"It's just babysitting" - "Kids need entertainment" - "What's the point?"
Kids ministry or children's church or Sunday school - whatever you want to call it - deals with statements like the above on the regular. I can't even count the number of times people have looked at me with sympathy in their eyes when they heard I'm serving in kids' church: "Oh, that's such an important ministry. Personally, I could NEVER do it, but it's amazing if that's your thing. Wow. Hats off to you." This response gives me an icky feeling in my gut...
Where did the idea come from that kid's ministry is just entertainment?
There are a few things that led to this preconception around kids ministry. I mean, it didn’t just one day happen that all of a sudden we see kids ministry this way. This kind of thinking has been around for so long that it's almost undetectable. It's not picked up by most radars, so we have to be intentional if we want to see it and address it.
Kenda Crease Dean said it this way: “If teenagers lack an articulate faith, maybe it is because the faith we show them is too spineless to merit much in the way of conversation. Maybe teenagers’ inability to talk about religion is not because the church inspires a faith too deep for words, but because the God-story that we tell is too vapid to merit more than a superficial vocabulary.”
Basically what she's saying is that if we are not teaching children the words of God and how to engage with the topics of the Bible they simply won't know how to do it! The world is not going to teach them that; their friends definitely won't be able to do it either; and sadly the media that they're consuming will probably not do it. the church is in a unique position to bring about a massive personal faith formation in the lives of children - one that flows over into their families and communities and even seeps into secular culture.
The number one reason why kids ministry is seen as entertainment is because it has been done that way.
We don't view children through the lens of the Bible
Unfortunately, since the days when Jesus pulled a child into the midst of the disciples, we have gotten confused about what the role of children should be in the Kingdom of Heaven. Nancy Going said that the church has often viewed young people through the lens of Psychology instead of Theology. She said this in specific referral to Erik Erikson's model of development where younger generations are placed on a literal lower level in a hierarchy... That is how the world views young people.
But the Bible does not actually share that view; and Jesus certainly didn't. Consider the following verses:
Matthew 19:14 "Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
1 Timothy 4:12 "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."
No Junior Holy Spirit? Can children encounter God and have true faith formation
One of the churches I've been a part of had a statement that they spoke over the kids as they were sent out from big church and towards kids ministry. They said: There is no junior Holy Spirit! What does that mean? Well, it means that the same God that a grown person encounters and is transformed by is the same God who's present in the kids church room.
The Holy Spirit is God-with-us, the Comforter, and part of the Trinity - and the Spirit is also the #1 way we can relate to God today in a personal way (experience Him, hear from Him, access the gifts of the Spirit as glimpses of the Kingdom, and more). When we say there's no junior Holy Spirit, we are essentially saying that children can experience God in much the same way that adults can.
That's easier said than done. Would a child be allowed to bring a Word for the church? Do they get to bring a prophetic song up during worship? How will we react if the sermon is done by a child? Some people would say yes to these questions, and others would say no. Perhaps you're not sure on which side of the spectrum you land yet, so let me explain it in further detail.
Two sides of the same coin: The spectrum between age-specific ministry and intergenerational ministry
If the coin is kids ministry, it has two sides:
On the one hand, we have intergenerational ministry. This is exactly like what it sounds: Different generations doing ministry (church) together. An intergenerational approach focuses on the unique thing that each generation can and should bring to the fellowship. It does not necessarily advocate for a child doinga sermon, but it does say that the child should be welcomed into big church and not banished off to the side.
I grew up in Afrikaans culture where we have a saying: "Kinders moet gesien word en nie gehoor word nie", which translates to "Children must be seen and not heard". Sadly, this has often been the stance of the church toward the Child.
The other side of the coin is focused on age-specific ministry, think of youth, young adults, Bible studies for the elderly, and... Sunday school. This view is based on the idea that different generations experience God differently and it makes it the church's job to cater to each group. Young families will flock to the church with the "best" kids ministry, for example.
Somewhere in the middle
I think I fall somewhere in the middle on this debate. In other words, I think the coin should never be glued down so that only one side is visible. Even more ideally, the coin should spin!
The truth is there are definite ways that the Gospel message can be packaged to be more relatable and accessible to different generations AND there are things to be learned from each generation. Faith formation is a whole-life event and cannot be crammed into a 30-minute kids program once a week on a Sunday morning.
How the faith of youth takes shape needs to be more authentic than that. For them to have true faith formation and not just entertainment, they need a LIVED faith; a tangible faith; and a faith that does not push them off to the side.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
There is still a space for Sunday school, kids church, and children's ministry but it must move from entertainment toward true faith formation.
Moving away from entertainment
Make sure the lesson and program is actually about God. Are you reading from the Bible? What are they learning that will help them grow in their personal relationship with God? Some curriculums out there are so far removed from the Word...
The Kids Pastor or volunteer is not the one in the clown costume; it's the one with the accessible smile. You don't have to be ridiculous to relate to children. Actually, children are the most perceptive to realness and they decide who to trust...
There is still a place for games, but they need to serve the purpose of the lesson for that day. If you teach about Moses parting the Red Sea, play Open the Gates... If you teach about Jesus healing a blind man, do a blindfolded obstacle course...
"You can keep the kids busy while we do the service" VS "This is what we will be learning about in big church, how can you relate that topic to the kids?" This past Sunday our big church did testimonies and I got to share with the kids what a testimony is and have them think of their own...
Include the spiritual disciples in your program with the kids: Read the Word, Silence, Worship with Music, Pray, Practice Generosity, Practice Hospitality, Wait on God, etc.
It doesn't have to be boring, it just has to be *intentional !
Before you go, I want to pray for you and encourage you that you are not alone.
God called you for this specific role for a purpose. You are in the right place!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending this reader here today. I pray that you will cover all their worries and anxieties about their kids ministry in your love. We know that nobody loves the young ones we work with more than you do, Lord. They are yours. Today, we just surrender the ministry before you again and pray that you will receive the glory for it. I'ts never about us, Father. Please forgive us for when we've forgotten that you have a great plan! You are writing each of these kids' stories and you won't fail them. I pray, Lord, that you will inspire this reader with your Holy Spirit. Give them new ideas and insights on how to foster genuine faith formation amongst the kids they are working with. We pray all of this in your name, Amen
Did you find this post helpful? Let's chat in the comments about the struggles you're facing in your kids ministry.
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