RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Do you find yourself saying any of these at church?

Sssshhhhhhh!

Sit still!

Quiet please!

No moving!

Keep your hands still!

If you grew up in the industrial age model of education, where everyone was placed in rows of chairs and told sit still and listen to the "lecture" up front, then you may be bringing that model to the next generation.

Only problem...that's not how kids are wired and that's not how they learn best.  Just because you and I (if you're over 30) had to sit quietly through hours of torture doesn't mean we should make today's kids do the same.

Studies show that kids learn best when they are active.  Kids who perform better in school are more likely to be physically active on a regular basis.

Adding movement to your class or worship environment at church will increase attention, behavior, and retention.

Here's some tips to get things moving...

• Use motions with your songs.

• Honor kids' attention span.  It maxes out at 5 minutes.  Don't make them sit still and listen to your "lecture" for more than 5 minutes at a time.  You can do a 20 minute "lesson" just break up the "talking head" with an activity every 5 minutes or less.

• Play active games that reinforce the lesson.

• Do crafts / activities that allow them to get up and move.

• Get them involved in helping teach the lesson by acting it out.

• Make motions for Bible verses they are memorizing.

Your turn.  The floor is yours.  What are some ways you get kids moving during their time at church?  What is one of your favorite activities or games you use to teach kids?

A recent study shows that between 1960 and 2008, the number of uses of "I" or "me" increased 42%, and instances of "we" or "us" declined 10%, in hundreds of thousands of American books.

The rise of the singular pronoun and the decline of the plural are consistent with the consumer mentality that has grown steadily over this time period.

"It's all about me" has been carried into the church world as well.  Many families "church shop & hop" based solely on their needs.  Church is seen as a place to consume instead of contribute.

So here's the big question.  How do we help the next generation shed this shallow form of following Christ?  I'm sure you've pondered this question as well.

Here are some things we are doing to help kids and families move away from the church consumer mentality.  We've seen these steps help people make good progress in moving from consumers to contributors.

Teach what the Bible says about contributing.  
Don't shy away from it.  Be bold in proclaiming that the Bible says contributing is a vital component of following Christ.

You are never more like Jesus than when you are giving your time, treasure, and talent to help others.  Every believer is called to contribute.  

Take them on mission trips. 
Mission trips can be life changing.  One mission trip can help a child and family move from consumer to contributor.

For the past 4 years, we have taken our pre-teens on a one day mission trip.  The impact has been huge.  And at Thanksgiving, we bring families together to serve meals to those in need. 

Give them opportunities to serve. 
We tell kids to "sit still and be quiet" in church and then we wonder why as adults they are "sitting still and being quiet" in church.

Kids are eager to serve.  Make opportunities for them to serve.  We have created teams of kids who serve as greeters, ushers, sound tech, lighting, and more.  Many kids also serve alongside their parents.

Replace some of your summer "fun-only" trips with service projects.
We have shifted from doing "fun only day trips" with service projects.  Instead of taking kids to play mini-golf, we take them on service projects such as passing out water to people on a hot day, cleaning a local school, serving free snow cones at community events, etc. 

Shift from away from giving prizes for spiritual disciplines to something more meaningful.  
This has been one of the biggest wins we have seen in helping kids move from consumer to contributor.  If you haven't read about the strategy, you can read about it at this post.  It's worth the read and could make a huge difference in your church as well.

Okay.  The floor is yours.  What are some other things you are doing or want to do to help kids and families move away from the church consumer mentality? 

Kids are growing up in a world that has very few quiet times.  

Mobile devices buzz almost non-stop with texts, email, tweets, or phone calls.  24/7 television channels are on most of the time in our homes.  Earphones plugged into ipods pipe music into our ears.  In the car, we have music, the dvd player, or the radio cranking.  The noise of the latest "viral video" coming from our iPad or tablet constantly catches our attention.  The sound effects from video games can be heard for hours a day.  The audio from commercials or advertisements come at us like a flood.

The other day, I was reading the story of God speaking to young Samuel and something jumped out at me.  When did Samuel hear God's voice?  It was while he was lying in the "quietness" of his bed.  In the quietness, he was able to clearly hear God's voice.
 
I wonder if kids would hear God's voice more often if provided them with more quiet?

It's something you will have to be very intentional about in our busy, noisy culture.  

You'll have to teach kids to unplug from the noise on a regular basis.  And that's not easy.  Because we all get addicted to the noise, don't we. 

You'll have to help kids find a quiet place.  Somewhere away from the noise.  Maybe in the backyard under a tree.  Maybe in their room.  Maybe in the living room with the tv and computer off.

You'll have to teach kids how to get alone with God.  Alone is where they'll find the quiet place.  

And the quiet place is where they'll hear God's voice as they spend time with Him.