Our role is to love God with everything we have. As we continually grow in our
walk with the Lord, we are also called to lead children of this next generation. As
we partner with parents, the desire of the Prayer Palace Christian Centre towards the Kids team is that our eyes would be opened to what God has called us to as those who have been given the privilege, responsibility, and honor to teach children about Christ.
Children’s Ministry at the CORE of the Tabernacle Holy Gospel Church.
T.H.G.C is focusing on its core values—prayer, harvest, leadership development and church planting. Children’s ministry is an essential piece of this vision. As local churches strive to align with these core values, it is important to focus on ways to enhance our ministry to children.
I challenge each local church to focus on the CORE:
Child-Centered Churches:
Can you say that your local church is child-centered? Does the vision of the local church reflect the importance of reaching and discipling children? Are children represented on committees and boards that are responsible to cast vision and make decisions? Are children welcomed in every area of your local church? Do they feel valued and loved? Is the children’s ministry budget comparable to the budgets of every other ministry? Remember that believing children are members of Christ’s body. “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me;” Mark 9:37.
Optimistic:
Local churches can feel optimistic about their present and their future IF they have children in their midst. Children have God-given talents that are to be used for His service. There are children and youth in our local churches who are gifted in leadership but we have dismissed them because they are too young. As we look toward the future we must begin to identify and equip these leaders while they are young. We need godly men and women to step up and begin mentoring these future leaders. I am optimistic when I see local churches focus on the spiritual and leadership development of children. “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plan to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Reaching the Young Harvest:
For far too long, we have waited for the harvest to come to us. We must aggressively go out and reach the young harvest. People might say, “I will not be able to reach a 9 year old. I am not relevant to this generation. I don’t speak their language.” I believe a 9 year old, will be the one to reach another 9 year old. If we want to reach the young harvest we must equip and mobilize the children in our local churches to reach them. We must train them share the gospel of Jesus Christ. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field.” Luke 10:2
Enhance the quality of your ministry:
It is important to continuously raise the bar on the quality of your Children’s Ministry. The number one factor a family looks at when choosing a church home is whether the church provides an effective children’s ministry. It should be a priority to train and equip your children’s ministry leadership. A child’s spiritual formation is set by age 9. We cannot be content with the status quo. Our children deserve our very best. Your local church should have a training budget for the children’s ministry team. They need to be given varied opportunities to sharpen their skills and learn new methods. “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry” Hebrews 8:6.
As each local church strives to align with the vision of achieving the vision of the children’s ministry, I prayerfully challenge your local church to examine its core values. Just like the core of the Earth is the center that every layer is built upon, the CORE of your church will be the center that God builds upon. Put ministry to children at your CORE and watch as God fulfills his vision for your local church.
11 Ways to strengthen the children’s ministry:
More than one person has said, “Our students and children are the future of the church.” That statement is true, but it’s also insufficient. Children and students are part of the church now, and we’ll lose them if we don’t minister well to them today. Here are eleven ways to strengthen your children’s ministry:
- Enlist your best workers for this ministry. Don’t allow just anyone to work with children; find your absolute best, even if it means pulling them out of adult classes.
- Train the workers well. Willingness to serve does not automatically equal ability to serve. Enlist your best, and then continually train them. Help them know how to lead children in 2019. The strategies aren’t the same as in the 1980s….
- Establish clear security protocols. The bottom line: nobody who hasn’t passed a background check should be working with minors, and wandering through your church’s children’s ministry area without clearance should be almost impossible. Take all steps necessary to protect your children.
- Upgrade your facilities for children. Provide sufficient space for them. Make sure every door has a window for security purposes. Purchase furniture that’s appropriate for children. Paint the walls bright colors. Get rid of the clutter. Make your children’s areas a place to which children want to come.
- Don’t lower the bar when teaching children. Find the best material, and teach it well. Assume your children want to learn about God. They’re probably more open to it than many of your adults are.
- Capitalize on media resources. Our children have grown up with video, computers, and the Internet. To not use strong Christian media-based resources is to miss an opportunity to teach our children well.
- Develop a church membership and beginning discipleship class for children. When children choose to follow Christ, the biblical demands on their lives aren’t different than adults. Help them get started well as new believers.
- Hang out with the children. If you’re a church staff member, your church’s children need to see you and know you apart from “big church” and the pulpit. Walk through their areas every Sunday. Talk to them. Get to know their names. Listen to their stories. Love them.
- Kneel when talking to children. Respect and love them enough to lower yourself to their eye level when speaking to them. Something’s just different when they see us face-to-face.
- If you’re a preacher, remember the children in the audience. Use illustrations that appeal to children. Call them to attention occasionally by saying something like, “Boys and girls, let me tell you a story” or “Kids, let me explain this word to you.” If your children are listening, it’s more likely your adults will be, too.
- Establish prayer partners with children. Imagine what might happen if assigned people in your church prayed weekly for every child in your ministry. Connect the generations by establishing an intentional plan to do so.
