RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Do you ever feel like you are not making an impact?

Do you ever wonder if the kids are listening to anything you are trying to teach them?

Do you ever get discouraged because it seems the ministry is not growing in spite of all the hard work you are putting into it?

Do you ever feel like quitting because you feel inadequate for the seemingly impossible task you are working toward?

Do you ever wonder if there will be any fruit from all the time, resources, and energy you have invested? 

If you are like me and that's how you feel at times, then I have good news for you. You will see fruit in the future. By future, I mean years...even decades from now. 

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."  I Corinthians 15:58

Future fruit is a big reason to keep going.  You see...everything you are doing now will blossom into fruit in the future.  

Children's ministry leaders must walk by faith rather than by sight.  

Do you believe God's promise regarding this? 

Do you believe that fruit will come from the investment you are making now? 

If you do, then it's a big reason to not quit.

Future fruit comes from current faith.  

The truth is you will not see the full extent of your ministry until years from now. Some of it you won't realize until you get to heaven.  If you don't quit, then you will hear these words found in Matthew 25.

"Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in a little; I will appoint you over much. Go in, into your master’s joy."

Keep going! Don't quit! Stay steadfast! Your fruit is coming!  

That baby that you are rocking in the nursery will one day be used to bring thousands into the kingdom!

That toddler that you trying to help understand who Jesus is will one day introduce many to Jesus. 

That little boy that is always disrupting the class by talking out of turn will one day talk to people about Jesus' love and forgiveness.

That 2nd grade boy who seems to have boundless energy (during class), will one day go to share the Gospel with people all around the world as a missionary. 

That pre-teen girl who you can never seem to get to participate will one day be a passionate college student who boldly shares her faith.  

That boy that never gets involved in worship...just stands there with a blank look on his face during the worship songs, will one day be a worship leader.  

When you are working and serving at 110% but seem to just be hitting a wall....don't quit!

When you are physically exhausted from VBS and Camp and Retreats and All Night Lock-ins, don't quit.

When you have to stop in the middle of class and correct a group of boys who are causing a disturbance, don't quit.

When a parent gets upset and blames you for their child's actions, don't quit.

When a volunteer that you have poured your life into, stops serving and walks away from you, don't quit.

Don't quit!  Don't quit!  Don't quit! 

The fruit is coming!  Believe God's promise!  You will see fruit now and later if you don't quit!

If you haven't seen this video, I'd like to share it with you.  It is very personal to me, but I want to share it to encourage you today.   

Future fruit!  It's a big reason to keep going. 

Do you want to be successful in children's ministry? God wants you to have success.

Look what He says to you...

Notice how God clarifies success.  He says if you will follow Him and serve Him, then you can have "good" success.  

There is a difference between success and good success.  Good success happens when we follow God and fulfill His plan for our life. 

The success that God is talking about also pertains to children's ministry success.  

Children's ministry success is seeing your children's ministry grow.  

God wants your children's ministry to reach children. 

God wants your children's ministry to reach parents.

God wants your children's ministry volunteers to grow in their faith.

God wants the children in your ministry to be discipled.

God wants the parents in your ministry to become better parents.

God wants to use you and work through you to see good success. 

Let's look at 5 steps you can take to see your children's ministry have good success:

1. Spend time with God.  

God is the originator of good success.  The more time you spend alone with Him, the more He will pour out His blessings on your ministry.  

This has to be the first step if you want to see success.  Nothing of eternal value happens without prayer.  Look what God says about this in I Corinthians 3.

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

When you spend time with God, you are inviting Him to anoint and bless the ministry He has called you to lead.  You are asking Him to bless your ministry with good success.

2. Build your volunteer team.

Success in children's ministry doesn't happen flying solo.  It takes a team.  If I had to choose one word that indicates success in children's ministry, it would be volunteers.

Make building your volunteer team one of your top priorities.  

NBA legend Michael Jordon said this...

Great players win games.  Great teams win championships.

The success of your ministry rises and falls on the strength of the volunteer team you build.  You might be able to build an okay ministry by yourself...but you will have to build a great team if you want to have good success.

3. Have a clear vision that permeates your ministry.  

What does good success look like for your ministry?  

Put the vision in writing.  

Point your team toward the vision.

Continue to keep the vision front and center. 

Make sure every person on the team knows the vision.  You can't lead people toward good success if they don't know what defines good success.  

Focus your team on the "why" before you share the "what."  The vision lays out the pathway to good success.

4. Love and care for the families in your church. 

Ministry is all about loving people.  People whom Jesus loved and died for.  

As you love and care for the families in your ministry, you see them begin to look to you as one of their shepherds.  Of course, the senior pastor is their primary shepherd, but you will become the one who shepherds them on a day-by-day basis. 

Be a good shepherd.  Be there for the families in your church.  Love them.  Care for them.  Be there for them when they go through hard times.  

You've heard the saying...

People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Good success is not about how many people serve you.  Instead, it's about how many people you serve. 

5. Focus on reaching kids and parents who need Jesus.

At the end of the day, what matters most is how many people we can point to Jesus.  Jesus last commandment is our marching order.  It's found in Acts 1:8.

Jesus' heart is for those who do not yet know Him.  He is not willing that anyone should perish. 

As your heart beats in sync with Jesus' heart, you will find that He will bless your ministry with good success.

As you have been reading this, I pray that God will stir your heart afresh and anew to pursue Him and live for the things that really matter.

I believe if you focus on these things, your ministry will see good success.

Studies show that 13% of Gen Z (ages 11 to 26) claim to be atheists. This is double the number of adults who say they are atheists.

If we are going to see the next generation follow God, we are going to need His wisdom and guidance.

This past Sunday, I was in the adult service. There was a baptism taking place at the end of the service, so at the end of the service, we brought our K-6th grade kids into the auditorium to experience it. 

I was watching the reaction of the kids to what was taking place. 

I noticed how one little boy (kindergarten) began carefully watching his mother who was sitting on the front row. 

Before the baptism, there was a worship song.  This little guy begin watching his mother intently during the worship song. As she raised her hands upward to God, this little boy was captivated as he watched his mother worship.  

After watching her worship for a minute, he slowly raised his hands in worship as well.  It was a captivating moment for me as I watched this little boy follow the lead of his mother in worship.

On the way home, I was still thinking about what I saw between the mother and her son. It reminded me that children are watching us.  

Children may not understand everything that is going on in the church world, but they do naturally watch their parents and other adults to see how they respond to the things of God at church and at home.

This places a big responsibility on parents and the other adults at church.  We must remember this...

Kids may not always be good at listening to adults...but they never fail to imitate who they are.

We must walk the talk for the sake of the next generation.  Actions truly do speak louder than words.

We must worship God in spirit and in truth.

We must lead by example. 

We must be intentional about passing on our faith to our children. 

An example of this is found in 2 Timothy 1:5.  

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice.

Paul encouraged Timothy for the genuine faith that was in him.  It was a faith which earlier had been in his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice. What an example of godly parental influence.

Children are watching to see how we respond in tough times. 

Children are watching to see if we pray not just at church, but during the week as well. 

Children are watching to see how we treat people outside of church.

Children are watching to see if we use our Bible outside of Sunday morning. 

Children are watching us to see if we spend time with God during the week.

Children are watching us to see if we really believe what we say on Sunday. 

Children are watching us to see if we will "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness."

Will we set a perfect example?  No...we will often fall short.  But even in our failures, we can show our children that God's grace and mercy will never fall short.  We may fail them at times, but Jesus never will. 

Our children are watching us. What do they see?

There is a church building that I drive by every day on the way home.  It is covered with weeds.  The roof is damaged severely.  There is a for sale sign out front.

As I drive past this church building each day, I often wonder what happened?  

I am sure that decades ago there were babies in the nursery.  There were elementary kids giggling and laughing in the hallways. 

I know what happened.  They were not able to successfully pass down the faith to their children and grandchildren.

This verse describes what happened. 

After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works He had done for Israel.  Judges 2:10

The next generation didn't remember the Lord because their parents and grandparents did not pass the faith down to them.  Their parents and grandparents were not intentional about bringing them up in the faith.  They got so busy, that they didn't make time to tell them about what God had done in the past.

The next generation didn't remember the Lord because their parents and grandparents did not read God's Word with them.  Their Bibles collected dust during the week.

The next generation didn't remember the Lord because they didn't impart God's wisdom into their lives.  Instead of teaching the next generation how to listen for and hear God's wisdom, they taught them to rely on their own wisdom.

The next generation didn't remember the Lord because their parents and grandparents didn't tell them about the miracles they had seen God do.  They had seen God do miraculous things time and time again over the years. But the next generation did not not see this.  Miracles of the past doesn't guarantee present miracles nor miracles in the future.

The next generation didn't remember the Lord because they did not embrace the faith for themselves. God doesn't have grandchildren...only children. 

The next generation didn't remember the Lord because He was crowded out by false gods.  The next generation chose these false gods over the one and true living God.  We are seeing this happen in our day as well.  

Rather than passing down the faith, parents are passing down loving sports more than God.

Rather than passing down a real faith, parents are passing down a faith that is not authentic.  

Parents are not teaching their children to follow Jesus.  Instead, they are allowing them walk in the ways of the world.

Rather than passing down a faith in the one and only true God, parents are falling into the trap that says there are many ways to God.

Research shows that 13% of the next generation say they are atheists.  This is compared to only 6% of adults who say they are atheists.  

The next generation is slipping away from the faith because the church and their own families are so ingrained in the world that passing on the faith is not a priority.

It's time for parents to get serious about passing down their faith to their children.  As a children's ministry leader, one of your top priorities should be to encourage parents to get serious about passing down their faith to their children.  

It's time grandparents realize the important role they also play in seeing children follow Jesus.  After church yesterday, I spoke with a grandfather.  He came to pick-up his granddaughter.  He shared with me that he is raising his granddaughter because his children have gone astray and can't parent their child.  His story could be told 5 million times over.  There are currently over 5 million grandparents raising their grandchildren.  

Grandparents can help their grandchildren follow Jesus.

We are seeing many parents and grandparents who simply don't have it on their radar to raise their children to follow Jesus.  This will result in millions of children who will grow up and not know Jesus as their Forgiver, Leader and Friend. 

But there is hope. That hope is found first in Jesus.  As we introduce children to Jesus and disciple them, they can come to know Him and follow Him for a lifetime.  As we help parents see their role in reaching and discipling their children, we can see the faith passed on to the next generation. 

Yesterday at church, I had a conversation with two pre-teens.  Both of them are being raised in church. But when I talked with them, they both had limited knowledge of what Jesus did for them on the cross.  Both of them said they have never asked Jesus to forgive their sins and come into their life. I am praying that they will come to Christ and know the joy that comes from a growing relationship with Him.  

There is a battle going on for the next generation.  You can rest assured that the evil one is going all out to capture the hearts and minds of the next generation.  He is also trying to make sure that parents don't see their responsibility to raise their children to follow Jesus.

But you can change that.  Reach parents.  Disciple parents.  Give parents the tools they need to reach and disciple their children.  Encourage them to use these tools.  Make it a priority to influence parents, so they in turn can influence their children for Christ.  

Pray for the next generation.  Pray for the next generation to personally come to Christ.  Pray that parents will make their child's spiritual discipleship a top priority. 

Will our kids and grand-kids know Jesus?  Will they remember the God that we told them about.  Will they remember how we lived out a sincere faith in Jesus?  Will we tell them again and again and again our own personal faith stories and how we've seen God do amazing things in the lives of others as well?

If you haven't gotten a copy of my new book "Fertile Soil...See Kids' Faith Grow and Flourish for a Lifetime,"  you're missing out on a great tool that can help you and the parents in your church see children follow Jesus all their life.

Get your copy at this link. 

What a joy and blessing it is to serve in children's ministry.  God is always at work and oh, the wonderful stories we could tell.  

So let's share some stories about serving in children's ministry.  And let's make each story 10 words or less.  Here we go.  Enjoy. 

Child hears Gospel and responds. Life trajectory is changed forever. 

Enlist volunteers. Equip volunteers.  Encourage volunteers.  Empower volunteers.

Kids worshiping Jesus.  Lifting their hands to Him in praise.

Newborn child.  Parents dedicate their baby and themselves to Jesus.

Pre-teens invested in. Helping them transition successfully into student ministry.

Child is baptized.  Her parents are baptized.  Entire family reached.

Parents greatest influence.  Equipping parents with tools to successfully influence.

Success in school.  Success in sports.  Greatest success loving Jesus. 

Greeter smiles and welcomes.  Family feels at home. Family returns.

VBS time.  Lots of work.  Lots of kids accept Jesus.

Easter.  Everyone shows up at the same time.  Lots of kiddos.

Volunteers. Often hear the words "thank you for serving."

Volunteer in sweet spot. Volunteer loves serving and sticks around.

Volunteer going through tough time.  Leader prayers with the volunteer.

Family experience service.  Kids and families enjoying spending time together.

Baby in nursery.  Prayed over.  Bible promise spoken over baby.

Parking lot - excellent service.  Sermon starts in the parking lot.

Name tag on car seat.  Hard to remove.  Good luck.

3rd grade boys.  Lots and lots and lots of energy.

Kids' service is very fun.  Kids drag parents to church.

Kids' service is boring.  Parents must drag kids to church.

Apologetics taught. Kids stick with their faith for a lifetime.

Leader shepherds volunteers. Volunteers grow in their faith through serving.

Leader prays for each child. Children see God answer prayer.

Kid gets tool to share faith. Kid shares at school. 

Kids start serving.  Kids continue to serve others as adults.

Leader calls child by name. This makes the child's day.

Man serves in children's ministry.  Becomes role model for boys.

Faithful, servant leaders will be rewarded.  God keeps great records.

Child's parents divorcing. Leader prays with and comforts the child.

Kids go to camp.  Come back home a different person.

Nursery leader whispers prayers over the babies. God hears prayers.

Offering comes in coins not bills.  God uses the coins.

Child receives a handwritten note from leader.  Makes his day.

Kidmin computer and sound system messing up.  Frustration once again.

Main point is often repeated.  Moves into kids' long-term memory.

Child accepts Jesus into her life.  Big party in heaven.

Your turn. Share some more short stories about children's ministry. 10 words in the comment section below.