Sometimes I Miss Children’s Ministry

I absolutely love what I’m doing now.  Working with parents, at Adventures in Missions, is a perfect use of my skills and passions.  It’s a season of ministry that is exciting and fulfilling.  But once in a while, I miss my years in Children’s Ministry.  I loved the 10 years or so that I headed it up at my church in Connecticut and I'm still passionate about a high vision of spirituality in children. 

While walking my dog today, I ran into a couple of young girls in the neighborhood who had a helium balloon on which they had written “To God and Jesus”.  Tied to the string were notes they had written to God and Jesus.  They were walking outside to let it go.  We talked briefly about what they had written.  It started me reminiscing about my children’s ministry days.

One of my former Sunday School kids is now on the World Race.  I remember her compassion – and her persistence – as a 5th/6th grader.  Her desire to make a difference.  There were children in need in the world and we weren’t doing anything.  She made a difference then and she’s grown into a young woman who is making a difference around the world.  I love the possibility that I helped nurture that a bit.

An article was forwarded to me this week about intergenerational ministry.  Immediately my “soapbox” speech came to mind.  I believe deeply in age appropriate teaching, but I also believe deeply in intergenerational ministry.  I want children seeing their parents worshipping and living out their faith.  Too many churches keep the ages segregated.  Too many family calendars have everyone constantly going only to their own age peer group.  It’s why I started a “family Christmas party” when my kids were toddlers and why I pushed for fuller participation/service by kids on work day at church (rather than child care) and why I loved that our church mission trips transitioned from youth group trips to family trips.

I hear from my sister-in-law about the amazing things that happen in her Children’s Ministry program and I miss those days of introducing children to Jesus, helping them go deep, letting them ask real questions and having real discussions – not the “Sunday School answer” kind of discussions. 

I see a post in a Facebook group from someone talking about being raised in a harsh, fundamentalist church and I hear the familiar tale of someone who struggles to believe that God can be gracious and friendly.  And it makes me grateful that I was introduced, as an adult, to a spiritual formation program for children that emphasizes falling in love with Jesus.  I’ve seen the difference it makes in children when their spiritual formation is grace-based, when they first meet the Good Shepherd who loves and protects and calls them by name.  When their first image is not of a judge who is only watching to see when they get out of line.  I hope I’ve poured the love and grace into the children I taught and the teachers I trained.

I remember being at a church where, during the offering, the ushers bypassed the row in front of me because it only had kids in it – and I saw the disappointed look on their faces as they had no way to give their offering.  And one of them said to another “It’s because we’re kids.”  I may not be working in children’s ministry any more, but I still ache at the thought of other kids experiencing the same dismissal. 

I also remember the 4 year old, an “active” little guy who was a challenge.  After a listening prayer time with the class, I asked whether any of them heard Jesus say anything to them that they’d like to share.  This little guy said “Jesus said, ‘I love you and I never ever get tired of being with you.’”  Into that little 4 year old heart, Jesus spoke just what he needed to hear to combat the hurts he was already aware of.  My heart soars when I see young children hearing God in such a powerful way.

I’ve realized that my Children’s Ministry days, and later on my time as a college counselor (on the high school side), had pieces to them that are similar to what I do now.  Throughout it all – I have loved ministry to parents.  Whether it was young children, high schoolers about to go off to college, or World Racers traveling the world for a year, I have loved two particular components of parent ministry:

1. Helping parents see – and respect – what is happening spiritually in their children.
2. Helping parents know what appropriate “letting go” looks like at different stages.

To get to do what I do now is a gift – as were the years of ministry that led me here.  I’m grateful beyond measure that I got to do Children's Ministry and that I loved it.  In God’s goodness, each season of ministry has in some way prepared me for the next step.  Some of the transitions were happy and exciting ones.  Others came out of hardship.  But in all cases, the new ministry season has been one of growth and fulfillment.

Is this season with Adventures in Missions, and parent ministry, my last big season of ministry, the one where I will invest myself for as long as I am able?  I think it is.  But who knows?  I’ve been surprised before.