Remember Your Ultimate Goal

  

Please share this with the parents/ grandparents in your church.

Today I'm writing about loving our grandchildren and how to help them learn to love God and others with their all. From the moment we first saw our grandchildren, we knew we would absolutely love them forever! If you are anything like me, you always tell them you love them each time you see them and you show it by the way you live. When our grandchildren hear - and most importantly see how much we love them, they will grow up believing it is true and able to trust in your love for them. These things matter.

Pray & Act

 

Yesterday the news was mostly focused upon the horrific tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. I heard Nelba Márquez-Greene speak - she had her lovely daughter taken from her by the shooter at Sandy Hook ten years ago. She said something powerful - she said words about faith and prayers matter as long as we follow what the Bible tells us - faith without works is dead.

It is NOT Supposed to Be Like This

I had plans for my posts for today, but after the shooting in Uvalde, Texas yesterday, I am only able to write the following . . . 

Make Your Children's Ministry "More"

What does Children's Ministry look like in a typical church here in the USA? Well, it likely involves classes for children on Sundays and Wednesdays where they teach the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe - at least throughout the school year. Some churches still hold a yearly VBS for four or five days/evenings in the Summer. Some churches plan special events throughout the year - typically opportunities for children and families to get together and do something fun together. For many, even most churches, this is what their Children's Ministry looks like - but it can be more.

Yes, it matters for churches to have Children's Ministries which do these things, but there are more things which truly matter and are actually essential, yet far too many churches do not do them. What are these things? Consider the following . . . 

Encourage Families to Teach the "Whys" this Summer & Have Fun Doing So!

We know we (parents/ grandparents/ church) must teach the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe, but just as important as it is to do this, it is equally as important to teach the "whys" - why we are able to believe God is real, the Bible is true, God and science DO go together, and God is good. If we do not teach the "whys" we run the very real risk the young people we love will turn away from their faith - as Barna's studies show this is actually happening.

Add a Strong Grandparenting Ministry - It Makes a Difference

While there is certainly no shortage of reasons why it makes sense for pastors to be strong supporters of Grandparenting Ministry in their churches, one reason to do so is when you have grandparents who are focused upon passing on a heritage of confident faith, you will have stronger and healthier families. God designed it this way - He wants generations to work together and to learn from one another - and one of the places this happens the most is in families.

Equip the Children in Your Ministry with a Confident Faith by Teaching the "Whys" with Anchored!

You will likely agree with me when I write - Children's Ministry is mostly about teaching the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe. Pretty much every curriculum resource published focuses upon the "whats", which of course greatly influences what we teach. But when you think about it, pretty much everything at church is about the "whats" - pastors preach/teach the "whats" and every age at church tends to focus upon the "whats" in their classes.

A Few More Thoughts About Recruiting . . .

I have been writing about recruiting - if you are leading a Children's Ministry at your church you certainly need help, and therefore must spend time recruiting. But, the amount of time you spend recruiting depends on a few things . . .

Don't Miss Out on the Blessings!

As I said in my previous post; "EVERYONE who believes is part of the body and has something to offer." I wrote about the people you might "pass over" in your mind as you think about who to recruit for your Children's Ministry, so now I want to consider a few of the blessings from involving people who have extra challenges . . . 

EVERYONE Who Believes is Part of the Body & has Something to Offer!

When it comes to volunteers in your ministry, most of them are probably people who you would describe with the word, "normal". By this I mean, they likely are people who have no serious illnesses or physical challenges. But, who might you be missing? Who might be able to serve even if they have an illness or physical challenge? When you think about recruiting, are there people who you "pass over" in your mind because they have an illness or physical challenge? If so, think about the following . . . 

Keep The Volunteers You Have By Encouraging and Thanking Them!

I've been writing about recruiting volunteers and today I want to talk a bit about keeping the volunteers you have by encouraging them . . . I'll be writing much more about Volunteer encouragement, but today I just want to take a quick look at the topic.

Take the Time - and Make the Time - to Know Your Volunteers!

Today I want to write about one way to keep the volunteers you have . . . take the time - and make the time - to know your volunteers.