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Babysit or Teach?

By May 1, 2007June 6th, 2014No Comments

At 2:00 a.m. on February 19, 1945, heavy guns from the United States Navy began bombarding the island of Iwo Jima, 650 miles south of Tokyo. At 8:30 a.m., about 110,000 marines landed on the volcanic rock island, and unable to dig any foxholes, they were sitting ducks. The men fought for thirty-six days on an island one-third the size of Manhattan.

Four days after the initial landing, the marines of “Easy Company” captured Mount Suribachi. Casualties had been heavy for Easy Company, about 40 percent. On that historic day, February 23, six courageous men—Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, John Bradley, Harlon Block, Michael Strank, and Rene Gagnon—raised the American flag for all the other marines to see. Little did they know it would become one of the most historic flag raisings in history. The moment was photographed and became a symbol of patriotism and courage.

Those six men, along with the 110,000 marines who fought valiantly with them, believed in freedom, and many gave their lives defending it. They all were fighting for something they believed in deeply, and they committed their lives to their cause.1

I honor the commitment of those men and many other patriots who have given their lives for their country. I volunteered to be in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, and while I never made it to Vietnam, I served with some who did. A war veteran knows that what he is fighting for must cost something.

Another cause to “fly the flag”

It was at my church near Pearl Harbor that I first began teaching children. I was twenty-two years old and had no previous experience. However, the Sunday School superintendent needed somebody. For some reason he asked me to teach ten-year-old boys and girls. I agreed to help the church until they could find somebody else (which never happened).

Almost thirty years later, I have come to understand that just as those World War II marines had seen a need to fly the flag for our country, children in our churches today desperately need someone to “fly the flag” for them. Bible doctrine and good, sound Bible teaching for children have been replaced by entertainment and babysitting (and many churches don’t even realize it). I see two main reasons that all of us must place children’s ministry at the top of the church’s flagpole.

Children’s ministry is Biblical

Children’s ministry was, in a sense, commanded by Jesus and is precious to Him. In Mark 10 we see the disciples asking Jesus about His views on divorce, an interesting subject in itself coming before the events that follow, since divorce harms so many young ones. Jesus had just finished teaching a group about divorce, and the disciples didn’t understand what He was saying. They went into a house to have a “question and answer” session. In the middle of this “Q & A,” some people brought children to Jesus so He would bless them. The infallible record tells us that “the disciples rebuked those who brought them” (v. 13). I find it quite interesting that the Bible doesn’t tell us who brought the children. It doesn’t ever call them parents, nor do we ever find out their identities. At best we can only assume they were the children’s parents. But they could just as well have been burdened children’s workers. Their burden, risking rebuke by those closest to the Savior, was that the children get close to Jesus. And the disciples rebuked them.

Guess what happened next? Our Lord and Savior saw the error of the disciples, and He in turn rebuked them. Verse 14 says, “But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.’ ” The Bible Knowledge Commentary interestingly notes, “The phrase ‘much displeased’ is too tame. Our Lord actually became indignant as He openly rebuked His disciples for standing in the way. Then He announced that the children were better kingdom examples than were the adults.”2

Why was Jesus so indignant? When we look at the previous chapter of Mark, we read that Jesus had just taught the disciples not to offend or despise one of those little ones. So our Lord was upset at them because they so soon violated His spoken will. He even pronounced great judgment on those who violated His principle. Here is the earlier event: “Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, ‘What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?’ But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.’ Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, ‘Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent me’ ” (Mark 9:33–37; see also Matthew 18:1–10).

As a parent, I believe I understand from experience what was going on in this account. Sometimes I tell my children to make their beds or turn off the television or clean the garage only to find out later that they did not heed my “teaching.” My next response is usually something like, “Did I not tell you a few minutes ago to . . . ?” I get a bit perturbed at them because they chose to violate my spoken will. Jesus had generally instructed the disciples to receive little children, and they so quickly didn’t do it. He had good reason to be upset with them.

Children’s ministry is practical

Most research that I have come across estimates that 85 percent of everyone who comes to Christ for salvation does so between the ages of four and fourteen, the so-called 4-14 Window. Russ Ebersole, a career missionary, once told me that more than 50 percent of missions volunteers became interested in missions when they were in that age group.

Let’s think in terms of investing. Does it not make sense that if 85 percent of people who ever come to Christ do so as a paidion (or “little one”), and if more than 50 percent of those who volunteer for missions become interested in missions at this same age, then why not fly our flag for these children? It makes absolutely no sense to me to settle for babysitting or plugging in a Christian video while the adults do something “important.” Let’s invest where the investments yield the highest dividends!

I am now a children’s pastor and doing prefield ministries for Next Generation Ministries. One of the senior pastors I talked to regarding prefield ministries told me this: “If I could do it all over again, Jim, I would do exactly what you are doing. I would be a children’s pastor.” This pastor sees the value of flying the kids’ flag at the top of the flagpole. May his tribe increase.

In next month’s installment, we will look at how to build a high-quality children’s ministry.

Notes

1 Iwo Jima. www.iwojima.com.

2 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, WORDsearch Bible software library.

Jim Cook was a children’s pastor for twenty-two years at Bethesda Baptist Church in Brownsburg, Indiana. Now he is in prefield ministries with the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE), developing Next Generation Ministries: Developing a Global Vision for Children. If you would like to talk to him about your children’s ministry or bring him to your church to consider him for missionary support, you may contact him at jcook@abwe.cc.

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