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    Introduction to Children’s Ministry
    Introduction to Children’s Ministry
    Introduction to Children’s Ministry
    Ebook152 pages1 hour

    Introduction to Children’s Ministry

    By Victoria Feazell and Ted Johnston

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    About this ebook

    If you need guidance on how to set up and organize a children's ministry, here's a good place to start. Victoria Feazell wrote the long introductory article; Ted Johnston later wrote a series of articles describing the attitudes we need in guiding children's ministries. Last, we have a few articles by Jeb Egbert about parenting.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGrace Communion International
    Release dateJun 23, 2015
    ISBN9781310768910
    Introduction to Children’s Ministry

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      Book preview

      Introduction to Children’s Ministry - Victoria Feazell

      Introduction

      Children are a blessing from the Lord. With these blessings also come responsibilities. As stewards of God’s children, parents are responsible for helping children grow physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Churches have a responsibility toward children, too. We want to provide an environment in which children are safe, are taught at an age-appropriate level, and are encouraged to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.

      We minister to the spiritual needs of our children through a children’s ministry program. The need for this program is evident in that many young people reach adulthood and decide not to follow Christ. They had not been prepared to accept him as their Savior. One reason for this is that some churches do not have an effective ministry to children — do not have a program to help them receive Jesus into their lives.

      If we are to have a healthy future, it is essential that we have a viable children’s ministry. The purpose of this paper is to help churches develop an effective children’s ministry. This paper will not only give a general introduction, it will also address some specific needs. The bibliography lists a variety of good resources for additional information on children’s ministries.

      We will begin by discussing the purpose and goals of children’s ministry. These give an overview of what we are doing. They also give us a standard for evaluating the effectiveness of the programs we have and whether or not to add other activities.

      Chapter 1: Why a Children’s Ministry?

      Church growth

      The church preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ. We strive to deliver the message and to provide an environment in which it can be favorably received. Christians rejoice when people believe the gospel, accept Jesus Christ into their lives, and become part of his body, the church. We rejoice when new converts are added to the church, and we rejoice when potential converts begin to attend.

      Donald McGavran, in Understanding Church Growth, comments on three types of church growth: biological, transfer and conversion. Biological growth derives from those born into Christian families. The world is littered with tiny static denominations that obtain chiefly or solely this kind of growth. Biological growth is good, but it is slow.

      McGavran defines transfer growth as one congregation’s growth happening at the expense of another’s. This may occur if Christians search for a new fellowship in their community; it may also occur if they move from one city to another. This type of growth is not negative, but it does not add anyone to the body of Christ. The growth may be temporary, too, because members may move again.

      The third source of growth is conversion, which allows Jesus to be spread further into the community. Conversion occurs when those who do not know Jesus come to know him.

      In previous decades, most of our growth was biological and transfer. Many of our members came from other churches. Our young people were exhorted to continue to support the church when they became adults. Staying in the church was often given more emphasis than having a relationship with our Savior. We did not always see that children must be nourished spiritually if we expect them to stay with us. We wanted children to stay with the church, but as a church, we did not do much to achieve that goal other than to lay the burden on the parents.

      An effective children’s ministry will facilitate church growth through biological growth, transfer growth and conversion.

      Role of a strong children’s ministry in church growth

      Externally: A children’s ministry that is active and planning ahead has a great opportunity for activities that assist the church in spreading the gospel. Children of non-Christians can be invited to activities without feeling threatened. If the activity is offered without charge or with minimal charge, parents will be more willing to take their children. This is a nonthreatening introduction to the church. Children can make friends, parents can make friends, and the non-Christian friends can be invited to additional church activities, such as small group meetings and worship services.

      Children’s ministry also helps church growth by making it easier for new people to attend services. Parents will be able to listen to the messages without distractions. They will be confident that their children are loved, and that they enjoy spending time at church and making new friends. In this way, children’s ministry helps evangelize parents.

      Even if no children are in the congregation, it is good to be prepared for children. A church that wants to grow should pray for new people and be prepared for them. If members know that someone is prepared to serve visiting children, members can feel free to invite friends to church services. We want visitors, including parents as well as children, to enjoy the visit. We want parents to be able to participate in the worship and to listen to the sermon, and we want the children to learn something in a positive environment. This will not happen unless we prepare for the possibility.

      Internally: Children’s ministry helps the church’s biological growth because it teaches children about their Savior. It gives them facts and experiences that help them learn about and respond to Jesus. The existence of a children’s ministry helps validate the importance of children within the church. As a result, children feel welcomed and loved at church.

      Christians need other Christians to help them grow. This is one reason Christ founded the church. Only in a community are humans led to and nurtured in the love of Christ. The same is true for children. Children’s ministry brings adults and children together who might not otherwise get to know each other. This contributes to the building of bonds within the body of Christ. It also brings children together with others their own age, encouraging long-term friendships.

      Transfer growth: Americans move on average every two to five years. For this reason alone, Christians are often looking for new fellowships. A vibrant children’s ministry will be attractive to most parents. It may also be attractive to senior citizens, singles and others who want an active role in their church. Many people enjoy working with children.

      Spiritual nourishment

      Children’s actions are based largely on emotion. Thomas Armstrong, in In Their Own Way, notes that a child learns only in the presence of either negative or positive emotions. Because of the connection between learning and emotion, a child’s church experience needs to include opportunities for joyful expression of emotion. Children’s spiritual life cannot be separated from their emotions.

      Children who are given opportunities to be tuned in to their emotions through children’s worship, associating Christianity with joy and love, will learn to be spiritually responsive. Adult worship services are often too abstract to accomplish this. Children do not grasp abstract concepts until the beginning of puberty, and even then not at an adult level. However, a child can experience abstract concepts such as love and acceptance. Therefore, the church needs to nourish children through a feeling kind of ministry, in which children learn biblical concepts in an emotionally positive environment. The facts and the emotions work together to teach a consistent message.

      Relationship nourishment

      Children need other children. They experience joy in making friends. Even infants notice the difference between adults and children. An infant will often ignore adults who come into the room, but will focus on children who enter. Toddlers are attracted to babies and other toddlers. This courtship with peers continues into adolescence and adulthood. Friendships are important.

      Children’s ministry can help children learn to establish and nourish friendships. It can accomplish this through the following ways: 1) Direct encouragement, such as saying, Be friendly to these children, and they will be good friends. 2) Personal examples of the volunteers as they relate to each other. 3) Grouping children of similar ages so they have the opportunity to interact. 4) Sponsoring children’s activities that are open to community children.

      Church-sponsored children’s ministry events

      Families in the community are often willing to attend a church that will serve their children’s needs. A children’s ministry can sponsor events that are open to the community. These might be the community members’ first contact with Christianity. A welcoming environment for their

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