Children Matter!

Archbishop of Canterbury speaks eloquently of the place of children in society and church

Link: Archbishop of Canterbury | Sermons and Speeches.

This a key paragraph - you can find the whole article at the link above

The Children’s Society is committed to seeing children whole, and to enabling all of us to share this seeing. It is in that sense simply taking its lead from Christ, who, we read, ‘took a little child and had him stand among them’ – had him stand where he could be seen. In the still stronger words of the old translation, ‘he set him in the midst of them’. One of the unwelcome truths that Jesus obliges us to face for the sake of our healing and salvation is thus, apparently, our unwillingness to attend to children and to learn from them – to value them for who they are, not simply as imperfect adults. We should not overlook just how distinctive this is as part of the Christian world picture; no other faith or philosophy gives such prominence in its central story to children, and it is a tragedy that Christians have a history often marked by suspicion and repression of children – not to mention abuse of one sort or another. But the image of Jesus putting the child ‘in the midst’ will not go away. What sharper contrast could there be to our ignorance or collusion about ‘children on the edge’?

Are some Bible stories off-limits for preschoolers?

Link: ChildrensMinistry.com:.

Are some Bible stories off-limits for preschoolers?

"Don't teach preschoolers about sin. And don't teach them that Jesus died for them until they're much older," the instructor told her roomful of children's ministers and Christian education directors. "They just can't handle those concepts yet."

I couldn't believe my ears!

Was this instructor right? Should we shield preschoolers from some Bible stories? Are we representing the truth accurately if we mince the facts and fail to tell children the "unsightly" aspects of Bible stories?

More at the link above

Community—The Other Key Ingredient of Children's Ministry

Link: Community—The Other Key Ingredient - Children's Ministry.

During a recent toy repair project at home, I shared the recipe of two-part epoxy glue with my eight-year-old son. "When both clear gels are mixed together, they become super strong." At the time, though, I didn't realize that I had accidentally glued a screwdriver to the table.

Children's ministry also has two key ingredients that, when mixed together, make it "super strong": creative, relevant Bible teaching and community. Teaching tools, techniques and creative curriculum seem to receive more than their measure of attention. So for now, let's stick with the other key ingredient—community.

"Miss Jamie lets me say stuff without interrupting me. I wish my brother was like that," is why 4-year-old Erin loves the Yellow Team, her Sunday morning small group.

What is community for kids? The simplest formula is to divide your children by age into groups of six or eight, assign a leader, and call it a small group. That's a starting point. But the recipe for real community involves much more.

The world today is a tough place to grow up. The obvious emotional pain of divorce or parental absence, the quiet dilemma of watching hurricanes destroy lives and livelihoods, and persistent peer pressures all mix and stick to kids more than ever. For many kids, safety in life seems non-existent. That is our opportunity.

Children’s Ministry - The last 10 years

Link: Kidology Network Forum: Children’s Ministry - The last 10 years.

I've been a Chidren's Pastor for 10 years now.  On Monday I will be a guest speaker for a Christian Education class at the college where I graduated from.  I was thinking about sharing with them how CM has changed in the 10 years that I have been in ministry.  Here are some of the shifts that I have seen in my own minsitry....

    * From Teaching focused to creating relational and learning experiences.
    * From segregated ministry to integrated ministries.
    * From the church being internally focused to community/externally focues.
    * From the broad CP/Director (birth thru) to specialized directors/coordinators.
    * From finding warm bodies to recruiting on giftedness.
    * From focusing on kids to "say the prayer" to getting kids to begin and take "a journey" with Christ.

Would love to hear from others on how you've seen CM change in general or your own personal ministry in the last 5-10 years or so.....

Click the link above to add your thoughts

When your pastor is the problem

Link: ChildrensMinistry.com:.

Children's ministry was Ann's* life, and her first year at a new church was a honeymoon. All her requests were granted. Then, when her ministry started taking off, the honeymoon soured. Her senior pastor became a dictator, telling her who she could and couldn't talk to, demanding blow-by-blow descriptions of everything she did, and even criticizing the way she dressed.

"I couldn't reason with him," Ann says. "And his decisions weren't always in the best interests of the children and their parents."

As Ann's ministry grew, her jealous senior pastor felt like he was losing his authority. So he cut out some of Ann's flourishing programs and said she was too aggressive.

After Ann resigned, her male replacement-whom she had trained-did everything she had tried to do but the senior pastor had blocked.

AREAS OF CONFLICT

Unfortunately, Ann's situation isn't unique. If you've been in children's ministry awhile, you've probably had at least one tough experience with a senior pastor. And if you're a newcomer to the field, it's bound to happen to you eventually. Everyone's negative situations differ. But they all threaten your ministry to children.

More at the link above

When a storm hits your children's minsitry

Link: ChildrensMinistry.com:.

After spending months creating a quality summer ministry for your elementary kids, you’re very proud of your Wonderful Wednesdays program. How awesome! Five Wednesdays during the summer—a trip to an amusement park, a bicycle trip, a zoo trip, a movie, and a trip to a local hands-on science museum—all opening with singing time, devotions, and visits from local mission groups. While passing out the colorful booklets you spent hours preparing, a parent approaches you. She blurts out, “Just wanted to let you know I signed up to chaperone the zoo trip. I know you have that policy about not bringing babies, but I’ll have to bring baby Madison. I just can’t find a good sitter.” Unfortunately, your safety policy clearly states, “All children attending Wonderful Wednesdays must be of elementary school age; no one under or over this age is permitted on the outings.” In a very respectful, loving voice you explain the reason behind this rule and the importance of sticking to it. The mother quickly retorts, “Well, you can just count my Katie out of all the Wednesdays then! A mother should be allowed to bring her baby with her. What kind of children’s minister are you? That rule is crazy and there are several others who feel the same way!”

More on Ministry Storms at the link above

Getting to grips with the big picture

Link: Getting to grips with the big picture.

Several of the articles in this series have stated how important it is that we teach young people the tools to understand the Bible correctly, in my opinion, enabling them to fit the ‘small parts’ into the ‘big picture’ is one of, if not the, most beneficial tool you can teach them.

Having an overview of the Biblical story not only helps you understand where individual parts fit into the whole, it also provides you with an outline of the Gospel message, it explains God’s plan for humanity, and it also provides an extremely useful theological framework. It’s a framework of Creation, Fall, Redemption and Consummation.

    * Creation: God created a perfect world out of nothing. Humans are the pinnacle of his creation and are God’s representatives on earth, made to live in relationship with God (and each other) and serve him.

* Fall: Humans disobeyed God. This had far reaching consequences on individuals, communities and the entire planet.

    * Redemption: Jesus Christ reconciled us with God when he died for our sins.

    * Consummation: The Holy Spirit enables transformation to take place and the church is meant to be establishing God’s Kingdom here on earth in part. Jesus will return to establish a new heaven and a new earth which will be perfect – God’s Kingdom in full.

When Wild Kids Show Up

Link: ChildrensMinistry.com:

How to avoid a showdown.

The best-made lesson plans of children’s ministers often go right out the window when certain children walk through the door. Yeah, you know the ones!

“Wild kids are the ones who show up to your class with their own agenda,” says Eric Wesley, children’s pastor at Mt. Hebron Missionary Baptist Church in Garland, Texas. “They have it set in their minds that they’re going to have things their way regardless of the consequences to them or anyone else around them.”

So how do you avoid a showdown with each wild child? Follow these tips from seasoned children’s ministers.

Click the link above for more

A child's questions and your responses

Link: A Personal Approach - Children's Ministry.

      Scripture offers assurance that kids can enter an authentic relationship with Jesus. You probably even know of examples that show children do commit their young lives to Jesus. So the question becomes how?

Many children's ministries answer that question with clear and relevant lessons, accompanied by creative Bible teaching. Incredible salvation messages for kids have become plentiful and readily available, and certainly enjoy success. But they represent only one approach. Because when one of these programs or lessons ends, little eyes frequently scan for adults in the room while their little minds formulate big questions.

Buy the Book

What happens next contributes mightily to a ministry's ability to reach its full impact. The adults in that room can help individual kids cross the line of salvation by engaging in simple conversations. Oftentimes, the situation calls for clear, plain talk about a relationship with Jesus. Or maybe answers to questions about God and heaven. These simple exchanges at church (or home) can have profound effects—but they call for preparation, because the stakes are high

Evolution - teaching kids, yes or no?

Link: Evolution - teaching kids, yes or no?.

    I recently did a lesson that compared creation with the various theories that are out there - evolution included and encouraged the biblical world view of course (i.e. that God is our creator)

I had a parent object to teaching kids about this.

Do you think this is a topic that is too mature to teach to children?

What would you say to a parent who objects to their child hearing about this.

Click the link above for the response to this question