RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

LeCrae is an award-winning artist who is making an impact in the lives of young people around the world. Recently, I was watching him share his story and was reminded of the impact grandparents can have in the life of their grandchildren.  He starts by saying this.  

"I remember when I was 17 and a lady asked me, 'Are you saved?'  I didn't have any idea what she meant.  What is 'saved?'  The best thing I could think through was maybe she means, 'Am I like my grandmother?'"

Soon his grandmother's prayers would be answered as LeCrae found Christ and his life was transformed.  This is an example of the power of a grandparent’s legacy. The compound spiritual influence of a parent and grandparent in the life of a young person can be profound.

At the time of this writing, there are over 4.9 million children being raised by a grandparent in the United States.  Grandparents need our support and prayers as they invest in their grandchildren.

Here are five questions you can ask to help grandparents navigate raising and influencing their grandchildren.

1. How can you leverage the spiritual influence you have as a grandparent in the life of your grandchild?

2. How can you be more intentional about being involved in your grandchild's spiritual milestones?

3. How can you serve in your grandchild's environment at church?

4. How can we connect our Children's Ministry to our Senior Adult Ministry in our church?

5. What tools and resources can I use to help disciple my grandchildren?

For faith to continue through the generations of a family, there must be a passing down of that faith.  Parents' role is to pass down the faith to their children who will in turn pass it down to their children who will in turn pass it down to their children.  And so faith can thrive from generation to generation. There is a great example of this found in Scripture. 

"I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also."   2 Timothy 1:5

In this passage, we see faith was passed down through three generations.  Lois the grandmother, Eunice the mother and Timothy the son. We must remember that we teach what we know, but we produce what we are. I can guarantee you something.  Lois and Eunice lived their faith out.  As Timothy saw his grandmother and mother living out their faith, he was compelled to also possess this faith and live His life in accordance with it.

This doesn't mean grandparents and parents must be perfect to be a conduit of faith.  But it does mean that when we sin or our talk doesn't match our walk, then our kids and grandkids see us humbly admit our failure and ask God for forgiveness.

Be encouraged grandparents, even if you haven't been an example of sincere faith for your kids up to this point, you can start today.  Get with God. Ask Him to forgive you and help you be a faith example your grandchildren can follow.

No matter what your "faith passing down" situation has been up to this point, God offers you forgiveness and a fresh start.  He can use you to pass along a sincere faith starting today...right now.  Just admit to Him your failures and watch as He infuses you with a fresh faith that can change not only your life, but your grandchildren’s lives as well.

This is an excerpt from my latest book - Legacy...leave your mark on this world.  

You can get your copy of the book at this link. 

As children's ministry leaders, we should not only be focused on children, but their parents as well. 

Parents are the greatest influence in a child's life. So you should seek to influence the greatest influencers in children's lives.

It is important to always be thinking about how you can invest in parents and partner with them.

Here are some key conversations and trainings you can have to impact parents, which in return will make a positive impact on their children.

#1 - How to raise their children to love and follow Jesus for a lifetime.  A key time to have this conversation is when you are hosting a parent and child dedication service.  Have a class that is connected to the dedication.  In the class, explain what the dedication is about AND talk with the young parents about the essentials they need to raise their children in God's ways.  If you can speak into parents' lives at this early stage, you will see the fruit for many years.

If you are looking for a great parent and child dedication class, I have one that is being used by hundreds of church.  You can check it out at this link.

#2 - Making God's Word a priority in their home.  As kids enter elementary school, it's a great time to talk with parents about making God's Word a priority in their home.  A great way to do this is to have a Bible celebration class for children and their parents.  In the class, you can give parents practical ways they can help their children grow to love God's Word and make it part of their life.  I also have a class available for this at this link.

#3 - How to lead their child to Jesus.  Some parents are not prepared to lead their child to Jesus.  You should partner with them in the most important decision their child will ever make.  Again, a class is a great way to do this.  Have kids and parents attend together as you clearly share the Gospel. 

Talk with them about these questions:

-How old does a child have to be to enter a relationship with Jesus?

-How can I know when my child is ready to make this decision?

-What verses should I use to share the Gospel with my child?

You can get more information about the Starting Point salvation class at this link.

#4 - The importance of consistent church attendance.  In many churches we see families attending one to two times a month.  This means the children are missing over half of the lessons.  Then we wonder why they grow up and don't know God's Word or how to defend their faith.  It is crucial that you help parents see how important it is to be in church consistently for the sake of their children.  

We see many families in today's culture who choose to have their children in sports on Sundays.  Not to mention the traveling sports teams which will take children out of church for weeks on end.  We must help parents see that if they want to see their children serve Jesus for a lifetime, then they must start now making church the top priority for their family.

#5 - Preparing their children to enter the teenage years.  This is a great time to talk with parents about how to parent a teenager, pitfalls to avoid as the parent of a teenager, how to help their child thrive in their teen years, etc.  A class is a great way to communicate this.  It's also a great time to partner with your student ministry as you invest in parents during this critical time of transition.  You can see the class I developed for this at this link.

#6 - How to protect their children from online pornography.  This is so crucial.  I can't tell you the number of times I've had parents come to me and with tears in their eyes share that their child has been exposed to pornography online.  We need to be proactive and talk with parents about this before it happens.  Give them tools like online filters that block questionable information and protect children from being exposed.  

Many pre-teens in today's culture have smartphones.  Pornography is just one click away if preventive measures are not taken.  Consider having a parenting seminar that covers this issue and equips parents to put preventive measures in place.

#7 - Why we believe what we believe.  Kids are growing up in this culture unprepared to defend their faith.  Apologetics is a must.  Doctrine is a must.  Talk with parents and equip them with the resources they need to accomplish this.

#8 - How to model prayer in the home.  Help parents see the importance of prayer in the home.  It must go beyond just saying a quick prayer over the meal.  Provide parents with a prayer calendar they can use to pray over their children.  Get the tools in parents' hands that they need to have a family devotion time.   

#9 - How to help their children develop a Biblical worldview.  The culture that we live in is moving farther and farther away from a Biblical worldview.  Help parents equip their children to have a Christian worldview.  

#10 - How to help their children have a growing relationship with Jesus. Encourage them to have a time of daily Bible reading and prayer with their children.  Help them understand that this is something they should lead the way in.  When children know their parents have a growing relationship with Jesus, it will help them establish the same.  As children grow into their pre-teen years, they should also have their own time of Bible reading and prayer.