RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Many churches say children's ministry is a priority.  But actions speak louder than words.

Here are 5 telltale signs that children's ministry is NOT a priority at a church.

1.  Lack of Personnel
The people in the church see serving in children's ministry as a punishment that has to be endured.  There are lots of people in the choir loft while the children's ministry has to beg for volunteers.  Adult Sunday School classes are full while the children's Sunday School classes often have to be combined because of lack of volunteers.

Take a look at where people are volunteering in your church.  It speaks volumes about how important children's ministry is. 

2.  Lack of Promotion
You never hear children's ministry mentioned from the platform.  If there is an announcement about children's ministry in the bulletin, you need a microscope to see it.  There are full color brochures about adult ministry but black & white brochures about children's ministry.  If a new family didn't ask, they would never know you had a children's ministry.

Take a look at what your church promotes.  You promote what is important to you.

3. Lack of Program Funding
The percentage of your budget that is spent on children's ministry is miniscule.  While money is spent on fresh flowers for the table at the front of the church every week, the children's ministry funding withers away.  Sunday school teachers recycle what little resources they have, while a brand new church van sets in the church parking lot.

Your church budget reflects what its priorities are.

4. Lack of Physical Space
While women's ministry has the best rooms in the church, the children's ministry is banished to the basement.  The carpet in the children's ministry area is stained.  The chairs in the children's ministry area were brought off the ark by Noah.  And when it's time to build, children's ministry is an afterthought.

Your church building speaks volumes about how important children's ministry is.     

5. Lack of Percentage of Kids 
The percentage of kids in your church is very small.  There are lots of empty chairs in your children's ministry rooms.  It's been a long time since the giggles of children was the predominant sound in the hallways and the cries of babies spilled out from the nursery.

The percentage of children attending your church reflects how important children's ministry is.

If these telltale signs describe your church, be encouraged.  You can turn things around.

In this post,  I share how you can make your church a place where kids want to be. 

And in this post, I talk about how children will bring God's blessings to your church.

The Millennials are the young parents who are emerging in your ministry.

There is much to be concerned about as we seek to reach this next generation of parents and their children.

The Millennials (born roughly from 1980-2000) look very different from previous generations when it comes to marriage and parenthood.

• 86 percent of births to women ages 18-19 are out of wedlock.

• 65 percent of births to women ages 20-24 are out of wedlock.

• It's likely that a smaller percentage of Millennials will marry than in any generation before them. 

It has been proven that children who grow up in a stable home with parents who are married fare much better than children who do not.

As we enter the next 5 years of ministry, I believe that parent ministry is the key to reaching the next generation of kids.

Why?

• No one has more influence in a child's life than his or her parents. 

• What happens at home outweighs what happens at church.

•  Spiritually healthy parents translates to spiritually healthy kids.

 How?

• Focus on programs and events that allow you to disciple kids and parents together. 

• Speak the truth in love.  If you are reaching your community, you will have many parents coming to your church who are living together unmarried.  Love them.  Give them room to belong before they believe and then give them the tools they need to behave after they have believed.

• Create milestones at significant times in families' lives such as child dedication, baptism, graduation, etc.  There are times when parents are open to help and instruction.  

• Partner with adult ministries.  Work hand-in-hand to reach and disciple parents. 

What a tremendous opportunity we have to reach a new generation of parents and their kids.  God is going to do great things through your ministry to impact these families.

And remember...when you reach a child, you change a life.  When you reach the parents, you change the entire family.