Who Are the Grandparents of the Children in Your Ministry?

When you think about the families of the children in your  Children's Ministry you of course think of the children; we know who they are. They are the people between the ages of birth and nine, ten or eleven - depending on where your church ends Children's Ministry and begins Student Ministries. 

We know who the children are - this one is obvious. But who else makes up the "family"? This may also seem obvious - clearly parents are part of the family, but there are more people you may miss when you think about the "family" of the children in your ministry. These "more" people are the grandparents.

Grandparents are the second most influential people in the lives of the children in your ministry - second only to parents. Yes! They are able to make a significant difference in the lives of these children, so when you think about the "families" you need to also think about the grandparents. But who are these "grandparents"?

When you think about grandparents, do you think of your Senior Saints Ministry and picture older people with white hair? Well, while people in the Senior Saints Ministry are older, many have white hair and most are grandparents, they are not typically the grandparents of the children in your ministry. The Senior Saints tend to be older, retired and their grandchildren are most often already out of the Children's Ministry.

So, who are the grandparents of the children in your ministry? Consider the following information -

• The average age a person first becomes a grandparent in the USA is 48 . . . yes! Just 48! How close are you to 48? I was 48 when my first grandchild was born and I was not ready for the Senior Saints Ministry!
• The average age of grandparents in the USA today is 57 . . . again, yes! Just 57! I am 57 and I am still not ready for the Senior Saints Ministry!
• 60% of grandparents are still working full or part-time jobs.

So, the grandparents of the children in your ministry are young, relatively speaking and most of them are still working; they are not retired and so they are not part of the Senior Saints Ministry. And, since they are not part of a Senior Saints Ministry, they may not be part of any organized group at the church. They are not new parents, they may not still be parents of teens. This group of grandparents tend to fall through the "cracks" at church as there is no real focus or attention given to them until they retire and become part of the Senior Saints Ministry . . . which in most cases is about 20 years away.

These grandparents need to be engaged, equipped, empowered and encouraged to hand down the faith to their grandchildren. Can you imagine the impact it would make on the children in your ministry if the grandparents were handing down a legacy of faith! In my next post I'll share some more stats about the grandparents of the children in your ministry, but right now I ask you to pray about what your church might do to engage, equip, empower and encourage them to hand down a legacy of faith on purpose to their grandchildren. And, I want to say again, I am available to consult and help you and your church decide how to go about doing this! Just contact me at lyndagcj@gmail.com