There is no other ministry quite like puppet ministry! Puppets are effective in reaching, teaching, and entertaining audiences of all ages and are a GREAT way to teach children about the Bible!! These fun, colorful, animated characters live in an imaginary world, but they can express, talk and sing about real issues too.

Ministering to children comes with a host of challenges, but puppets can help to overcome many of them. In the hands of dedicated puppeteers, puppets can make us laugh, cry, and share important Biblical messages. Children enjoy having fun during puppet presentations while learning at the same time. When you create a fun and educational environment, children will respond positively.

Steps to Start your Puppet Ministry

1. Prayerful consider using puppets in your Children’s ministry, let the Lord guide you in whether or not this ministry will work with program.
2. Get Volunteers. You will need at least two volunteers, more if you plan on doing large productions. Talk with your youth director about possible workers; teenagers can be very good and energetic puppeteers. Let the church know of the opportunity to minister through the puppet program.
3. You will need a stage for your puppets to perform in. A stage can be a simple wall or more elaborate. If you need a stage it will be much cheaper to build then to purchase one. You can find instructions to build a nice stage by doing a Google search, or you can contact us and we can send you some suggestions.
4. Skits – Use skits to reinforce the themes off your lesson. Skits should be short (5-7 minutes). There are many free resources for puppet skits; you can also purchase skits at your local Christian bookstore. Another idea is to write your own skits or there may be a talented writer in your congregation that is looking for an opportunity.
5. Puppets for Music – Use puppets to perform music for the class or as a sing along. Children will enjoy the interaction with the puppets during the worship music.

Additional Information

There are many different puppet types; glove, full, half body, and marionette puppets, some have string others have rods to control the puppets.

Hand Puppet (Glove / Sock Puppet)

There are many variations to a hand puppet. If the puppet does not have a movable mouth, three fingers on one hand become the neck and two arms. This type of puppet is often called a glove puppet. If the puppet has a movable mouth, traditionally the thumb serves as the lower jaw; the four fingers form the upper mouth.

Rod Puppet

Sticks or wire rod manipulate rod puppets attached to the neck and hands. In most cases, these controls come from below. Rod puppets may also be worked with rods from above, or any direction necessary for good movement and performance.

Hand and Rod Puppet

This is the style made famous by the Muppets. The puppeteer uses his hand to move the puppet’s mouth while rods attached to the puppet’s hands animate the arms.

Marionette (String Puppet)

One of the most difficult forms of puppetry to manipulate effectively, marionettes on strings. Usually there are eight basic strings to a well-designed marionette. However, some marionettes can have thirty or more. A good marionette performer learns how to use gravity to give the puppet life and weight. To work a marionette well, one must practice.

Here Are Some Online Resources

• Build Your own Puppet Stage, download your diagram and instructions here. Click Here to Download
• Oriental Trading Company (OTC). OTC has hand puppets you can purchase for under $40.00 Click Here
• Looking for Biblical Character puppets? You can try the funtoymall.com or Amazon Click Here
• Looking for Skits or Scripts to use for your puppet show, here is a great resource, Puppet Resources .com

If your church as a wonderful Puppet Ministry, let us know we would love to help promote your ministry or show a video of one of your performances.

From:  www.cogic.org web site.  October 2015.

The above article, “How to Start A Puppet Ministry in Your Sunday School” was written by unknown author. The article was excerpted from www.cogic.org.

The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.

This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”