I was reading an article earlier today on 43 Folders about harnessing a child’s energy towards a specific topic and using it for good. 43 Folders isn’t a ministry blog, and I don’t endorse all of their content, but it does have some great info.

The author of the article was having some trouble with his kids driving him insane while he was cooking.  So in place of just sending them away, he took their enthusiasm and used it as a learning opportunity.  He let the kids learn by teaching them rather than making them figure it out on their own and getting hurt in the process.

Try this in your ministry.  Let’s hypothesize that you have a kid that has some trouble with breaking the rules.  (You don’t have any of those, right?)  Maybe instead of saying “Stop it,” you should harness their energy and make them a rule enforcer.  Have them tell an adult when they see something wrong being done.

Kids are immense little balls of energy.  They desperately want to be “big kids” and help out.  Convert the “distraction” of interruptions into interaction with you on the stage.  Give kids opportunities to move around, help out, and do things.  This certainly won’t eliminate discipline problems, but it’ll help you on your way.