RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

What keeps kids coming back to church?  What makes the biggest impact in a kid's life?  What is the key to helping disciple kids?

RELATIONSHIPS.

Building relationships with the kids God has called you to reach is one of the most important things you can do.  Here's 4 easy ways.

1. Say "Hi!" 
This may sound simple, but it's effective.  There are kids who go through an entire service without a single adult speaking to them.

This is especially true for kids who are quiet.  You know...the kid who sits alone or is out on the edge of the group.  Just a friendly "hi" can make a difference.

2. Talk with them.  Talk to kids about their world.  What's their favorite movie?  What did they do this week?  How's school going?  What's their favorite sport's team?  What's going on in their life?  

3. Get involved in their activities.
Rather than standing in the back texting before service,  get involved and play games with kids, do activities with kids, etc.  Don't just watch kids have fun, have fun with them.  When you take an interest in their activities, you'll make a connection with them.

4. Become real.  When you talk with kids and get involved in their lives, you become a real person that they will look up to and care about.  You become not just a "teacher" ...but a friend.  Kids will listen to someone who is their friend.  Kids will participate with someone who is their friend.  Kids will come back to church to see someone who is their friend.

It's not about cool buildings...it's not about big budgets...it's not about great programming...it's not about awesome videos...it's about relationships.

The floor is yours.  What are some other easy ways to build relationships with kids?  Share with us in the comment section below.

Did you know the average child that attends church only comes once a month?

One of the major reasons for this is parents teaching their children to worship the sports gods on Sunday instead of being at church worshiping God.

They probably wouldn't agree with this assessment, but actions speak louder than words.  What you put first in your life is what you worship.  And what you put first in your life is what your kids will put first in their lives.

I'm not anti-sports.  I played Little League as a kid and other sports all the way through school...but not during church.  My parents taught me that sports were beneficial, but not something to put before my commitment to God's house.

And it seemed that the leagues I played in agreed as well.  Games were not scheduled on Sundays.  Fast forward to today and that's often not the case.  Sunday is just another day to fill with games.  And parents, who want to make sure their kids don't miss out on anything, make the choice to skip church and head to the sport's field.

For many it becomes a slippery slope, enrolling their kids in 2 to 3 sports at a time.  Before they know it, sports has taken over their entire life and they are spending every Saturday and Sunday at the field.

Each year, parents are spending an average of $671 per child on youth sports with 20% spending $1000 or more.

There are over 35 million kids involved in youth sports.  Over 21 million of these are involved in non-school teams.

I love sports.  I played sports all the way through my school years.  I believe sports teaches kids valuable life skills such as discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and more.

That being said, let's talk about traveling teams.  If you're in children's ministry, you're probably very familiar with traveling teams.  These are teams that travel to other cities and states to play.  They require a much higher commitment level and are normally made up of kids who have above average skills. 

There is a financial cost.  Parents whose kids are on traveling teams currently spend over 7 billion dollars a year on travel alone.

But I believe the biggest costs cannot be measured financially.

How about the cost of disrupted home lives?  A traveling team means increased practices, busy weekends away from home and hectic schedules.

And the biggest cost...misplaced spiritual priorities.  In most cases, traveling teams can take kids out of church for weeks at a time.  I have personally seen families miss church 6-8 weeks at a time due to this.

What message are we sending to kids when this happens?  Are we teaching them that sports takes a priority over being in God's house?  In churches across the country, families are attending church less frequently.  The average family who attends church is showing up twice or less each month.  A percentage of this can be attributed to traveling teams.

I have a feeling I am getting some "amen's" from children's ministry leaders who are reading this.  So...what can we do to encourage families in this area?

We must teach parents the importance of bringing their children to church consistently.  In a positive way, we must share the difference it will make in their lives spiritually.

One of the best times for this is when parents are young.  If they can get this right when their children are in the nursery, they will continue when their children are in their pre-teen years.  I talk in this post about a key way you can do this.

We must teach kids and their parents to follow Matthew 6:33 in every area of their lives.  Seek God and His kingdom first.  There is nothing wrong with kids playing sports...as long as it doesn't replace God at the top of the list.  And where you're at on Sunday shows where God is on your list.

We must help kids fall in love with Jesus.  As we model what it means to be in love with Jesus, kids will see this as more attractive than putting sports first.  

We must make sure kids are personally known at church and are missed when they are not there.  When a child knows Mr. ______ or Mrs. ______ is waiting to see them at church, they will want to be there.   When they miss a weekend and get a handwritten postcard in the mail letting them know they were missed, they will want to be there.

Kids who are on the edge of the crowd will be prone to get involved in activities that take them out of church.  Being connected is a glue that keeps kids in church when traveling teams come calling. 

We must create environments that have kids dragging their parents to church.  When kids are part of a ministry where they have fun...are loved...are personally known...and can't wait to be...they will not want to miss...for anything...including sports.
  
What are your thoughts on this?
Do traveling teams affect kid's attendance in your ministry?
How do you encourage kids and parents to put Jesus first in this area?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below.