“Children are the church of tomorrow.”
I am sure you have heard that phrase.
As well as “children are the church of today.”
The reality is, both are very true statements.
Awana has spent time and resources examining the intersection of these two statements. Through extensive research, surveys and focus groups, “The Gospel Truth about Children’s Ministry” sets out to explore some of the difficulties those in children’s ministry face. Better said, this book focuses on the struggle children’s ministry leaders face ministering to kids today to ensure they stick around to become the church of tomorrow.
When was the last time you considered your calling?
What difficulties have you faced?
Why are you involved in children’s ministry?
Why am I involved in children’s ministry? Through a crazy set of circumstances during my college years, I found myself returning from a summer internship on the mission field in Central America and entering into a classroom setting, teaching elementary Spanish in a Christian school. I was studying to be a teacher, and here I found myself in a position to learn hands on rather than simply study books. Over the next five years I learned quite a bit about myself, and I discovered God had given me a natural ability to teach and relate to kids. It was during this time I realized part of the calling God placed on my life was ministering to kids.
Since then I have had times of success, failure, confusion and struggle in my ministry. There have been times
• I felt overwhelmed
• I wondered if my ministry is effective?
• I asked what should my focus be?
Have you ever had any of these thoughts? If you have, you are not alone.
“The Gospel Truth about Children’s Ministry” not only identifies many of the problems and challenges those in ministry wrestle with, Awana has gone a step further and offered solutions to equip leaders overcome those challenges.
This is not simply a collection of problems those in ministry face though. What I enjoyed most was at the end of each section identifying a “Fresh Kidmin Finding”, there was a set of practical questions to help me (and you) wrestle through the subject on a personal level. Each group of questions felt like a time of self-evaluation.
A few of my favorite questions were:
• “Why did you become involved in ministering to kids?”
• “Is your children’s ministry effective at making disciples?”
If you allow it, “The Gospel Truth about Children’s Ministry” could be a great tool for you and your ministry. I believe you will identify with many of the fresh findings. I also believe if you take time to answer and reflect on the questions you will experience growth in your personal life and your ministry.
