Encouragement from our Kid’s Ministry

Everybody knows that there are various parenting methods. If you didn’t I’m sure you could log into Facebook right now and be a casual spectator in the various colorful debates on the matters of education, discipline, health and the spirituality of our children. In a similar vein there are various children’s ministry methods. Each church organization has its own thoughts on how children’s ministry should be done. There may even arise passionate arguments and persuasions for having a well-organized Sunday school or children’s services outside of the main adult service, or having a more organic method of having children in the main service along with the adults, learning to listen and interact in ways that are appropriate.

Whatever the opinion, we can all agree (as believers) that we want our children to know the Lord early; to know His voice, His presence in their lives, and the blessings of His salvation. Most can agree that they want to create a climate and atmosphere that is conducive to just that; introducing children to Jesus as early as possible.

One way kid’s ministry shares this vision is by believing the many promises of Scripture, which do not have an age limit on them:

That it does not return void (Isaiah 55:11) - This fact alone should bring great encouragement, that we are not left alone in our endeavors for the Lord whether in the hearts of our Children or otherwise, but that He Himself is at work. In fact, to state it in the right order; we are at work in our Children’s lives because He is at work in our Children’s lives, remember He loved us first (1 John 4:19).

That Children’s hearts, like our own, are a garden that needs tending. Children’s hearts are gardens for sowing and reaping (Hebrews 13). As a very important aside, the gardening parable reminds us that while children’s hearts are like soil, and we are to labor there, it is still God that gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:7). It is still the Spirit of God that draws them, while we can supply them with many things, that part we cannot supply. This must ever be a word of caution and encouragement to the parent and children’s ministry worker alike, less we become needlessly anxious that everything is on our shoulders to “save them”.

That we are depositing for a return on investment (Prov. 22:6). The returns don’t often come quickly, nor does a garden yield fruit overnight, but we trust that like a garden something is taking root under the surface. That because God’s Word is alive and active (Heb. 4:12), depositing God’s Word into little earthen vessels is of immeasurable value. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)

That because we do believe the claims of Scripture, it is the understanding of GraceLife and the Kid’s ministry team that we are ministering to little sinners (cute as they may be) as Romans 3: 11-12 bears out, (again with no age qualifier, I might add) who need to know the Good News, that Jesus came to rescue us all. That while we were yet sinners Christ died for even the youngest of us (Rom 5:8).

And perhaps the greatest case for “Children’s Ministry”, or just ministering to children in general if you’re of the less organized stripe, is that God Himself is lovely. We’ve tasted and seen the Goodness of God ourselves and want our children to do the same. We ourselves have seen and do testify that His love is better than life (Ps 63:3). Our common ground is that we believe God is knowable and wants to be known by His human creation, at any age. Hence Jesus said “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 19:14) Because we want to deeply believe and practice what Jesus said here regarding children (and everything He said for that matter), this is the bedrock scripture for ministering to children. The words of Christ here give us vision for evangelizing and leading over little hearts to His Kingdom.

We know as children’s ministers, that this is something we must sow in alongside their parents as co-laborers in a harvest of which we ourselves and their children are also a part.