Do You Know Something Very Important?

There are many things you know, learn about and keep track of when you serve in Children's Ministry. Things such as how many children are in your ministry, how often the children are attending, how many volunteers you have and how many you need. What curriculum you are using and training your volunteers to use it effectively. These are just a few of the things you know, learn about and keep track of when you serve in Children's Ministry. 

But there is something else which is very important for you to know, learn about and keep track of which you very likely have not even thought about. What is this? It is how many grandparents are the ones who bring their grandchildren to your Children's Ministry. Do you know this? Do you know which children would not be part of your Children's Ministry if their grandparents did not bring them to church?
 
Do you know how many grandparents in your church are custodial grandparents? With the opioid crisis, more and more grandparents are the ones who have custody of their grandchildren. One in five grandparents who have custody live below the poverty level. One in four has a disability. If you want to learn about the impact upon grandparents - and grandchildren - when the grandparents are the ones who have custody, take a minute to read the article at this link.

Whether the grandparents have custody, or they are the only ones who are handing faith to their grandchildren, it is a difficult and lonely road for them to trod. Do you know what it is like for grandparents to be the ones who bring their grandchildren to church? If they are the ones who bring their grandchildren to church, then they likely have a broken heart in regards to their own grown child who is not handing faith to their children.

The Children's Ministry is one of the areas where the church is best able to provide support to grandparents who have custody and grandparents who are the only ones who hand faith to their grandchildren. What are you doing to support, encourage, equip and empower these grandparents as they hand down the faith? If you do not know who the grandparents are in your church who bring children to your ministry - find out.