I have found myself asking the question recently “am i selling the kids at my church short by not creating more opportunities for them to practically live out their faith?”
Acts 2: 42-47 paints a very clear picture of what healthy church life and healthy church growth looks like. In these powerful verses we read that the early church was committed to a number of things:
1. Learning more about God
2. Community
3. Worship
4. Prayer
5. Mission
At CORNERSTONE CITY KIDS we go a long way to encouraging our kids to do all these things but we actually only really practice the first four. Our Sunday morning services create a space for our kids to connect to God and each other but I fully believe that we need to give them more. I believe that the church is a community of people coming together to fulfill the plan and the purposes of God. We are the people of God, called to do things of God, say the things of God, in the name of God, for the glory of God and by the power of God. Church goes beyond the confines of our walls on a Sunday. I’m pretty confident that children can connect a lost world to a loving God.
If the church is called to be missional then surely our children’s ministries should reflect that also. If we want our children to become excited about the things of God then surely we should create opportunity for them to actively participate in the things God. If we want to encourage our children to identify their gifts and equip them with the skills to use them, it therefore stands to reason that we as leaders should create the opportunities for this to happen.
If our call is “to go and make disciples” and we are not discipling our kids to disciple then surely we are selling our kids short!
If we are called to “shine” for God and we are not creating a safe environment for kids to shine for God then surely we are selling them short!
Do we sometimes underestimate the potential children have to influence the world for God?
In our efforts to get God into our kids to we miss the opportunity to release God out?
Should our children’s ministries become more missional?
Look forward to reading your thoughts.