Forgotten by many, ignored by others, belittled by some. Unable to vote in business meetings, unable to raise funds for their new building, and quietly forgotten in a pew. Sometimes loud, sometimes obnoxious, and generally hard to keep up with. These are children in our churches today. Oh yes, we love children and we love those who help children, but is there really a pounding heartbeat in our churches that says, “If we don’t reach them today, we probably won’t reach them at all”? And therein lies my dilemma. Child Evangelism Fellowship says 85 percent of everyone who comes to Christ does so by age 14. What if that number is off? What if it is only 80 percent? What if it is only 75 percent? Or worse yet, what if it is only 70 percent? The dilemma is this: We say children are important, but what are we doing about it?
WHAT CHILDREN’S MINISTRY IS NOT
It is not babysitting. We do not simply hold on to children until “big church” is out. Would it be unreasonable for adults to wait on their children while they finished their lesson a little late?
It is not entertainment. Many believe kids need a “dog and pony show” so they will be interested. After all, if we cannot wow them, they won’t want to come back.
It is not just doing something religious with a willing volunteer. Many pastors go to Bible college and some go to seminary, primarily to lead adults and sometimes youth, rarely children. What if children’s workers were recruited, trained, and led by a pastor . . . a pastor of children?
WHAT CHILDREN’S MINISTRY IS
It is Biblical. Look seriously at the greatest commandment of all time. It is found in Deuteronomy 6:4–9. We are told to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength. Context: Children! “These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children” and talk about them all the time—to children.
It is a serious commitment. Teachers ought to be committed to teaching because they love each child. A serious commitment to children requires time, energy, and finances. That commitment ought to be made by godly men and women who have hearts for God and are seeking Him daily. But if parents don’t bring their children to your class the next week because of a soccer match 200 miles away, don’t sweat it. Get through to the children while you have them, because you may not be able to influence them tomorrow. The stakes are high. I know the entertainment industry is just dying to sell your children the next Playstation 3 or Xbox. And the music industry is just waiting for you to buy your children an iPod and download boatloads of music. (I am not saying PS3 and iPods are wrong; I have one of each.) What I am saying is this: The tentacles of the world are trying to reach your children. They are itching to get them hooked on stuff that does not promote godliness. And we wonder why our teens don’t turn out godly. Research expert George Barna says that most people go to the grave believing what they believed at age 13. A serious commitment to children . . . think about it. Would you make that commitment as a teacher? Are your teachers called to work with children?
It is now. At ABWE we call our ministry “Next Generation Ministries,” but in reality it is “This Generation Ministry.” Next generation implies potential. This group of 21st century kids not only has potential, they need us today. They need our best leaders, our best teachers, our best influencers. Could it be that any of us think that this “kid stuff” is not for us? A slogan for a Christian youth organization might be, “Because they need us today.” We don’t have tomorrow! We can’t put it off for a better day! The battle for the hearts and minds of children will not get easier and it won’t go away. We can’t sit around singing “Kum Ba Yah,” waiting for children to get their hearts right. It is now that we must teach. It is now that we must raise the budget for children. It is now that we must build a building for children. It is now that our leaders must get seriously involved in the lives of children. It is now that we do for children what we put off yesterday because we were too busy. And it is now that we must vigorously teach our children that Jesus Christ is the only hope they have.
—Jim Cook, director
ABWE Next Generation Ministries
