Raising The Next Generation
Every Friday afternoon at 3.30pm, I join the Kidspace team and get involved in some Kids Ministry. With my friend Caleb, I lead the year 5 boys and it is always a fun and lively time. We play some games, hear a talk, learn a memory verse and have time for discussion and prayer. But most importantly, I get the chance to talk life and Jesus with a bunch of 10 year olds and I love it.
When I first started serving Jesus here at St Ives I was doing Youth and Kids Ministry. It was amazing then and it is still amazing now. Seeing them grapple with big ideas and big theological concepts is incredible. At the end of last year several of the boys had major breakthroughs in their understanding of the Trinity and what Jesus did at the cross. Indeed, sometimes their questions are more difficult than the questions adults ask but the joy of seeing them grow and mature is one of the reasons I invest in the lives of young people.
Now here is a ministry truth - churches that don’t invest in Kids and Youth Ministry die. I am so thankful that such investment is part of the history and DNA of our church and part of what our members value so much. But let us not just value the ministry to young people but the presence of young people among us too.
When the disciples asked Jesus ‘Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’ Jesus did not identify the entrepreneurial leader, the wise theologian, the dynamic music leader, nor even the funky youth or children’s minister. He called a child to come to him and stated that “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:1-2).
Jesus expects that we model our life of discipleship on the example of the child. This can happen if we are regularly with, and learning from, the young disciples in our congregations and lives. Thus, the invisibility of children’s and youth ministry in “adult” church life may not only exacerbate the issues of ministry transition and post high school drop out rates, but also prevent other generations from benefiting from the life of faith of these young disciples.
Young disciples need the example of the mature saints (Titus 2:4-8). But younger saints are also able to “set an example for the believers” in older generations (1 Timothy 4:12) and help the older saints understand and process the forces of cultural change that disproportionately affect children and youth.
Therefore, it is not simply for the young people in our church that we prioritise children’s and youth ministry. It is vitally important for the spiritual health of all of us, regardless of age, that children and youth are ministered by—and minister to—a church that values and encourages intergenerational relationships.
Children’s and youth ministries are significant ministries in our church, and they ought to be. For the sake of the long-term faith of these young ones, for the sake of the maturity of all the saints, and for the ongoing Gospel work in Sydney and beyond; for the growth of our church, it is essential that we continue to prioritise children’s and youth ministry - and that is what we are doing in 2023.
