RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

There are a lot of things we can do in children's ministry.  Classes.  Small groups. Fall festivals. Events. Camps. VBS. Mid-week programming. Children's Choir.  

All of these are good things. But at the end it all comes down to this...

Are we sharing the Gospel with kids and families?  Are we telling them about the greatest thing that has ever happened here on earth?  

If this is true...let me ask you a few questions.

Do you regularly share the Gospel with kids and parents?

What steps do you have in place for a child to take when they understand they need a Savior?

Is the Gospel woven into the curriculum you are using?

Do you see the baptism waters stirring on a regular basis for kids who have made a decision for Christ and are now being baptized? 

Look what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:2.

For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

Paul goes on to say this in Romans 9:3. 

For I could wish that I myself were accursed and separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kin according to the flesh.

Paul was basically saying that he would be willing to trade places in eternity with those who are lost. I don't know if I could truthfully say that. Now that is a passion for people who don't know Jesus. 

In the end, it all comes down to this.  Saved or lost?  Condemned or forgiven?  Redeemed or perished?

It's easy to get sidetracked. 

We start using a curriculum that doesn't clearly share the Gospel.  

We get so busy with our "lesson plans" that we neglect what is most important.  

We are not intentional about sharing the Gospel with the kids.  Weeks and even months go by where we don't share the Gospel with the next generation.

We start teaching character traits instead of teaching the kids about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. 

We teach the kids about Jesus, but don't help them understand it's about personally knowing Jesus not just knowing about Jesus.

When was the last time you shared the Gospel with the kids and parents God has called you to reach?

We know that 85% of people who come to Jesus do so by the age 18.  

Children truly are the greatest mission field in the world.  

We must reach them now...while their hearts are open and receptive the Gospel. 

Do you have a plan in place to share the Gospel with kids and their parents?

Starting Point is a class that is designed to share the Gospel with kids and their parents.  It gives a clear presentation of what it means to follow Jesus. Below are a couple of video examples from the class.  This is the class I used to see over 430 kids come to Christ and get baptized in one year.  And yes...every single child who was baptized had been through this class with their parents. 

Hundreds of churches are using this class to reach kids and their parents. It is available as an instant download at this link.

It is very interactive.   Here is an example.  Kids draw this out. 

You will notice that there are two other men that day being crucified with Jesus. The other two men deserved to be there. They were criminals.  One of the men made fun of Jesus and said "no" to Him.  The other man said "yes" to Jesus and Jesus told him he would be with him in heaven. These two men represent the entire world. These two men represent the children in your community.  Every one has to make a decision about Jesus.

It all comes down to this.

Take a look at this well-known verse in Luke 18. It's a verse that we use to show how much Jesus loves children and wants them to come to Him.

"But Jesus called the children to Him and said, 'Let the LITTLE children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'"

Notice Jesus uses the word "Little" when describing the children.

This leads to the question, "How little is too little for kids to accept Jesus as their Savior?"

At what age is a child ready to enter a relationship with Jesus?

What does a child need to know and understand to follow Jesus?

What is the age of accountability and when do kids cross that line?

Here are few thoughts about little children coming to Jesus. 

There is not a specific age for a child to accept Jesus as his or her Savior.  The age of accountability happens when a child understands they have sinned and need a Savior.  The age of accountability is different for each child.  For some, it may be 8 years old.  For others, it may be 10-years-old.  For others, it may be 6-years-old.

A key factor is mentioned in the previous paragraph.  A child must understand that they have sinned and owe a debt for that sin.  If you ask a child if he or she has sinned and they say "no," then they are not ready to accept Jesus as their Savior.  A child must understand that they are in need of a Savior.  You can't get "saved" if you don't understand that you have sinned and need a Savior.

Children must also be old enough to understand what Jesus did to pay for their sins.  They must understand that Jesus died, was buried and rose again for their sins. 

As I mentioned above, there is not a specific age of accountability.  But I will say this.  At the age of 7-8 years old, children begin to understand abstract thinking and not just a concrete understanding. In other words, if you tell a child who is 5-years-old that Jesus is the bridge back to God, the child will think it is a literal bridge. But if you tell this to a 8-year-old, the child understands that this is an illustration of Jesus being the way back to God.

Another key factor is seeing if the child shares that they NEED to make the decision versus just WANTING to make the decision.  There is a difference between needing vs. wanting.  

Here's an example.  A child says, "I want to be saved, baptized etc. because my friend did that and it looks fun."  They are not ready. 

In contrast, a child that communicates that this is a decision they know they NEED to make is probably ready. 

For the first 20 years of my ministry, I would share the Gospel with children in a large group format and then lead them in a group prayer to accept Jesus as their Savior.  But I wondered if the children were really understanding the decision they were making?

So I made a shift.  When kids responded to the Gospel, I paired them up with a volunteer who counseled them one-on-one to make sure they understood what they were doing.

But there was still one missing piece.  As I shared with parents that their child had invited Jesus into their life, I could see the parents were excited, but they also wished they could have been there when it happened.  

So I made a final shift.  Instead of praying the salvation prayer with kids who raised their hand, I invited them to a class with their parents.  In the class, we clearly shared the Gospel and made sure kids and their parents understood what it means to follow Jesus.  And something amazing happened, I began to see kids and parents step across the line of faith at the end of the class. 

I have made this class available to other churches and hundreds now use this approach.  At this link, you can see more about the class and how to implement it in your ministry.

How little is too little?  

How old is old enough?

Let me say a final thing as you ponder these questions.

Think about this...

God has not called you to hold kids back from accepting Jesus.  

God has also not called you to push kids into a decision they are not ready to make yet.

What God has called us to do is to walk alongside children.  Have faith conversations with them.  

The Holy Spirit will then draw kids to a genuine salvation decision when the time is right.

What an awesome privilege we have to share the Gospel with kids and families.  Share it faithfully and watch what God does.

p.s. Have you signed up yet for my live webinar that is coming March 30?  Here is more information at this link.  Join churches from across the U.S. and several other countries for this time of learning and growth.