Nothing can derail a perfectly planned Bible lesson quite like the question of a second grader.

You’ve walked through the passage with careful wording and clarity. You’ve emphasized the main point. You’ve reinforced it with an activity or object lesson. Everything is moving exactly as planned—then boom! A hand shoots up, and you get a question about angels or aliens that has nothing to do with your lesson.

Children’s questions are like dominoes. Once the first is asked, it leads to another, each falling further from the topic. Before long, you’re chasing rabbits instead of walking confidently through your well-prepared lesson.

Questions Matter

I take teaching God’s Word seriously (so seriously that I co-authored a book on how to teach kids theology). I see everything we do, from music to activities, as shaping a child’s understanding of God and His Church. Because of this, I plan every element carefully, from how I phrase concepts to the questions we ask in small groups.

One element I give exceptional attention to is memorization. Not just memorizing Scripture, but also catechism questions. “Catechism” simply means “to teach,” using questions and answers to cover core truths of the Christian faith.

Because of this, our ministry is driven by questions. Our teaching answers a question. Small groups revolve around questions. We memorize answers to questions. We even end with a game where teams compete to answer questions.

All of this reflects a deep conviction that questions matter in the faith formation of kids.

Despite my love for questions, I realized I had been limiting their potential.

A Wave of Wonder

For years, we did a great job asking questions and giving kids clear answers. But only recently did we begin inviting questions from our kids.

It started unexpectedly.

One Sunday, a lesson ended with extra time. It wasn’t long enough to start a new activity, but it wasn’t short enough to wrap things up cleanly either. So I asked, “Does anyone have any questions from the lesson?”

I emphasized from the lesson because some kids were known for asking unrelated questions.

The room went quiet. Then a first grader raised his hand.

“What’s your question?” I asked, slightly hesitant (he was prone to go off-topic).

“If God knows all things,” he began, “then why did He create Adam and Eve if He knew they would sin?”

I paused.

It had nothing to do with our lesson on Abraham, but it was an incredibly thoughtful question (especially from a first grader).

I had a choice to either redirect or engage the question.
I decided the rabbit was worth chasing.

After I gave a brief answer about God’s foreknowledge and sin, more hands went up.

“If God is everywhere, why can’t we see Him?”

“If Jesus is God, does that mean God the Father also died on the cross?”

Each question grew deeper. It felt like a wave of wonder had rolled through the room, and every child was trying to catch it.

Asking vs. Inviting Questions

I left that Sunday exhilarated. The depth of conversation stuck with me. It felt like we had captured lightning in a bottle, and I wanted to see it again.

So we made some changes.

First, we created space in small groups for kids to ask questions about the lesson and the Christian faith. It was a good start, but the questions stayed contained and didn’t build momentum.

So we made another adjustment.

We turned our catechism rotation into a “Questions” rotation. Half the time is spent reviewing the catechism, and the other half is spent exploring questions from the small groups. As we work through them together, the wave of wonder begins to build. One question leads to another, and soon the whole room is engaged.

We also started rewarding questions.

For every question a group asks, they earn bonus points in our review game.

This simple shift has made a powerful impact in two ways.

First, it lowers the barrier to participation. Anyone can ask a question, including a first-time guest or a child who hasn’t memorized many catechism answers.

Second, it communicates that we value curiosity. We want kids to think deeply, wrestle with what they don’t understand, and express their wonder openly.

Changing the Measurement of Success

Inviting questions hasn’t just changed our programming; it’s changed how we define success.

Every ministry measures fruitfulness based on its vision and values. One of our values is biblical competency. Traditionally, we’ve measured this by how well kids can answer questions.

But we’ve begun to see another marker: the questions kids ask.

As children grow in their understanding of Jesus, their curiosity should grow too. A deeper grasp of truth doesn’t eliminate questions but often produces better ones. Thoughtful, honest questions can signal real engagement and spiritual growth.

Because of this, we now track not only how well kids answer questions, but also the frequency and depth of the questions they ask. It’s become one of the most encouraging (and fun) metrics in our ministry!

Questions About Inviting Questions

So what about you?

Do you create space in your ministry to invite questions? Do you incentivize curiosity? Do you see questions as a meaningful measure of spiritual growth?

If you’re unsure where to start, here are two simple prompts we’ve encouraged our volunteers to use:

For preschoolers:
“If Jesus were sitting next to you, what would you ask Him?”

For elementary kids:
“Is there anything in the Bible that seems confusing or strange to you?”

No matter what prompts you use, the goal is the same: prioritize wonder. Make room for it, celebrate it, and track it.

As you do, you may begin to see a wave of wonder forming in your ministry.

And when it does chase it, catch it, and ride it for all it’s worth.

Because it is worth it.

Hunter Williams is the children's pastor of Ridgedale Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN, and co-host of the Cross Formed KidMin podcast. He has served in various ministry roles, including chaplain, youth pastor, and missionary with Awana. He has written articles for numerous ministries such as INCM, The Gospel Coalition, and KidzMatter magazine, and is the coauthor of How to Teach Kids Theology. Hunter and his wife, Sammie, have four children and love serving in their local church.