother is to set my children on a path toward Heaven. In turn, I want them to lead hearts around them to Christ. This year my husband and I determined to emphasize the importance of personal evangelism in our home. Our highest goal as parents is to train our children in the ways of the Lord and equip them to teach others the Gospel. In this series of Training Evangelistic Kids we’ll share some ideas we’ve used to begin raising children who are comfortable sharing their faith. We certainly aren’t experts in this area. We’re learning as we go, and we’d love to hear your ideas as well!

T.E.K. Tip #4: Don't Interrupt!

I’m not big on the whole “children are to be seen and not heard” thing. Our dinner table is loud with crazy laughter and fun. Our kids participate in adult conversations, especially on biblical topics. But there is a time and place when children need to learn to be quiet. One way to train your children to be evangelistically minded is to teach them the importance of not interrupting a Bible study.

It starts with teaching them respect for adult conversation in general. This is something we are always working on. Children want to be heard. They want to feel valued. They want attention. It’s important that we give our children the opportunity to be part of adult interactions. However, we must also teach them that there are certain times when it is their job to be as quiet as a mouse.

We do our best to teach our children not to interrupt when adults are talking. If my children need me while I’m talking, they are to place a hand on my arm and wait for me to acknowledge them. They are not to stand there yanking my hand, tapping their foot, or making little noises to get my attention. They may simply place one hand on my arm and wait. As soon as I find a break in the conversation, I pause and ask what they need. I try not to make them wait too long for an answer, but they need to know that their immediate desires are not as important as respecting the adults who are speaking.

There are other times when our kids know that they are not to interrupt at all, not even with a hand on my arm, unless there is an emergency. When we are having personal Bible studies, especially with unbelievers, the children know that they are not allowed to make any requests. (I say they know this, but we do still have days - like during a study last night - when they have difficulty remembering the rules). With the exception of bathroom breaks, they are supposed to play as quietly as possible in a separate room until we let them know that our study is over. 

Sometimes our Bible studies are quite lengthy. It’s hard for the children to be “banished” from me for such a long time but, because they understand their role in helping Papa and Mama teach the Gospel, they are usually content to play on their own.

We try to always explain to them beforehand that we are trying to help someone learn more about Jesus. If it is a study with an unbeliever, we explain to the children that we love this person’s soul and we want to use all the time we have to tell him about God’s offer of salvation. We give them their mission: “You can help Papa and Mama teach this person about Jesus by playing quietly and giving us time to talk for as long as possible. I know you want to help people learn about the Bible. The best way you can do that right now is to pray for us during our study, and not interrupt until we are done. Can you do that for us?”

When they understand the bigger picture, the kids are always enthusiastic about doing their part. If we take the time to emphasize how much they are helping us, we usually don’t hear a peep from even the younger ones. After the study, we talk to them about how the study went and we pray with them for the person with whom we studied. 

Yes, sometimes they make huge messes and get into things they aren’t supposed to. But, their hearts are inspired to look for ways to spread the Gospel and they understand that sometimes that means playing the supportive role of playing quietly without interrupting.

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