Why We Do What We Do (Part 1)

Being intentional is super important. So often, we do stuff because it is what we have always done. We do stuff just because with no real apparent reason. It hurts our effectiveness. Every once and a while, we need to really sit back and evaluate all the aspects of our ministry. Make sure we know why we do what we do. We have 3 major ministries in our Kid's Ministry and each has a very important role. Over the next couple of posts, I want to share why we are doing what we are doing. Each has a reason. Each has a purpose. You may look at the stuff we do on the surface and say some of it is old fashioned. I know we do them for a reason. 

The first thing we do is Kid's Church. Kid's Church has a couple of very significant purposes. When I began in Kid's Ministry, my view of it was much different. I was confronted by a friend that attended another church who could not understand why you would want to have church without your entire family (I run into the exact opposite opinion of many people now). I remember at that point in my career responding to her by saying, if my Pastor wants to talk about sex or adultery it makes that sermon much easier without 6 year olds asking questions. That was never more evident than the time when a previous pastor I worked for asked why none of our families were coming back to church on Sunday nights. I remember talking to several of my leaders and encouraging them to join us for church on Sunday evenings. I told them, "It will be a great experience! You can worship with your kid" That of course was the night my pastor was talking about the end times and shared that the AntiChrist would be Pervert. I hear the question behind me, "What's a pervert?" The last time that family came on a Sunday night. Over the years, my reasons for doing Kid's church have evolved and become more defined than protection from a potty mouthed senior pastor. Kid's Church has a two real focuses and we try to plan them with these things in mind. 

First, we want to create an environment for the visitor. I want to make Kid's church a place Kid's want to return. We play games. We sing songs with fun motions. We tell Bible stories in fun ways. We tell jokes. We act silly. In planning kid's church, I want it to be a place where kids want to come back every week. I have to remember this is not where we are mentoring. I have to remember this is not where we are discipling. We are being evangelistic in our thinking. I want kid's to be able to bring their friends and know they have a chance to meet Jesus for the first time any week they come. Kid's church is for the visitor. I want that kid to tell his parent, I want to come back next week or I'll miss something huge. The thing is, if the visitor wants to come back and sit in a room full of kids he doesn't know yet then your regular kids will want to be back too. If you are creating an environment that is fun and exciting for the visitor then you will have less discipline issues because everyone will be having a great time. Kid's Church is for the visitor. 

The Second reason we do Kid's Church is to teach kids how to worship. Since kid's in most churches have been banished from the sanctuary with the decline of Sunday night worship and creation of Sunday night programming for kid's ministry, they rarely worship with parents. Kid's church is our opportunity to explain why we raise our hands. We can teach the importance of losing distractions by closing our eyes. Kid's can learn that worship is a time between them and God. That as they sing songs to God, he truly is pleased with that. In classes and small groups you rarely have the resources available to teach worship adequately. In Kid's church, I can teach these things and worship with the kids. It becomes a powerful experience each week. 

When I evaluate kid's church, I ask myself these two things: Were my visitors excited about it? Did my kid's worship? I teach a Bible story. I make a kid's sermon. I want every kid every time they come to our church to hear God's word. I know though in a large group setting, they will not get the best discipleship they can get. They will not be mentored by leaders the way every kid needs to be. Kid's church is just a grabber. It is a place where we can teach worship. If you only bring your child to that one thing, they will not get the big picture. They are sitting down for a complete breakfast and only eating the Fruit Loops.