This past weekend, I was sitting at a table with some families in our church.
Two of the families shared with me that they are at our church because of the children's ministry. Their children had a great experience and waned to come back.
I have seen this happen hundreds of times. A family is reached through their children.
We see this in Scripture as well. Think with me about how many parents came to Jesus because of their children. Their connection with Jesus was because they needed something for their children. Healing? Brought back to life? A blessing and prayer from Jesus?
Growing, vibrant churches have growing, vibrant children's ministries...without exception. Take a look the fastest growing churches in America and you will see they have great children's ministries.
We know the top two reasons why people come to a church and stay. People are friendly and their children like the church.
If children's ministry is not a priority at your church, I would encourage you to share this article with your pastor. This might be the tipping point for your Pastor to get on board with making children's ministry a priority.
If children's ministry is a priority at your church, this article can be a reminder of the investment you are making in the next generation.
Here are a few things we are doing to reach parents through our children's ministry.
Milestone Experiences.
These are shared experiences where you celebrate with families. An example would be parent and child dedication. You can see more about at this link.
Salvation and baptism.
Instead of praying with kids for salvation apart from their parents, involve parents and let them lead their child to Christ. You can see more at this link.
Extending the lessons to the home.
This can be done with take home papers, texting, and social media platforms.
VBS Family night.
Make the last night of your VBS a family night. Have a large group time where you share the Gospel with kids and their parents. Give parents the opportunity to respond to the Gospel message.
Remember this...
When you reach a child, you change a life. When you reach parents, you change an entire family.
