Kids Ministry

Dedicated to helping Kids Ministry leaders in their mission of making disciples

  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Training
  • Events
  • Team
  • Resources
Leadership, Training
October 23, 2013

7 Influencers on Kids Ministry (Part 2)

By Bill Emeott

Emeott Web2I began this post with a little background and a couple influencers (Technology and Social Media). Take a look back at Part 1 if you missed it. I’m picking up with influencer #3.

106457000

3. Changing Families: Today’s families look a lot different than the families many of us grew up in. Quite frankly, today’s families look a lot different than we wish they looked. Divorce continues to affect around 50% of marriages (there seems to be no difference for churched families) and the divorce rate escalates for 2nd and 3rd marriages. Blended families are the norm, and dual custody often leads to kids who attend every other week. Multi-generational families are increasing with grandparents having more and more influence and responsibility for raising their grandchildren. Parents today tend to be over protective, over indulgent, overly permissive, and they find their own social status in their kids and the activities in which they push them to be involved. Our communities (our Jerusalems) are full of all types of families. Not just ones that look like ours or fit a particular stereotype. Our command is to reach them all.

4. Religious Plurality: There seems to be a tendency toward religious pluralism and a tolerance and acceptance for a “whatever works for you” theology. Additionally (and unfortunately), a strong belief in Christ and a practice of His teachings is being equated to bigotry and intolerance. Researchers are reporting that as little as 15% of millennials claim to be Christian and that Islam and Mormonism are the fastest growing religions in the US. It seems to me that we had better be putting a lot of our time and energy into teaching kids not only what to believe, but why they believe it! It’s not going to be enough to simply teach Bible stories; we must help kids know how to defend what they believe to those who might challenge them. I worry that we may not be preparing our kids for the reality and future they may face.

Tomorrow morning I’ll post the final installment. Check back then for influencers 5-7.

You may also like -

  • Crossing the Checkpoints for Life’s RaceCrossing the Checkpoints for Life’s Race
  • Helping Kids who Deal with Anxiety IssuesHelping Kids who Deal with Anxiety Issues
  • 6 Budget-Friendly Backyard Games for Kids6 Budget-Friendly Backyard Games for Kids
  • Fun Father’s Day Craft for KidsFun Father’s Day Craft for Kids

Filed Under: Leadership, Training October 23, 2013

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS

Sign Up to receive the free Kids Ministry 101 Magazine!

Get the Digital Magazine Get the Print Magazine
Want to write for Lifeway Kids?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,213 other subscribers

@LifeWayKids
FOLLOW
My Tweets

All Ministry Sites

Leadership
Kids Ministry
Student Ministry
Groups Ministry
Women’s Ministry
Worship Ministry

Digital Resources

Ministry Grid
Lifeway Worship
Digital Church
KidEvent Pro
MyCurriculum Manager
Simulcast Manager
Lifeway Reader eBooks
Generosity
WORDsearch
SmallGroup.com

Lifeway Network

Lifeway Research
B&H

Copyright © 2021 · Lifeway Christian Resources · All Rights Reserved