Get Ready to Make a Difference in the Families in Your Church with Generations Quest!

When you and the grandparents and parents in your ministry look at the world in which we live, do you wonder how the children you love will be able to maneuver around and through the many, “land-mines” which surround them? Do you wonder how they will be able to grow up as children, then teens and eventually adults who love, know and walk with God, when everything around them seems to be focused upon keeping them from doing so? Do you feel concerned when you think about how these children, who you and they love with all your heart, will ever make the choice to turn their backs on the values and temptations of the world and instead make the choice to hold firmly to God?

Some Thoughts About Deuteronomy 6 & Psalm 78

Children's ministry matters because children matter. God gave very specific directions to parents, grandparents, and to His people in general about how important it was for them to love Him and then pass this love for Him to their children. 

Equip Children to Know Their Real "Super Power"

When the grandparents in your ministry look back at raising their now grown children, they will likely have things they wish they knew to do differently. I do. The biggest is I wish I knew how to talk with God then, so I would have been able to help them learn how to talk with God. Looking back, I know now how much it matters to help the children we love learn to be people who talk with God on their own, people who watch for how God answers, and people who remember what He does in their lives. It is absolutely the most important and essential thing for the ones we love to grow to love, know, and walk with God.

Learn, Be Prepared, Hand Down Confident Faith with the little answer book

 

There are grandparents/ parents in your ministry who have people they love who have turned from the faith they once had, so it is essential for you to recommend resources to them which will equip them with the  answers to the question - why should I believe? I  discovered there are solid answers and compiled them into a simple book - the little answer book.

 Why might they want this book? consider the following . . . 

Re-evaluate & Make Your Ministry More Effective

Sunday mornings have changed in many churches, quite a bit, from what they were when I was a child. In some ways this is a positive thing, but in others, not so much. When we make changes which result in making things more difficult for parents and grandparents, then we need to re-evaluate what we are doing.

Be Aware of the Impact You Make

As a leader in your church's Children's Ministry, you matter. What you do matters. The decisions you make matter. You and these things matter, because you, the things you do, and the decisions you make impact the lives of the children and families in your church. For this reason before you do something or make a decision, please consider the following things you may not think to consider . . .

See a Need; Fill a Need - Grandparenting Ministry!

Sunday School began in 1780 as actual school for poor children which used the Bible as a text book. Religious education was a staple for children right up until the 1960's when parents stopped going to church so much themselves. Today most churches have a Children's Ministry because they understand how important it is to reach children for Jesus and help them grow to know and walk with Him. Churches saw a need, (for Children's Ministry) and filled the need.

Teach The Essential Part - It Matters

One of the roles and responsibilities of people who serve in Children's Ministry is for them to help equip, encourage, and come alongside parents and grandparents as they hand down confident faith to the children God has entrusted to them. Children spend from one to eight hours every four weeks at church - and more and more of them spend just an hour or two every four weeks - but they live with their parents; and if their grandparents are engaged they are spending significant time with them as well. Obviously we will be most effective as people who serve in Children's Ministry when we equip, encourage, and come alongside parents and grandparents to help them hand down confident faith.

Results from Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research Show People Do Not Believe the Bible - Use Anchored to Help Children & Families have a Confident Faith

I often refer to the study from Barna which shows Gen Z is turning away from their faith to atheism at double the rate of any previous generation - you will find it at this link and a couple months ago I shared the new Gallup Poll which shows fewer people in the USA now see the Bible as the literal Word of God as only 20% of people believe the Bible is the literal Word of God - you will find it at this link.

Who Benefits & What Does This Mean?

Which of the families in your ministry will benefit from having grandparents who are engaged, equipped, and encouraged to focus on being intentional in the way they pass on a heritage of confident faith? While the answer may seem obvious, this is a serious question with a serious answer, because the truth is each and every family in your ministry will benefit from this, including . . . 

Equip Families to Hand Down a Confident Faith

June 2015 in a town not far from where I live, a tornado hit; four churches in this small  community were seriously damaged. One church was 160 years old. The members of this church were understandably quite dismayed and disheartened to see the significant damage to their church. However; their sadness turned to rejoicing a couple months later when the builders who began the work to rebuild brought them shocking news. As these builders surveyed the damage and began the work, they discovered nothing was holding up the floor of this old church building. The years had taken their toll and unbeknownst to the church members, their church floor was unsupported and about to collapse. The tornado actually saved them.

Engage Children, Pay Attention & Help Children Connect

Forty plus years ago when I led Children's Ministries, most of the children were brought to church by their parents. There were few children who came because their grandparents brought them. However; times have changed. It is more likely than not you have children in your ministry who are there because their grandparents bring them. Where I used to be able to focus upon keeping parents updated on what we were doing with their children in the Children's Ministry and planning resources to equip parents, so they were able to continue the teaching at home, today it is very possible you have to expand your vision to include grandparents.

This IS Job One . . .

 I watched a video by George Barna today and want to share a few of the main points he makes . . . consider the following -

• Children are THE most important mission field you as an adult will ever encounter!
• Children are THE mission field God sent parents and grandparents to win over for Him!
• Nobody else will have the impact on children a parent and grandparent are able to have!

Help Them Make the Faith Their Own

Unless parents and grandparents hide the children they love away in some remote location where there is no internet and the only people they see, talk with, and know are them, it is certain at one point or another they will meet someone who tells them things which go against what their parents and grandparents have taught them from God's Word. It is inevitable. 

Ask the Question - What About the Grandparents?

When we think about the questions we need to ask on a regular basis about our Children's Ministry, there are definitely several important questions to keep in mind. One you may not think about, but need to, is; what about the grandparents? This question, and it's answer, matters for the following reasons . . . 

Engaged Grandparents = Grandparents Who Value the Children's Ministry

As I talk about Grandparenting Ministry, you may wonder how such a ministry really connects with a Children's Ministry . . . well; "consider this; if you have grandparents who are engaged and focused on passing on a heritage of confident faith to their grandchildren, these grandparents will become much more interested in the Children's Ministry. They will want to know what is happening in the Children's Ministry. They will care about what happens in the Children's Ministry. They will become much more focused and committed when it comes to praying for the Children's Ministry!"

How Is Your Children's Ministry Helping Grandparents?

Do you know how many children in your Children's Ministry are brought to church by their grandparents? Do you know how many children in your Children's Ministry are being raised by their grandparents? The numbers of grandparents who are the only people handing faith to children are increasing and the numbers of custodial grandparents are raising as well.

The Roles of Parents & Grandparents in Handing Down Confident Faith

I've been talking about Grandparenting Ministry and how our churches need to engage, equip, and  encourage grandparents to pass on a heritage of confident faith to their grandchildren. Today I want to share something Steve and Valerie Bell shared with grandparents. They said when it comes to raising children, parents focus on peace. They want to get through the day in as peaceful a way possible - a peaceful is a good day. Parents need to provide a peaceful setting for their home; a peaceful place for children to grow up. Peace is the bottom part of a "triangle" - and gives a firm base or foundation for their family.

Make a Difference in the Other 165 Hours

While serving in Children's Ministry is something which matters and gives us an opportunity to impact lives and make a difference, we are limited by time. A week has 168 hours - 168. Of these 168 hours, even in the best situation, we have  children in our ministries for three of those 168 hours - just three. Yes, we are able to make a difference in those three hours, but we are greatly limited as we are not able to be with those children for the other 165 hours of the week - or anywhere close to those 165 hours. But their parents are. And their grandparents have the potential to influence them for many of those 168 hours as well.

Let's Talk Grandparenting Ministry - Future Generations Ministry!

For several years I've been talking about Grandparenting Ministry; not  necessarily ministry serving grandparents, but ministry which engages, equips, and encourages grandparents to pass on a heritage of confident faith. Cavin Harper describes this ministry as a; "Future Generations Ministry", because it is about future generations and helping them remember all God does, so they are able to faithfully and obediently follow Him.

The Other "Basket" - Let's Move Those "Eggs"!

Recently I wrote about how we tend to put all our "eggs" in one "basket" when it comes to Children's Ministry - we focus on ministry to children which means Sunday School - sometimes children's church, mid-week ministry, and typically some type of Summer ministry - a VBS-type opportunity. I'm not saying we should not do any of these things, but I do believe we need to "move some of our eggs" into a different "basket"; the "basket" of ministry which engages, equips, and encourages parents and grandparents to pass on a heritage of confident faith to their children and grandchildren.

Notice & Engage Grandparents in Your Children's Ministry

I am a member of the largest church in Grand Rapids, MI. Each Summer, my church plans and holds a special event for the families in our church; a time for us to come together as a church and as families. A few years ago they rented John Ball Zoo, so from 6pm to 9pm thousands of people ate together (hot dogs were provided), enjoyed music in the band shell and enjoyed seeing the many animals in the zoo.

Chasing Whales - Free Tomorrow Only!

While there are many, many books on the market from which to choose to read, I am absolutely able to tell you this author is one who lives what he writes. Michael Chanley has a sincere heart for others and truly has a servant's heart. (I spoke at one of his Children's Ministry conferences a few years ago. When I arrived it was pouring rain - by the bucketful's. Michael met me at our car with an umbrella so I would not be soaked - he got soaked by the rain instead. He did not have to do this. Just one example of many of how this author lives what he writes.)

So, if you get any book to read this year (in addition to one of my books ;-) ) be sure to make it Chasing Whales - and tomorrow only you are able to get the ebook for free!

Teach the "Whys" with Anchored

Over the many, many years where churches have had intentional Children's Ministries, we have done a good job when it comes to teaching the "whats" - what the Bible says and therefore what we believe. But for some reason we never focused on teaching the "whys" - why we are able to believe what we believe. While we absolutely must teach the "whats" we also must teach the "whys" - when we do not, we end up with the results we are seeing in families throughout our churches - where young people are turning away from their faith and many of them are turning to atheism (as Barna's research shows), and growing numbers of people are saying they do not believe the Bible is true (as Gallup's research shows.) If we are going to stop these trends, we must start teaching the "whys" with as much intentionality as we show when we teach the "whats".

Spend Your Time in the Wisest & Most Effective Way

As someone who serves - whether part-time, full-time, or as a volunteer - in Children's Ministry, we only have a set amount of time which we are able to invest in the Children's Ministry each week. Clearly we want to make the most of the time we are able to spend; we also want to get the most out of this time. Obviously there is a certain amount of time which must be spent on recruiting, retaining, training, encouraging volunteers. There is a certain amount of time which must be spent on writing/choosing curriculum and resources. There is a certain amount of time which must be spent in classes/ministries/activities with children. There is a certain amount of time which must be spent connecting with parents/grandparents/families. There is a certain amount of time which must be spent on planning. Most importantly there is a certain amount of time which must be spent in prayer and study of God's Word.

Involved Grandparents Make a Huge Difference - Engage Them!

A couple years ago on Moody Radio, Tim Kimmel was interviewed about how to, "Put the 'Grand' back into Grandparenting" and if there was a reason for churches to focus upon starting a Grandparenting Ministry.