By: Crystal Mazzuca
The Contagious Faith of Children
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a small child and had him stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me. (Matthew 18:1-5)
As leaders in NextGen ministry, we are passionate about seeing kids know, love, and follow Jesus. We work week after week to plan lessons, activities, crafts, and experiences that will help kids connect with the truth about who God is and who He made them to be. We train, we pray, and we give so much to this mission.
Yet sometimes, this labor of love only happens within the confines of certain classrooms or areas of our churches. When kids ministry is relegated to a specific area of our churches, we are missing out on this learning opportunity that Jesus Himself pointed to.
The whole church can learn from the faith of kids.
Help Kids Be Visible to the Church
The church can be encouraged, excited, and even more engaged when they see the enthusiasm and joy of kids following Jesus. We can plan specific opportunities for kids to be visible and involved with the whole church. Consider ideas such as:
- Leading a kid’s choir or performance
- Inviting kids to serve as greeters and in other hospitality areas
- Allowing kids to lead prayer during a service
- Creating a video featuring kids to show to the whole church
- Including kids’ crafts in your church lobby
We can intentionally help kids be visible to the church and celebrate what God is doing in and through them. Their example encourages the whole church to love and follow Jesus with the joy and energy of our kids.
Help the Church Be Visible to Kids
Inviting adults in our churches to connect with kids in their kids ministry spaces is another way we can help the church as a whole learn from the faith of kids. This doesn’t mean simply trying to fill your roster with more volunteers. Instead, this is a chance to lift up the adults and influencers in your church in ways that help both adults and kids learn from one another. Consider ideas such as:
- Inviting special guests to share a message or teach a lesson
- Asking adults to teach skills or lead crafts
- Allowing the “big church” worship team to lead worship with kids ministry
- Host “Family Days” when whole families get to spend the day in kids ministry together
- Enlist the help of adults to work side by side with kids for renovation and decoration projects
When these influential adults are involved in your kids ministry spaces, the adults get a chance to witness the faith of kids, and the kids get to learn from adults who love and follow Jesus.
The faith of children is contagious, inspiring and encouraging others around them. So let’s help them share who God is and what He is doing in their lives.
Crystal Mazzuca is the Content Editor and Resource Specialist for Lifeway’s NextGen resource Hyfi. With an MA in Christian Education Administration, she has a passion to encourage and equip leaders to impact the next generation for Christ. She’s spent the last 20 years in Kids, Student, and Family Ministry and loves serving both the big C church and her local church in Olympia, WA. Crystal loves reading, going to the beach, and playing video games with her 3 sons.
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