1. It’s biblical – Deuteronomy 6
We really need to grow our children’s ministry team as we relaunch our Sunday programs, so I’ve been thinking about all the reasons to be involved in children’s ministry. I came up with 10 off the top of my head and wanted to share them with you all over the next couple of weeks. Here’s the first, and it’s one of the best reasons to do anything: It’s Biblical! Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” This has implications for family life, but God also makes us part of a broader church family! Passing the knowledge of God on to the next generation is an absolutely central task of the people of God and getting involved on Sunday is a great way to be a part of that work!
2. You get to know some really great kids!
Theological conversations with kids can be both hilarious and inspiring as you see their childlike faith (and hopefully let some of that rub off on you). Because intergenerational relationships are a blessing not just to the kids, but to the adults too!!
3. It’s one of the most effective mission fields out there!
A study from the Barna group in 2004 found in a survey of nearly 1000 Christians that 43% of them came to Christ before the age of 13, and 64% before the age of 18. Another survey from the National Association of Evangelicals in 2015 found that a staggering 63% of Christians they interviewed came to know Christ between the ages of 4-14! What a cool opportunity to be in on the action and be a part of Christ bringing these little ones into His Kingdom!
4. Teaching is one of the best ways to build your OWN knowledge of the Bible
There are three tiers of knowledge: knowing a concept, knowing a concept well enough to teach it, and knowing a concept well enough to teach it to a child. So teaching in children’s ministry is a blessing to the kids as well as to your own soul.
5. Kids need 5 meaningful adult relationships in church
Research has shown that for kids who grow up in church, one of the most powerful factors for continued church engagement into adulthood is how many adults (besides their parents) were in their lives expressing genuine care in that church community. Having at least 5 significant relationships seems to be a real tipping point. Being part of the children’s ministry team on Sundays gives you a chance to be one of those 5 key people in a child’s life.
6. It’s a huge blessing to parents too!
I mentioned in reason #1 that teaching our kids about the LORD is a full-time, whole-life job a la Deuteronomy 6. As a parent of 2 young children, I can testify that it’s hard to grasp just how full-time that job is until you’re in it. Therefore, it’s crucial for parents to have time at some point to be refilled spiritually to continue pouring into their kids throughout the rest of the week. For some parents, Sunday morning worship might be one of a very few such moments. So teaching children on Sunday mornings is a blessing to the kids, to yourself (as mentioned in reason #4), AND a blessing to parents. Three blessings at once, talk about ministry efficiency!
7. Childhood is a super formative time
This is something I have thought about a lot learning about human growth and development through my counseling training and I’ve mentioned it several times in regards to ministry. Consider this: every single thing you know right now, you had to learn at some point. That sounds obvious (because it is) but I’m talking not just about cognitive facts like 2+2=4, I’m also talking about the things you know at a deep gut level. Your definition of what it means to be a person, your beliefs about who God is, about your value as a human being – those are things that you learn at some point too. And most of that really important definition level learning happens in childhood. Wouldn’t it be awesome to be a part of helping a generation learn the truth about those realities that will shape their approach to the rest of their lives? Yes. Yes, it would.
8. It is good training for discipling others in your life
The first application that comes to mind is for parents to get better at leading their own family worship times (or to get practiced up for the future if you don’t have kids but will someday). But even if God never calls you to have kids of your own, there are informal opportunities we all have to take advantage of teachable moments or share the gospel. The systematic practice of doing that in regular ministry can make you better prepared to make use of those opportunities God gives you, whether with your own kids or with someone else in your community.
9. Service is an essential part of the Christian life
Too often we think of ministry as something optional or that only a select few are called to, which is why we often end up with the 80/20 split (80% of the work done by 20% of the people). This doesn’t fit at all with the picture the Bible paints of church life. One of the analogies that Scripture uses of the church is that of a body, with each part contributing its function to the life of the whole. Imagine one of your fingers took in blood but never circulated it back to the rest of the body. That finger would get all swollen and gross then probably explode and the whole body would suffer. You don’t want that to happen to your church, so serve in children’s ministry!
10. It is in line with the heart of Jesus!
Another one of the best reasons to do anything. Matthew 18 says, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me‘”
Joel Trigger, Director of Family Ministry
