I got a phone call this morning from an old friend who currently volunteers with the 3rd and 4th graders at his church. He said that kids often get forgotten in church, especially in the summer time. And I don’t mean getting lost from their parents (though even Jesus did that once!). I mean that kids are often given the leftover rooms, the leftover sound boards, and a fraction of the church budget compared to the “main” worship service (I prefer the word “adult” service, by the way – both kids and adults are “main” in the kingdom of God). We think that just because they are small and young that they don’t have much to offer to the church. Wrong. Jesus told us to be like children in our faith. So why don’t we spend more time around them so we can grow in our own faith as adults? Jesus used a boy’s lunch to feed the thousands of hungry people by the Sea of Galilee. Jesus rebuked the disciples when they shoe-ed kids away. And Jesus himself lingered in the temple as a 12-year old, dialoging with the priests about deep theological issues. Kids should be a priority in church, not an afterthought. Furthermore, many churches take a break of some sort from Children’s Ministry in the summer. While I understand that the volunteers need a break and many families travel anyway during summer break, I think the church needs to still have a vibrant summer ministry for kids. Football teams have their “special teams” squads for kick-offs and extra points. So also can churches have “special teams” of volunteers for summer ministry, such as Vacation Bible School, summer camps, missional outreach, and week-to-week services. Please don’t forget about the kids during the summer. This is a prime time of the year to teach, train, encourage, and evangelize this very important demographic of the church.
