In all my years of serving in children’s ministry, I feel that I have just stumbled over something that I have missed for so long – the importance of genuinely connecting with the kids. I have tended to think sometimes that a dynamic children’s ministry should be focused on having creative and impressive object lessons that really “Wow” the kids.
But the statement that many of us know applies to children’s ministry: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” We can amend that and say, “Kid’s don’t care how flashy your teaching skills are until they sense the sincerity of your friendship with them.”
I believe this is one of the main keys to a successful children’s ministry. This is the practice of Christ-like connection. What does this look like? Well, it starts with knowing the names of the kids in your children’s ministry. It is also nice to know things like their birthdays, what school they go to, some of their favorite interests, etc. And then there is the very important connection with the parents and siblings of each child. I have grown so much closer to kids and families just by doing simple things like going to lunch with them after church or visiting them in their homes. Basically, we want to grow in knowing kids in their full context. That will help us better minister to them in their needs, their joys, and their faith development.
God is a Triune God – meaning that He is Father, Son, and Spirit. This Trinity is the great prototype of genuine connection (see Larry Crabb’s book Connecting). Therefore, let us bring the love and joy of the Trinity into our children’s ministries and truly connect with our kids. Then, they will listen to what you have to say (even if you are terrible at presenting object lessons). They’ll learn more about Jesus in how you model friendship to them than they will ever learn through any animated presentation. So, you don’t have to learn how to juggle to be a great children’s pastor. Just love your kids with all your genuine heart.
1 response to “Just Love the Kids”
I totally agree, Jess. As we were talking about this earlier today I was also thinking about how great it would be if during prayer time with these kids (or with anyone) if we knew them so well and were so involved in their lives that we didn’t even need to ask for prayer requests because we already knew the needs in their lives.