“I live with joy that I have the greatest job in the entire world. I also have the most important job: I shape what the entire world looks like in 20 years. Our biggest priority is to make sure these kids encounter God." 

-Seth Dahl, Children’s Pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, CA-

Seth Dahl is right. When I sit in through service with the adults at church, I see what the church is today, but when I walk into the children’s ministry hallway, I get to see what the church is going to be. 

…or can be if we give them the chance. My prayer for every child I meet is that they grow up to become greater followers of Jesus than we ever were, but they need a foundation. They need spiritual parents (who can be their own parents but can also be their spiritual leaders) to teach them who God is and who they are in Christ.

Consider Timothy. In 2 Timothy, Paul credits Timothy’s mother and grandmother for establishing a foundation of faith and goes on to encourage Timothy in chapter 13 verses 14-15 saying, “...continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures…”

Our job is to teach them.

Children need you. Whether you believe it or not, you have something to contribute to the edification of their faith. This is my job, but it is also your responsibility. God’s words, not mine! "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 11:18-19. 

Knowing what has been taught is one thing, but doing something with it is something else entirely. 

Our job is to let them participate.

When John Wimber, a founding leader of The Vineyard Church, first became a Christian, he asked a leader in the church: “When do we get to do the stuff? You know, the stuff here in the Bible; the stuff Jesus did?” At the heart of that question, I hear the voice of a child wanting to be a part of his Father’s business. 

Kids want to participate! Recently, a young boy at church had the opportunity to read scripture during worship in the Chapel, and now every time I see him, he asks me when he will be able to read scripture in “big church."

Giving children a chance to lead, or even just participate, can be challenging and sometimes messy. I’ll admit that, but when given a chance, they have moved me to tears and inspired me with the simplicity of their faith. Sometimes the best prayers are the three words “Jesus, help them” said by a second grader praying for the children our church supports in Uganda. Sometimes the best testimony is the 8-year-old who can hardly read the words he wrote about how Jesus saved him. 

Jesus wanted kids to be part of His ministry (Mark 10:13-16). Here are a few questions you can ask yourself… When was the last time you let your child lead prayer at dinner time? When was the last time you invited them to participate in the discussion during homegroup? They have a lot to learn, and we have a lot to learn from them.

Our job is to prepare them to do greater things than us.

"Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.” Psalm 127:4 

Arrows are created to be launched. They are offensive weapons that, if aimed correctly and sent at the right time, can have a ridiculous influence on the outcome of a battle, and children are the same way. If we train them when they are young and give them the opportunity to participate and mature, the joy of sending them out to do God’s work will be exhilarating. 

What would happen if we stopped thinking of them as “just” kids and saw what Jesus saw when he invited the children to sit with him? What did Jesus see? I think he saw a boy who would one day preach to thousands and a girl who would stand up for injustice. I think he saw their potential to do crazy things for His Kingdom and not just when they grew up. When we see kids the way Jesus did, they become a priority. 

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