5 Ways Puppets Could Help Your Ministry

When I first began working in Christian ministry fifteen years ago, I had never worked with puppets before. Our small church had a rickety plywood puppet stand and a few worn puppets but honestly, I didn’t really use them.
As a matter of fact, I promptly got rid of them and introduced some other ministry tools like a DVD player. However, over time and after a few kids’ ministry conferences, I began to recognize the power of puppets. Now, these fluffy guys are invaluable tools for ministry. I use them often for the following five reasons.

1. Puppets allow you to introduce a new cast of characters to your kids. Let’s face it, getting a variety of volunteers flowing into your kids’ church is a challenge, no matter what your ministry style. With puppets, you only need a handful of faithful folks that are willing to try different voices. It’s also a lot cheaper to dress a puppet than a real person.
2. Puppets allow more creativity in your teaching. I love the versatility of puppets. With these make-believe buddies, you can add skits, demonstrate teachable interactions and puppets give kids relatable characters.
3. Puppets make a good vehicle for getting kids involved in ministry. Kids are always asking me, “Can I help?” With puppets, I can say, “Yes!” We have a few inexpensive puppets that have made the rounds to a few houses. Kids take the puppets home with a short script to practice with. They love showing off their puppeteer skills on special days.
4. Puppet ministry allows shy leaders an outlet for ministry. Some volunteers aren’t comfortable in the spotlight. For these volunteers, puppets make the perfect spot for ministry.
5. It’s another way to present a lesson or memory verse. Repetition, repetition, repetition! That’s what kids need to learn. Reinforce a verse or a concept by adding puppets to your lesson program.

Kids love knowing what to expect and will look forward to seeing their favorite puppet characters every week.