Kids Ministry

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

Discipleship, Kids Ministry, Ministry, Missions

Missional Sunday School

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By Anna Sargeant

Do you tend to think of the kids in your Sunday School classrooms as missionaries? Most people don’t. We think one day—when our kids are more mature or know more right answers or better understand their spiritual gifts or have learned to sin less—then God will use them. 

We think too little of both God and children. 

This blog is part of a two-part series on missional Sunday school, an approach to Sunday school which focuses on training kids to openly and eagerly share what they have gained in the gospel with others. There have been dozens of books written on the missional movement, and in sum, the missional mindset says, “As Christians, it’s the church’s job to take the good news to the lost, not for the lost to come to the church to find the good news.”

So in this first post, I’ll highlight three things:

  • God likes to use kids in His mission. 
  • Kids have what they need to be missionaries.
  • God cares about mission.

God likes to use kids in His mission. 

Look at Josiah, who became king of Judah when he was just 8 years old:

“Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” (2 Kings 22:1-2, emphasis added)

Talk about an important mission: ruling a whole kingdom! 

Or how about David, who scholars say was around 15 years old when he killed Goliath? It was the Israelite army’s mission to defeat their enemy, but they were terrified and did not trust the Lord. So David (the teenager) took on the job. He put His full trust in God and accomplished the task. 

David responded to Saul, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:37).

In other words, when David was even younger than 15 years old, he had been fighting off lions and bears with God’s help. David had developed such a robust faith in God, that he (the teenager) gladly stepped up and slayed the giant when no one in the military would.

This is what the kids in our Sunday schools need to know: a vibrant relationship with God will compel them to step out in faith, to be a witness to God’s power and glory in the world. And they can do this starting now. Josiah did it. David did it. Mary, Jesus’ mother, did it. Countless other kids and teens throughout history have done it. God loves to use kids in His mission. 

One way to jumpstart outward-facing, missional thinking in your kids is to ask certain questions following a Bible story. After discussing the facts, you could ask: 

  • How do you want to be part of what God is doing in the world? 
  • What needs do you see around you? What do you want to do to meet them? 
  • How can we work together as a church to meet those needs?

Kids have what they need to be missionaries. 

Not only is it possible for God to use kids in His missions, it’s necessary.  

According to a study conducted by the National Association of Evangelicals in 2015, 63% of Christians claimed they put their faith in Jesus between the ages of 4 and 14, the age range some have called the 4/14 window. Usually, we interpret this to mean that adults—family members, pastors, coaches, friends of the family, etc.— need to share the gospel with children. And that’s true! I became a Christian when I was five years old when my dad shared the gospel with me. 

But Christian children should not be ignored as credible witnesses to the gospel as well. After all, our children have testimonies: 

  • They can talk about what God is teaching them. 
  • They can talk about prayers God has answered. 
  • They can listen to someone’s pains or problems and pray for them. 
  • They can tell someone the basic gospel message: Our sin separates us and God, but Jesus paid for that sin when He died on the cross and rose again. Now all who believe in Jesus can have a real relationship with God.
  • They can talk about how God is helping them and changing their hearts.

A friend once told me even though her kids couldn’t articulate what was different about them after they became Christians, she could. She saw clear evidence of the Holy Spirit in their lives when there was no evidence before. Encourage the kids in your classrooms to ask their parents, “How am I different now that I am a Christian?” This information is part of their testimony. It’s part of what they can share the good news with their friends. 

Secondly, children have the spiritual qualifications of ambassadors for God. After all, what is God looking for?

  • Childlike faith (Matthew 18:2-4)
  • People who feel weak (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
  • People who are insecure in themselves (1 Chronicles 17:16)
  • People who can tell the truth, even when it’s awkward (Acts 4:20)

Still, some of us get worried when we think about our kids being on mission. We fear they will say the wrong thing. We’re afraid they won’t represent Jesus well. We don’t want them to face rejection and not know how to bounce back. But aren’t all of those the same fears we face as adults? And none of that should keep us from sharing our faith! So why should these things keep our children from sharing theirs—especially if the people they would be sharing with are their friends, neighbors, classmates, and teammates, all people in that 4/14 window? 

Again, a missional mindset is simply the mindset that says, “My faith isn’t only about me. I want to share the gospel with those around me! I want to be part of God’s mission.” Christian kids can have this mindset, and with the power of the Holy Spirit, they have everything they need to share their faith.  

God cares about mission

Lastly, it’s important that we help our kids to think this way so that we’re not giving them a partial gospel. God always intended to use His people to go to new places, to be a blessing wherever they were, and to fill the earth with His glory. Consider the following Scriptures:

The prophet Habakkuk said: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14) 

Jesus said, “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.“ (Matthew 24:14) 

Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) 

John says in Revelation: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10

This is the end goal—that people from all over the world hear the name of Jesus and believe—and God is inviting us to join Him. Let’s make sure our kids know this and understand that they can be a part of it, starting today! 

Anna served on the children’s ministry team at The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas from 2009-2017, first as a volunteer, then as full-time staff. She also wrote for six years for The Gospel Project for Kids curriculum. Anna currently works as an acquisitions editor for B&H Kids in Nashville. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading a book, sipping tea, chatting with loved ones, attempting to record a podcast, or walking in the woods.

Events, Family Ministry, Kids Ministry, Ministry, Resources, Teaching Kids
Encouragement, Events, Family Ministry, Kids Ministry, Ministry, Reaching, Resources

Ready, Reset, Go!

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Summer is here, and kids ministry leaders everywhere find themselves re-entering into the joys and challenges of conducting busy summer ministries like VBS, attending summer camps, and creating summer programming to re-engage kids and families. It has been encouraging to see so much momentum around vacation bible school this summer. If there was any question as to whether kids would return to at-church events, the answer is a resounding, yes!

The good news is that the positive response we have seen to summer ministry events would seem to indicate that kids and parents are ready to come back to church. Ready or not, kids are coming back, and we need to make sure we are ready to go when they arrive. It may be tempting to take a break and relax with a major vacation getaway and let ourselves let down after camp and VBS are over, it would be wiser to take a brief respite and quickly reset our sights on fall. The reality is that the calendar is not our friend. Time is short, and, if we are honest, many of us are not really ready. If you feel like you have been running late and making a lot of last-minute decisions you are far from alone. We have all been functioning in a reactive mode, shrouded in uncertainty, without the ability to plan as far ahead as we would prefer. 

Although we don’t have eons of time to regroup, we do have a window of opportunity to make preparations over the next few weeks so we can get out in front of what we hope will be a significant fall influx. But we cannot afford to delay. Now is the time to make key decisions and take important actions as we anticipate the restart of our kids ministries, some or all of which may have been on mothballs for the last 18 months. 

We cannot afford to simply return to what we did a year and a half ago. This is time to reassess, reevaluate, regroup, reenlist, reengage, and possibly reinvent our kids ministry strategies, programs, and personnel. We need to re-design our ministries to make sure that they are well informed by the current state of our culture and make adjustments where necessary. In many regions churches have already returned to ministry as usual where they no longer require leaders or kids to wear masks or to enforce strong guidelines on social distancing, however it is wise for us to continue to implement standards and practices that minimize contact and maximize space for everyone in attendance. If you have not already reviewed and updated your guidelines, now is the time. 

The Lifeway kids team has created two important and helpful e-books that you can find at lifeway.com/kmfa. 6 Considerations for Reopening your Kids Ministry gives insight in regards to standards of practice for safety, cleanliness and volunteer preparation and 10 Attributes of an Unshakable Kids Ministry helps you reevaluate your priorities so you can best serve kids and families as we emerge into a new post Covid season. 

We anticipate what may be the largest fall kick off for kids ministries anywhere, ever, so we would all be wise to create strategies specific for re-engaging kids and families who have not attended regularly over the last 18 months, and to welcome and invite new families from the community to visit our churches this fall. Summer is a great time to offer fun family events in your fellowship hall or parking lot to attract and connect with kids and their families. This is a great opportunity to proclaim that your kids ministry will be back in a big way this fall. Starting this conversation early will help kids and families prepare now to be back then. To help you host a successful relaunch event, the Lifeway kids team has also provided a handy kit for creating your own fall relaunch celebration. The Go Time Kit is a printable download that will help you outline an experience for families that will reestablish relational connection between your church and the community you serve and restart momentum as we get ready to press go. 

As we anticipate a massive return of kids and families to our churches this fall nationwide, we as kids ministry leaders need to not only gear up to re-open our doors and prepare our spaces for kids to be back, but also reevaluate our strategies in light of a world that has changed. Whether we are ready or not, fall is coming, and it is coming fast. Now is the time to get ready, and to reset, so that we can be all-systems-go as we near September and the relaunch of our kids ministries.

Chuck Peters is Director of Operations for Lifeway Kids. Before his role at Lifeway, Chuck had an extensive career in television and video production. He is a 3-time Emmy Award Winning producer, director, writer and host. A graduate of Columbia Bible College, Chuck, and his wife, Cris, have served vocationally & voluntarily in Student and Children’s Ministry for many years. They have four amazing children: Tally (21), Tristen (20), Tyson (14) and Tate (11). 

Encouragement, Kids Ministry, Leadership, Ministry, Reaching, Teaching Kids

3 Reasons Kids Returning to Church Need Extra Care

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Disclaimer: I am neither a licensed counselor nor a psychologist, just an untrained observer of human behavior.  However, over the past few months—as  preschoolers, elementary kids, and preteens have returned in-person to church gatherings—I either have noticed first-hand,  heard from others, or just sensed personally that something is different. 

I truly believe that our communities and churches have yet to see the lasting impact of lockdowns, long-term online learning, lengthy hospital stays,  deaths of friends and family members, cancellations of extracurricular activities, lack of appropriate physical touch, shortage of kidmin volunteers, and constant mask-wearing. If present realities are any indication, we’ll experience a continuation of these three issues: anxiety, anger, and antisocial behavior.

  1. Anxious. Kids have a lot to be anxious about: losing loved ones to COVID-19, completing school work, maintaining their lifestyle with one or both parents out of work, etc. 
  2. Angry. Kids are angry that they can’t play team sports, go to parties, be with friends, go on vacation, or eat at their favorite restaurant.
  3. Antisocial. Kids have spent a lot of time at home. They have lost the skills necessary to “play nice” with others. They haven’t had opportunities to share their stuff, and they haven’t been challenged to resolve interpersonal conflicts.

Lest we believe that only children are anxious, angry, and antisocial, think about the adults you come in contact with. Many of them probably have these same issues. Adults have learned how to cope, and in some cases, mask their feelings. Kids, however, are more transparent. And, these issues may seem to be amplified in kids because children are external processors. In other words, as a kidmin leader or volunteer, you will most likely be the recipient of that anxiety, anger, and antisocial behavior.

The question then is, “How do we provide extra care for preschoolers, elementary kids, and preteens who are anxious, angry, anad antisocial?” Among possible solutions, I suggest the following:

  1. Take care of yourself mentally and physically. Dealing with kids who are struggling behaviorally will be less reactionary and more lovingly responsive if we as adults get adequate rest, eat healthy foods, exercise, and nurture our minds.
  2. Take care of yourself spiritually. Spending time in God’s Word and prayer prepares us to love and care for kids. The more we are in tune with the Holy Spirit, the more we will exhibit “the fruit of the Spirit [which] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
  3. Take care of yourself socially. This may sound antithetical, but we as adults need to spend time with other adults in order to sharpen our social skills. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.” After over a year of attending church online, working from home, having our groceries and other purchases delivered to our homes, and consuming all forms of entertainment at home, our social skills are rusty at best and non-existent at worst. How can we expect to care for kids if we ourselves don’t know how to relate to people outside of our households?

I truly believe most of us are anxious, angry, and antisocial to some extent. If we take care of ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit, then we can provide extra care to kids who have these same behavioral challenges. Paul said it best when he wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5) Let’s receive God’s comfort and then give comfort to the kids in our ministries, in the name of Jesus.

_________________________

Landry Holmes is the Manager of Lifeway Kids Ongoing Bible Studies and Network Partnerships, Nashville, TN, and is a graduate of Howard Payne University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The author of It’s Worth It: Uncovering How One Week Can Transform Your Church and a general editor of the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids, Landry is a church leader, writer, workshop facilitator, and publisher. He teaches kids at his church in Middle Tennessee, where his wife Janetta is the Preschool Minister. They enjoy spending time with their two adult sons and their wives, and spoiling their five grandchildren.

Events, Kids Ministry, Ministry, Reaching

Different Ways to Engage Kids This Summer

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Chances are you’ve looked at the calendar and you know that summer is coming! Chances also are that you’ve looked around your church and realized that kids are going to need something to do to stay engaged while home during the summer. Depending on where you live, and the restrictions in your locale, you might be needing something different and creative to reach out to the kids in your ministry. Here are a few suggestions depending on your church’s level of return and comfort.

If you have no plans to be on campus during the summer months consider these suggestions for staying engaged with your kids. 

  • Hey, there’s always the old fashioned telephone. Giving kids (with parent’s permission) a quick phone call periodically just to catch up will go a long way in keeping them engaged in what’s happening in your kids’ ministry.
  • Have a drive by parade, only in reverse where you take the time to drive by the kids’ homes and shout a greeting. If you can, stop and pray for them from your car. 
  • Send virtual challenges through email or text as appropriate. Think of creative challenges kids can complete by themselves or with a sibling and have them record themselves completing the challenge and email or text it back to you. 
  • Host a virtual VBS event.

If your church and city are more open and you can have folks gather outside, consider some of these suggestions for staying engaged with your kids. 

  • Host family events at the church on Saturday’s or whatever day works best for you. Some of the fun things you could do outside are water day, fun field day, bicycle or tricycle parade, ice cream social or host a family picnic. 
  • Have your families gather to enjoy popsicles in the park.
  • Host outdoor neighborhood VBS events.

If your church and city allow on campus meetings, consider these suggestions for staying engaged with your kids.

  • Host a family game night where everyone brings their favorite board game and let everyone choose which game to play.
  • Organize a parent’s night out where you have fun games and activities for the kids while mom and dad get a few hours to relax, knowing their kids are well taken care of. 
  • Host a traditional on campus VBS event.

Staying engaged with the kids in your ministry is very important and hopefully some of these suggestions will spark an idea for you. 

Tim Pollard teaches 3rd graders at Tulip Grove Baptist Church. He’s passionate about helping kids dig deep into Scripture, which he pursues through his daily work as leader of the Explore the Bible: Kids team. Tim lives with his wife and daughters in Mount Juliet, TN.

Encouragement, Encouraging, Kids Ministry, Ministry

What We Need Now More Than Anything

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By Aaron Armstrong

Back in the far-off days of December 2020, there was a greater sense of anticipation about the coming year than I’ve seen in a long time. And it’s no surprise why: For many of us, 2020 was a gigantic dumpster fire. The pandemic and its fall out disrupted our regular patterns of life at every level. Concerns over the possibility of a loss of employment or becoming sick abound. We may not know from week-to-week if our churches will meet in person, in doors or outside, online or not at all. We keep expecting a return to normal, or at least some sense of a new normal. But neither has emerged yet. (Maybe next week?)

We are tired. Frustrated. And, frankly, more than a little discouraged.

And by “we,” I most definitely include me.

Numbing Our Discouragement

It’s really tempting to look for something to escape into when discouragement and frustration set in; something to bring some kind of relief, or to help temporarily forget everything going on in the world. Whether it’s a TV show to binge, a new hobby, or even spending more time going down different rabbit trails on social media, we all do it. (No judgment—I do it too.) I’m definitely not anti-entertainment. I often read crime novels and comic books to unwind. I listen to podcasts that make me laugh. And I even have a couple of games on my phone. Entertainment is good and fine, so don’t read what I’m not writing here.

Entertainment is good and fine. But we need something greater when dealing with ongoing frustration, anxiety, disappointment, or discouragement, like so many of us are facing right now. Something stronger. We need to be encouraged in and through the gospel.

What it Means to Encourage in the Gospel

That might sound like a strange bit of “Christianese,” the internal language that so many Christians use when talking about matters of faith, but it is anything but. It’s meant to ground our efforts to encourage one another, to provide encouragement a stronger foundation than general kindness. To offer true hope, rather than wishful thinking or simple platitudes.

And what is that hope? Ultimately, that hope is the gospel itself. The fact that Jesus lived, died, and lives again, that because Jesus is alive and the king of the universe, we have the best reason to maintain hope than anyone. And as we face discouragement in any area of life, but especially in ministry, it’s essential that we bring one another back to the gospel, taking what we are facing and experiencing, and look at it through its lens.

How Not to Encourage One Another

Okay, so what does that look like? Well, maybe it’s better to start with what it doesn’t look like. Encouraging one another in the gospel doesn’t look like:

  • Offering platitudes, however well meaning. While it is good to know that “God’s got this,” it can come across as dismissive. (Ditto, “thoughts and prayers.”)
  • Unintentional Bible-shaming. Reminding one another that our momentary sufferings are incomparable to the riches of Christ. While true (I mean, it is in the Bible for a reason), there is a time when even the most profound truth can be profoundly unhelpful.
  • Undesired problem solving. This is especially complicated: a desire to help and offer advice is a good thing. But sometimes our desire to help isn’t what’s needed in the moment.

That’s the negative side, but to be clear, none of it is malicious. It’s hard to imagine anyone offering a “God’s got this” or a Bible verse with the intent of causing further harm. It’s all based in a good desire, just poor execution.

How to Encourage One Another

Now, what about the positive? A couple of important caveats: First, nothing you’re going to see on this list is going to be earth shattering. There’s a reason for that: this kind of encouragement is often much simpler to do than we might think. Our bigger issue is that we overthink how to encourage one another! Second, you might even find some of the advice here to be contradictory, but there’s a reason for that too—just context and circumstances determine if we are to answer or not answer foolish talk and thinking (Prov. 26:4–5), context and circumstances determine our approach to encouraging one another. With caveats in place, here are five ways we can encourage one another:

  • Check in. You might be surprised at how much just receiving a text or even an email goes to a discouraged person (even if they don’t realize it).
  • Weeping with those who weep. Sometimes that can be enough. Whether via phone call, a zoom meeting, or in-person, when another believer is struggling with discouragement, something the best thing we can do is listen. Don’t try to fix a problem, just be present, as one who weeps with those who weep (Rom. 12:15), as one being willing to bear the burdens of another (Gal. 6:2).
  • Pray for the discouraged (and tell them how). As much as possible, the best thing you can do is to be specific in sharing how you’re praying. If it is someone you know well, you likely know what they may be dealing with. But even if you don’t know specifically what someone needs, you can bet the Holy Spirit will—and often He leads us to share the very thing that the discouraged needs to hear.
  • Challenge false thinking. Sometimes we are discouraged because we’re not thinking correctly. As we seek to listen carefully and sensitively, we want to look for ways to lovingly challenge wrong thinking. Sometimes this means saying something that a discouraged friend, coworker, fellow church member, or a pastor may not want to hear, but we do so because “the wounds of a friend are trustworthy” (Prov. 27:6).

A Personal Experience of Encouragement

A few weeks ago, I received a message from a coworker in another area of our organization, letting me know they were praying for me in my work with The Gospel Project, and that God would help me to persevere as we seek to come alongside churches here at Lifeway. I’ve been generally feeling pretty okay over the last few months, but I’ll tell you, I had no idea how much I needed to read that until I did. It was life-giving for me.

Think about it: who in your life needs encouragement right now? Maybe it’s your pastor. It could be your spouse, child, or another family member. Maybe it’s a coworker. Whomever comes to mind, take a moment and reach out. Be present and available, encouraging them in the gospel as you come alongside to help carry their burden.

Aaron Armstrong is the Brand Manager of The Gospel Project, and the author of several books including Epic: The Story that Changed the World, Awaiting a Savior, and the screenwriter of the documentary Luther: the Life and Legacy of the German Reformer. Follow him on Twitter.

Kids Ministry, Ministry, Prayer
Kids Ministry, Leadership, Ministry

8 Questions to Ask When Interviewing for a Kids Ministry Position

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Interviewing at a church for a kids ministry position can be exciting and frightening all wrapped up together. Both you and the church want to make sure that the fit is right because there is so much at stake. In addition to asking questions about the church itself—such as what is its theology—you will also want to ask questions about the church’s kids ministry that will give you the insight you need to make the right decision. Here are eight important questions to get you started:

  1. What is the kids ministry philosophy? Is it negotiable?

Is it a family-integrated model where age segmentation is eliminated pretty much completely. Adults, students, and kids attend Bible study together, worship together, and do events together. Or is it a family-based model where intergenerational gatherings connect the age segmented ministries together. Kids will be in classes with just kids, will attend events with just kids, and so forth, but there will also be events and classes that put kids, students, and adults together. This is more of a both-and approach. Or is it a family-equipping model where the age-segmented ministry structure is intact, but everything that is done is done with an eye on equipping families. (If you want to learn more about these approaches, see Perspectives on Family Ministry: 3 Views, edited by Timothy Paul Jones.)

No matter what the church’s ministry philosophy is, you will want to ask the follow-up question if it is negotiable. Here’s why. If your philosophy and the church’s do not align, you will need to know if you would need to defer to the church’s philosophy or not. That could be a deal-breaker. But even if they align, you will want to know how set the church is in that philosophy. Is it a true value of the church or is it more of a default? That will help you know what vision-casting might be needed if you accept the position. 

  1. How does the pastor see the kids minister? The staff team? The church? 

Put simply, would they see you as more of an equal or not? The truth is that many pastors, staff teams, and churches do not see kids ministers as they should—they are seen as second-tier staff members. They aren’t “real” staff members—they just keep the kids entertained. This is frustrating and it is wrong, but it is the reality for many churches. One of the best ways we can help our kids and families is by raising the bar in this area—working to help churches take our role seriously and giving it the weight it is due. 

  1. What curriculum is being used. Why? 

You can learn quite a bit about a ministry by its curriculum and the thought process that went into what is used. Was it chosen because it was fun? Cheap? Easy? Or was it chosen because it aligns with the church’s theology and the kids ministry philosophy? An important follow-up question is whether the church is open to changing curriculum and how that process would work. 

  1. What regular programs are done. Why? 

Does the church do VBS? Summer camps? Christmas and Easter programs and events? Are any of these expected—sort of sacred cows in the church? Have they been effective? How do they connect to the church’s vision and mission? As you know, events require tons of energy and resources. Many times they are worth it, but sometimes they are not. You need to know about all the events the church does before you walk into a potential minefield. 

  1. How invested are the kids leaders in the ministry? Are they tired? Energized? Valued? 

Committed, loving, godly leaders are the lifeblood of a healthy ministry. Be sure to get as good of a pulse on the ministry team as you can. If you accept the ministry position, getting to know your team and building into it would likely be your first step, and you would need to know what they need right away. 

  1. How invested are families in discipling their kids? What has been done to encourage and equip them? 

Leaders are the lifeblood of ministry, but families (parents, grandparents, guardians, etc.) are your greatest partners in discipling kids. Are they doing that? Have they been encouraged and equipped to do that? What would they need from you, the kids minister?

  1. What is the partnership between the kids ministry and student ministry like? 

Far too many churches operate in silos to the detriment of kids, students, and families, and the church itself. What is the relationship like between ministries? Is it cohesive or are they disconnected? Are there strong transitions between them? Do they work together to help equip families? 

  1. What wins would you want to see? 

Don’t forget to ask some more practical questions too, such as this one. Finding out what wins are hanging out there will give you insight into what expectations you would be under and what the church really values. How this question is answered would also help you establish what to work on in your first 90 days. 

Brian Dembowczyk is the managing editor for The Gospel Project. He served in local church ministry for over 16 years before coming to Lifeway. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Ministry, Reaching, Vacation Bible School

The Most Critical Event on Your Church’s Calendar This Year

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By Sam Luce

This past year has been one of the more difficult of our lifetimes. There has been much loss and much difficulty, but there have been some unexpected blessings as well. One of those blessings in disguise is the killing of church-as-usual and programs-as-tradition. It has caused us to think about why we do what we do.

This was a fruitful exercise because it can lay the groundwork for starting something new or evaluating something old and create a plan to start again. Twenty years ago, I led VBS because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do as a new kids pastor. I did it for about five years but didn’t get the buy-in or the traction that the effort required of me, my team, and our volunteers.

I’m also ashamed to admit that I fell into the school of thought that VBS was outdated; I was wrong! After a 12-year break, we started to do VBS again. Regardless of our opinions, most Americans are quite pro-VBS. Findings from Lifeway Research show that most (95%) American parents—regardless of how often they attend church—say their kids had a favorable experience at VBS.

What’s more, a similar number (94%) said VBS helped their child better understand the Bible, and 95% agreed VBS was one of the most meaningful church experiences for their child.

Here are a few reasons we started again and why it could be the most important item on your church calendar.

Your unchurched neighbors are open to it.

We live in a very pluralistic society that doesn’t value church but values traditions. Many parents have young kids who either don’t go to church or infrequently attend church but have great VBS memories. They want their kids to have those memories and put their kids in VBS before taking them to a church service on the weekend.

It’s an effective way to partner with parents.

Having 15 hours in the VBS week to speak new truths or reinforce what is being taught at home is invaluable. The new “regular attendees” standard is now 12 to 24 Sundays a year. VBS gives you a nice chunk of time to drill down into core truths kids need in the world we now live in.

Partnering with parents starts with equipping parents. Doing VBS with this in mind makes VBS more valuable than a simple stand-alone program.

It brings the church together.

VBS has to be a whole-church focus. It can’t be something only your department does, or an execution of the same handful of volunteers who do everything else in the church. I did a kids department-focused VBS years ago and just finished a church-driven VBS. The difference is night and day.

It’s a discipleship tool for the families in your church.

Reaching new families has to be a focus but not the whole focus. We want to reach new families, but we also need to build foundations for our families. Picking the right curriculum is essential. VBS is more than an outreach tool; it’s a gospel-shaping delivery device for the whole family.

Our church has changed. We still care about the weekend service, but we care more about intentional ways to help with spiritual formation and discipleship. The stats back this up. According to Lifeway’s research, a staggering 88% of respondents said VBS positively affected their spiritual growth as a child, and 96% feel it has positively affected their child’s spiritual growth.

If how and why we do VBS changes, it can be an effective tool to reinforce your entire church’s framework. I hope you pray about how you should do VBS.

Some ideas on how to rethink VBS in our current COVID world:

Backyard Bible School

This is a great option because it allows you to reach neighborhoods and kids you wouldn’t normally reach. It also allows you to be more flexible and keep groups smaller, which may be important depending on your state’s rules or the rate of infections in your area.

Regional Bible School

This is again a way to have a smaller setting in the communities that may attend your church but would be able to invite more neighbors. One of the things we have to look at in regard to our VBS being an outreach is how far people who don’t attend our church are willing to drive. 

VBS Tent Edition

Rent tents and use them for more spacing or for complete outdoor VBS if indoor meeting is shut down again this year.

My encouragement for you is to do VBS this year. The kids in your church and community need connection, discipleship, and hope more than ever. Do VBS even if you don’t usually do it. Our world post-COVID has changed because people have changed.

We’re going to have to think smaller, be more intentional, and demonstrate more flexibility, not just now, but on the other side of the COVID crisis.

Sam lives in upstate New York with his wife and four children. He has served as the pastor of families at Redeemer Church for the past 23 years. Read more at his blog SamLuce.com.

This post originally appeared on lifewayresearch.com.

Kids Ministry, Ministry, Vacation Bible School

How VBS Led Me to Kids Ministry

By

by Bekah Stoneking

There are three things I remember most vividly from my summer vacations as a kid:

  1. Mom homeschooled us to keep our skills sharp over the break (I still get a little itchy when I see math workbooks or Reader’s Digest vocab lists)
  2. “Fun Fridays,” when we’d get a break from “summer school” to go on field trips around the city
  3. Vacation Bible School

Like many other VBS kids in the 90s I remember store brand cookies and punch on the gym floor, colorful beads on a leather bracelet symbolizing the plan of salvation, what recreation felt like out in that steamy Georgia heat, and learning the motions to really fun songs. 

My church loved us kids and it was obvious—from VBS, to Sunday school, and everything in between—that they believed Jesus loved us, too, and they wanted us to know that and to know Him. I came to faith as a young child and events like VBS helped nurture my young faith. 

What I didn’t realize at the time was how God was using VBS to not only continue working out my salvation, but to draw me to a lifetime of serving Him.

The summers after I’d aged out of my church’s VBS just lacked color and vibrancy. So, the summer before my freshman year of high school, I signed up to volunteer; I just couldn’t stay away from Vacation Bible School! I served with other youth group members on the rec team, and on the crew that collected and organized the supplies the kids donated for our missions project. Then on “Family Night” the Sunday after VBS, I sat frozen in my pew, hands gripped so tightly on the pew in front of me my knuckles turned white and my fingers throbbed. 

Everyone around me was up, moving around, singing, and doing the motions. But there I sat, trying to convince God I couldn’t do what He was asking me to do.

There, the summer I turned 14, just a handful of weeks before I was to start high school, God called me into children’s ministry.

At the end of the worship rally our pastor shared the gospel. As people walked the aisle in repentance and faith, I walked the aisle in tears—confused, feeling really young, and convinced I’d be told there was no place for me. 

But that’s not how I was received, of course. My pastors were among the most loving and encouraging people in my young life. They helped me find my place in our church’s ministry. I shadowed a few leaders and volunteered in different areas until I found my fit. I went to training alongside the adults. I was loved and respected, even though I was young. And after a few years of apprenticing, I became the lead teacher of a Kindergarten Sunday school class my senior year. 

I went on to college where I majored in elementary education and served in children’s and youth ministries in my college town. I became a second grade teacher. I went on to seminary and served a church as their children’s minister. There, I began writing lesson plans for our church, and for summer programming at another church. I graduated from SEBTS and was a part of a church plant where I helped oversee and create educational content for the children’s ministry there. This is also when I began writing for Lifeway Kids. I re-enrolled at SEBTS and am now finishing my doctorate in education while serving churches through Lifeway Kids full time. 

And it all started in a little town in Georgia at Vacation Bible School.

From hearing the gospel and meeting Jesus for the first time to realizing the “thing” God made them to do, VBS can be the tool God uses to change a kid’s life forever, and He can work through that life to touch thousands.

VBS is so profoundly worth it. As someone who participated in VBS, then was called to ministry through VBS, then planned and led VBS from a church leadership position, and now works alongside the VBS team at Lifeway, I am just one story of how a week over the course of a few summers can impact a kid. The work you’re doing matters. Every hour, every plan, every changed plan, and every changed plan that changes again matters to the kingdom because every kid matters to the kingdom, and God has a plan for how He will work through those kids to impact your neighborhood and neighborhoods around the world for His glory.

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