“One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. ‘Which road do I take?’ she asked. ‘Where do you want to go?’ was his response. ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it doesn’t matter which way you go.’”
Where do you want to go?
Visionary leaders see the big picture
One of the most powerful keys to impact your children’s ministry is to “Begin with the end in mind.”
To begin with the end in mind, simply ask, “What do I hope to accomplish in my children’s ministry?” While leading children to genuine faith in our Lord Jesus is a high priority, salvation alone is not the end goal. We see in the Great Commandment that we are to love God and others. We learn from the Great Commission that Jesus commanded us to make disciples. So, our goal should be to teach kids to love Christ, love people, and become His disciples.
Our vision should be Jesus.
Our mission should be to lead children to saving faith in Jesus Christ, and then to teach and train them, even from a tender age, to become His disciples—formed, conformed, and transformed into the image of Jesus. Our plan should be biblical, sustainable, and proven.
We all want to see children learn to love God. In a perfect world, this takes place first and foremost beginning in the home. In a perfect world, the Church supplements and assists parents in leading their children to saving faith in Christ and developing Christ-like maturity. However, in today’s culture, the Church must take a greater responsibility for leading children to faith in Christ. We do this through equipping, teaching and training kids as we help them grow in Christ-likeness.
Though children’s ministry should include enjoyable, positive learning experiences, the end result should go beyond simply entertaining kids and keeping them happy. If we believe the research that 80-85 percent of those who believe in Christ came to know the Lord between the ages of 4 and 14, and that more than 70 percent of teens are leaving the church today, we need to be intentional about moving children from point “A” (spiritual immaturity) toward point “B” (Christ-like maturity). We do this by modeling Christ and by providing a comprehensive plan that teaches kids how to live as devoted followers of Jesus.
The Solution
The Bible teaches that the goals/purposes of every Church and therefore every ministry are to:
- Love God
- Love People
- Make Disciples of Jesus
The goals and purposes of our children’s ministry are simple: teach children to love God, to love people and to lead students toward maturity as disciples of Jesus Christ. This purpose statement helps define our ministry process. So, when someone asks, “Where do you want to go?” we can respond with simplicity, passion, and purpose. This is especially important when communicating our vision to help fulfill the Church’s overall vision. Working together brings harmony and reinforces the importance of children’s ministry.
