The Ministry of a Verse Token

Isaiah 55:11

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Some may already be asking, so what do you mean by a “Verse Token?”  Those who have heard of a verse token are probably asking what kind of “ministry” does a verse token have?

It really isn’t that big of a thing, but then again it is a verse from the Bible so on the other hand it is everything.  A verse token is a small piece of paper that has a verse typed or written on it and maybe includes a nice graphic or picture that helps illustrate the verse or the theme of the lesson that week.  I have seen some as small as a business card and others as big as a quarter sheet of paper.  If your verse for the week deals with “Thou shalt not steal,” then you would want a picture that shows someone in trouble for stealing or Moses holding the Ten Commandments.

The purpose of the verse token is to get the Word of God into the hands and homes of the people you are working with on your bus route.  This verse will normally correlate with the verse that will be taught on the bus, during Sunday school, or junior church.

So what is a verse token’s ministry?  If done sharp these verses can play an important role in witnessing.  I have seen these verses posted in some homes where you normally would not even find a Bible.  When you hand that verse to a child or parent you will have the opportunity to read that verse and explain what the verse means.  This might be the only thing they hear from the Bible all week.  The verse token can continue to have an impact on these families well after you leave and throughout the week.  When handing out the verse token, use this time to teach and explain to the parents and children what the Bible has to say.  For example if your verse for the week is John 3:16, then you can explain how God loved the world.  If your verse happens to be “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right,” then you can take the time to show the parent how you are trying to teach the children to honor and obey their parents.  What parent doesn’t want to hear that?

As you work with these people, you will begin to see some families start to collect these from week to week.  I have been in some homes where tokens are posted on their fridge or tack board.  Put some time into making them sharp and clean. You will be surprised what a verse token can do.

When making a verse token, keep these things in mind: Type or write them clean and neatly, cut them out straight and square, and choose a nice picture that will help illustrate the verse or lesson you are trying to teach.

There are also some other smaller things you can use a verse token to remind the families about.  Bus captains can put their phone number at the very bottom of the verse token so that they will always have your number handy when they need to reach you.  You can use the bottom portion also to help remind them what special activity your bus will be doing after church that Sunday.

If you use the same verse all month long, then make sure that each week the verse token looks different even though it is the same verse.  Change up the font and change the picture.  By the fourth or fifth week the children should be starting to remember the verse, and you can turn the verse token into a little game and have them fill in the blanks.  When you hand it out to the children, have them go get a pen or pencil and fill it out with them as you visit.  Hopefully they will not need much help.  It helps if you make the verse token a quarter sheet of paper, then you can have more space for a small game that incorporates the verse. For example: Word Search, Crossword Puzzle, or fill in the blanks.

Depending on the size of your route, you will want to have enough verse tokens printed for all your faithful riders with plenty extra for the ones you are trying to get to ride your bus.  Don’t forget about random people you may meet. Have extra for those people you meet along the way whether on the sidewalk, friends of the children who might happen to be at the house you are visiting, etc.  It can get a little expensive to print in full color, but if you take a black and white verse token and print it on some colored paper, it will sharpen it up and it won’t look like a plain black and white token.

Be creative and have fun watching what a verse token can do!

Click this link to see some sample verse tokens!