Quest Children’s Ministry

What’s in a risk?

After a great week of camp with the 5th grade and the middle school ministry, God has really been hammering home a point that rocks my world!  During the camp our children experienced risk in many forms.  They encountered physical risk, emotional risk, and spiritual risk.  They risked physically on the high ropes elements, they risked emotionally by sharing and being open among their peers, and they risked spiritually by giving their heart to God and waiting on Him to speak to them.  In all things, however, the children realized that the perception of risk is not always really risk.  High ropes would seem risky if it were not for the proper safety equipment that the children used, and the emotional risk might have been more real if when the children were open in their discussion they were alone, but in all things risk was alleviated because of the safety the kids dwelt in while “risking.”

What about spiritual risk?  Can we ever live in risk when we are in Christ?  Col. 1:17-18 explains how Christ “holds all things together” and as the “head of the Church” He is our safe place as we riskily live for Him.  By riskily living for Him I am suggesting that we live wholeheartedly, devoutly, and without reservation.  We can live fully in Christ when we empty ourselves and allow Christ to penetrate into the deepest aspects of our lives.  It is only when we “deny ourselves” (Matthew 16:24-25) that Christ can dwell in us and pull the pieces together that glorify God the most.  A risk then is really only a risk when we take life by the horns and try and do it ourselves.  Most of the time that leads to hurt, disappointment, and chaos, but in Christ “all things hold together!”

How can we risk as parents?  Is it important that families risk?

We can live abandoned for Christ and be examples for our children.   However,…

Some people say families should not be the church’s focus. William Easum in Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers writes, “Family is never a priority in Scripture. It is mentioned only six times in the New Testament and never in relation to a congregation. Family is always secondary to Christ’s claim on us (Matthew 10:37). On several occasions Jesus de-emphasized the importance of family. Family obligations came behind the demands of discipleship.”

Is Easum right?

Take another look. I believe with all my heart that God is not calling the church to strengthen families for the sake of society. Or for the sake of simply building church attendance. Or even for the sake of the family itself. God is calling the church to strengthen families so the Kingdom of God is strengthened.

Why is God interested in Christians growing to be more like him? So they’ll let their light shine in such a way that people will see their good works and God will be revealed (Matthew 5:14-16). Why is God interested in the healthy life of families? Women are encouraged to build healthy families “so the Word of God may not be dishonored” (Titus 2:5). Overseers and deacons are admonished to be “good managers of their children and their own households” because if they can’t take care of their own families, how will they “take care of the church of God”? (1 Timothy 3:5). Wives and husbands are to be a picture of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:22-33). We in children’s ministry lament the fact that we have so little time with the children in our churches. They’re only with us a few hours a week. It’s difficult to make a lasting impact for the Kingdom of God, we think. Therefore, and this is the crux of family ministry, we need to multiply our ministry to children through their parents. As we disciple and train parents, their growth will significantly impact their children.

So, in everything we do at church, we keep our eyes on the goal of knowing and proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And we gear our programs to be most effective in accomplishing that. If we really want to create long-term growth in children, we’ll retool our ministries to involve parents and families. We’ll see our role in children’s ministry as equippers of the most effective disciplers of children-parents. Rather than planning “intergenerational” events that split up families, we’ll plan real intergenerational events that keep families learning, playing, serving, and worshiping together.

Family ministry looks different in every church. The key factor of a family ministry is not its programs, but rather its philosophy.

Ben Freudenberg, a youth minister and family ministry proponent, explains his philosophy of family ministry: “We need to change our paradigm. How can we have the home-and not just the church-be a center of faith? Homes have to be conscientious about sharing faith. Parents are the primary ministers of faith.”  (“A Blueprint for Family Ministry,” Christine Yount Jones)

Changing this paradigm is a risk but if, together, families focus on Christ who “holds all things together,” and the church focuses not on programs but ways families of all shapes and sizes are equipped to lead their children our culture can change and Christ is the glue that makes it all gel!  It is so important that we partner in this and risk our hearts for Christ.  We will only see true reward in our families if we pursue the Christ-life with Jesus being the center of that Christ-life.  If we do that, as our 5th graders learned this weekend, the risk is fleeting and minimal!