Big Words I Don't Understand

Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate and Yellow #5 - Yum!

So, in my attempt to be more healthy, I have been trying very hard not to eat anything that contains big words I can't pronounce let alone understand.  You know, those words that show up on the list of ingredients with 20+ letters in them and no semblance to something you would actually find naturally occurring in creation.  And it's not easy, let me tell you.  Those big words and ingredients with numbers and hydrogenated oils creep into a lot of things.  At this point, I'm pretty much trying not to eat anything that comes in a plastic or foil package.

That said, I also started my new job this week and I've noticed that there are a lot of "big" words that we sometimes throw around in church that are often hard to understand or don't make any sense to the average "consumer."   Since I work in Kid's Ministry you would think that wasn't so much the case but let me throw out a few: "Family Ministry" Hmm, so what exactly does that mean?  You minister to families?  Isn't that kinda what the whole church is supposed to do?  "Children's Ministry"  So what is that exactly?  Babysitting for kids while parents go to church?  Wouldn't that be "parent ministry"?  How about "Volunteer?"  Don't you actually mean guilt trip into doing something because it's your job to make sure there are enough teachers and helpers?

Sure, we can pronounce these words but do we really know what they mean?  Or are they just words we use in our ministry circles, and nod, and assume we all mean the same thing?  Well, as I pondered this very thing, I remembered something I'd written called "Why Children's Ministry?"

Children’s Ministry
These words conjure up all sorts of thoughts and images in our minds; some good and some not so good. Children reciting Bible verses, singing choruses, having fun at VBS and recounting Bible stories are generally good thoughts. Finding volunteers, creating adequate space, acquiring funding, balancing schedules, managing behavior... did I mention finding volunteers? Unfortunately, most of the times, the images brought up by the mention of this particular ministry are less than favorable leading many, including myself, to fall back on the age-old “Christian” cliché of “It’s not my gift.” 

I am often asked, “Why did you go into Kid’s Ministry? You must really love kids.” While I would never say I don’t love kids, I would never have described myself in the past as a “kid person.” My undergraduate degree is in secondary education, not elementary, and I taught juniors and seniors, not kindergartners or first-graders. One thing I did feel strongly was a call to ministry and to building the kingdom of God. When I started serving in Children’s Ministry in 2011, one thing became clear to me: if I really wanted to grow God’s kingdom, I had to make Children’s ministry a priority. There simply was no way around that fact. 

In his book, “Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions”, George Barna of the Barna Research groups sites the following statistics: 32% of all people who come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior at a young age continue in or come back to their faith in their lifetime. Alternately, only 6% of adults without prior exposure to Christ will ever come into relationship with Him. These findings are both alarming and challenging. Barna points out in the same book that the majority of churches spend the majority of their ministry budget on programs targeted towards adults. Even most children’s programs state that a major part of their purpose is to entice the parents of attending children to begin visiting or attending the church.  

However, the statistics above paint a different picture for churches who are serious about building the kingdom of God. Children’s and Family Ministry, directed towards and dedicated to children and to strengthening the family, is the number one way to build God’s kingdom and to bring people into the body of Christ. Unfortunately, many churches view Children’s Ministry as a means to an end or a necessity for parents and they tailor their program in such a way, to make it appealing to adults rather than formatted for discipling children and mentoring families.

You see, this is what it comes down to for me.  It's not about Children's Ministry, or Family Ministry, or volunteering.  It's not about Sunday School attendance or Children's Church curriculum or even about a good Children's Ministry director.  It's about the church taking seriously Jesus' commission and "Going" and "Making" disciples of ALL men, without regard to age or development.  It's about "welcoming a child in His name" because that is the same as welcoming Christ.  It's about seed-planting and fruit-bearing for eternity, not putting in your time for a few hours on Sunday.

And that's why I am passionate about Kid's Ministry.  Because when I talk to adults of all ages and I ask where they first saw Jesus, first came to know Him or first made a profession of faith, the vast, overwhelming majority of them start by saying, "When I was a kid..."  Whether their path from childhood was straight and narrow or winding and wide, somehow those seeds planted in childhood found life in adulthood and eternity in Christ.

Do you want to grow the kingdom of God?  Invest in a child.  Show them God's love.  Speak truth to their hearts.  Let them see the awe and mystery of the Word and the Word made flesh.  BE the church to the youngest members of the church.  It doesn't take a special gift or a unique call.  If you are a believer, you have the call and God will supply the gift as needed.  It doesn't take "big" words with ambiguous meanings. Just don't neglect the chance to welcome Christ into your life as you welcome a child in His name.