Kids can participate in God’s great mission in the world. I love hearing about how churches around the nation are becoming more and more passionate about connecting kids to the Great Commission. Here is an article by Anna Sargeant, Director of Children’s curriculum at The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, TX, about how they spend their summer Sundays teaching kids in their ministry about their part in missions. — Jana magruder
At The Austin Stone Community Church, we wrote a 10-week series on missions for our kids ministry because we wanted our children to know that God is alive and moving on earth. He is saving people all over the world through Jesus, and He is not only working through adults to accomplish His purposes. Kids can be part of God’s great mission in the world. They can change the course of history, not because they are strong and powerful, but because God is strong and powerful.
The series had three main goals:
- To teach that God is writing a story throughout history.
- To provide a description of the unreached.
- To spur the children to action, primarily through prayer and sharing their faith.
To begin, we told the history of redemption:
- God chose a people to reveal His greatness to others. (Genesis 12:1-3) They failed at this, but God was faithful to them.
- Jesus came and showed God’s greatness perfectly. He died for sin and rose again. He is worthy of everyone’s worship. (Philippians 2:6-11)
- God is bringing people into His family through Jesus. (Ephesians 1:5) These people share the good news of Jesus with others.
- One day Jesus will come back, and all God’s family will worship Him forever. (Revelation 7:9-10)
We then explained that Jesus will not return until all of God’s family is found (Matthew 24:14). But there are still members of God’s family who have never heard about Jesus! They are called the “unreached.” Nobody is telling them God loves them. They have no way of knowing their sins can be forgiven.
Each week we prayed for different unreached people groups. We asked that God would send people to them, and we told stories of missionaries who have taken the good news of Jesus to particular groups in the past.
It is our prayer that our kids finished this series knowing they can be a part of God’s mission starting today. They can pray for those who don’t know Jesus, both in their city and around the world. They can research unreached people groups. They can share about Jesus with friends and neighbors. They can ask God to show His power to others through healings and miracles. And maybe one day they can carry the good news of Jesus to those who have never heard it!
“As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things!” (Romans 10:15, HCSB).
Jana Magruder serves as the Director of Kids Ministry Publishing. Jana brings a wealth of experience and passion for kids ministry, education, and curriculum writing. She and her husband, Michael, along with their three children attend Forest Hills Baptist Church where she teaches The Gospel Project to preteen girls.