“I have a question.” I must have raised my hand and said that 500 times to my teachers when I was a kid. And you know what? Most of the time, I got an answer. You see, Sunday School was a small-group time where there was a manageable number of kids in a small room with a teacher or two. It was designed as a place for kids to ask questions.

If the teacher talked about David and Goliath, I wanted to know why Saul was such a chicken, why David’s brothers were chicken, and why David was not. I wanted to know how David killed the lion and bear and what the other four stones were for. Did Goliath have four brothers? You see, asking questions allows the small group teacher to stick a spiritual truth deep into the heart of a child.

“Why was Saul chicken?” was the question. The teacher would answer, “I assume Saul had never learned that God will stand with us if we have the courage to stand for Him. David knew that. He was afraid, but he had strength in God. Do you want to be more like David or more like Saul?” After each of my questions came an answer that gave me the chance to spiritually grow just a little bit more.

In small groups, kids have the chance to learn at their own pace using their own questions. In a large group, often when a child has a question the teacher has to say, “Not now, see me later.” Because there are so many kids in class, there isn’t time for all the many questions that arise.

In a small group there is also time and space for the altar call. As the teacher finishes her class on David and Goliath, she may ask, “Who wants to ask God for courage to stand up for Him when no one else will? Let’s kneel and ask God together. God, we need your strength….”

Every small-group class should have time for the essential elements—questions and the altar. Questions allow the lesson to go deeper. The altar allows the lesson of the day to be solidified by the Holy Spirit.

If you haven’t done so, try this simple yet dynamic truth in your small-groups and then watch as God grows your kids!