Leadership Principles

It Starts with Your Heart

• Yield To Jesus. Trust that Jesus will do a mighty work through you.
  “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for
” Galatians 2:20
”If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25
• Study and practice before you teach God’s truth. Commit your will to obey God’s word and live it out in your own personal life before teaching the lesson. See Ezra 7:10
• Coaches Heart Preparation (We call leaders “coaches”). Ask forgiveness of any unconfessed sins so that you might be a clean vessel that God can work though. You do not need to be perfect, but you need to be clean. 2 Timothy 2:21, 1 John 1:9
• Your Player’s Heart (We call children “players”) Ask God to prepare your player’s hearts: (We encourage leaders to fast and pray every Monday asking God to reach all children of all nations).
  • Read Isaiah 58. Ask God to work though you to reach all nations.
  • Ask God to prepare your children’s hearts. Important make a list of your children and pray for your children by name asking and believing that God will transform these children to become “Champions for Eternity” (a child friendly way of saying “disciples of Jesus” Matthew 28:18-20).

Note on Persecution

In many locations around the world Christians are persecuted and killed for their faith in Christ Jesus. While you may not be persecuted for training children, the enemy has a different challenge for those that work with children and youth. You must persevere over time and not give up and lose heart as training a child may take years and years and we may not see the fruit for decades. See Hebrews 11: 39-40 for encouragement.

Leaders Needed

• Your “Coaches” are your leadership team. We call leaders “coaches” and children “players” creating fun joyful game atmosphere.
• The lessons are simple by design making it very easy to recruit and train youth, teens, and young adults as Coaches.
• GameLife provides all new leaders a non-threatening entry-level leadership-experience.

Important Note: Two Distinct Roles for Helpers

Coaches for Specific Age Groups:

• A Coach : The Coach’s primary responsibility is to shepherd (watch over) a specific group of children or youth (infants, boys, girls, youth helpers). Each group becomes that Coach’s “team” for the entire time. Example: Coach Natasha is the coach for the younger girls for the entire time.
• Who should be a Coach? Individuals that have a heart for children: youth, young adults, and local community leaders make great coaches. There is really no training needed for coaches they just need to follow the lesson.
• Coach for Infants
  • Oversees the 1 to 3 year olds
  • Leads fun activities, songs, and games (use simple resources on hand)
• Coach for Boys or Girls
  • Oversees the 4 to 12 year olds
  • Stays with the same group for the entire time
  • Leads their group of children though each activity
  • Helps the instructors as needed
• Coach for New Young Leaders
  • Oversees the 13 year olds and older students that are being trained to help lead the weekly discipleship: GameLife
  • Connects local new young leaders with the leaders so they can be trained how to lead the weekly discipleship
    GameLife Training Sessions.

Instructors for Specific Roles:

• An Instructor : The Instructor’s primary responsibility is to instruct (teach) all the children a specific skill (Bible teach, worship, games, other).
• Who should be an Instructor? Individuals that are gifted and / or have a passion for a specific skill like worship or Bible-teaching.
• Instructor for Games [Important: There must be two game leaders: 1. For older players, and 2. For younger players. We do this for safety and for all players to have more fun].
• Instructor for Bible-Teaching
• Instructor for Worship

GameLife Trainer

One individual needs to serve as the GameLife Trainer. This responsibility of this role is explained on the “GameLife 3x3x3 Scorecard” at the front of this training guide. The GameLife Trainer leads by recruiting, training all leaders, and making sure everything is ready each week.

“Training Champions for Eternity” Principles

To train children to become disciples.  The leadership must be moving toward becoming a yielded to Jesus and obedient disciple.  Leadership must hold one another to high expectations and specific accountability.

Training Champions for Eternity is a child friendly way of saying “Making Disciples of All Nations” our goal is fulfilling the commandment given by Jesus in the Great Commission Matthew 28:18-20. We are not “entertaining” children or just keeping children busy. We are training Champions for Eternity! To train rather than entertain the church and leaders must hold children to high expectations and specific accountability.

High Expectations and Specific Accountability

GameLife 1-2-3 is a Discovery Bible Method that closely matches the “Three Thirds” Discovery Bible Method. The two most important parts of this Discovery Bible Method are: 1. High Expectations, and 2. Specific Accountability. It is like a mutual coaching relationship where an inspiring goal is set and then intentional steps are taken to reach that goal. The Bible refers to this relationship as “iron sharpening iron.”

High Expectations / Inspiring Goal: God’s Will Be Done

Disciples must encourage one another to:

• Pray: Listen to God
• Evangelism & Missions: Share the Gospel
• Discipleship: Obey the Commands of Christ
  • Helping children Practicing obedience(from a fun young perspective we call this “Act out the truth” a fun “drama” of what obedience might look like at their age)
• Leadership Multiplication: Train others in prayer, evangelism, and discipleship and leadership multiplication.
  • Gather together to lift one another up and encourage one another, especially in times of hardship or persecution: Remember, a normal part of discipleship includes hardship, persecution, and even losing one’s life (1 Peter 3:14)
• Community Transformation: Reach all areas of Community Transformation within your community.  1. Church, 2. Family, 3. Education, 4. Media, 5. Public Service, 6. Business, Arts & Athletics

Specific Accountability / Intentional Steps: Obedience for this day

Disciples must ask one another:

• Obey: Are you deeply abiding in Christ so that you yield to Jesus moment by moment and obey the Commands of Christ?
• Share: Are you sharing the Gospel and biblical truths with family and friends?

Helping children with accountability (from a fun young perspective we call this “Celebration Stories” “Obedience Stories” “Sharing Stories”). Obedience to God’s word learned last gathering. Sharing God’s truth with others and sharing the Gospel

Christ Within: I cannot, yet Christ can!

The verse Galatians 2:20 is the heart of all our training and leading, weekly children are taught to yield to Jesus, not their strength but Christ living through them as they abide in Christ (John 15).