Why Does Kid's Ministry Matter?
Why does Kid's Ministry matter? Since Jesus' ministry on this earth, I believe that He makes children one of His focal points and we see this in passages like Matthew 19:13-15, Luke 18:15-17, and Mark 10:13-16. The passage that I specifically love is Mark 10:13-16 because it says, "People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them and blessed them."
The thing that I love most about this passage is two things:
First, Jesus directs us to have a faith like a child. Now this doesn't mean that we should be acting out in childish ways. I believe that what Jesus is saying here is we are to have full dependency on God just like we have dependency on our parents as a child. As we were all once kids, we depended on our parents or guardians a lot, because without them, we would have a hard time trying to survive. The same is true for us and Christ. Why do we think so often that we can do things on our own without depending on Him? Parents are there to protect and provide. Isn't that what our Heavenly Father is there to do as well? Kids model this so well because of their dependency and their innocence towards those in authority.
Kids will trust whoever is in authority over them and as we have seen in current culture, that can be used for good, and it can be used for bad. That is one reason why Kid's Ministry is so important. If we are to have a child-like faith that models this dependency and innocence towards God, how then are we not to value the importance of nurturing that same faith in a child? Jesus even emphasizes this in Matthew 18:3 which says “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus shows us the importance of having a faith like a child. I truly believe that what He is getting at here is that the full dependency, reliance, innocence, and need for provision that a child exhibits towards their earthly parents is the same thing we should exhibit towards our Heavenly Father.
Second, the part of Mark 10:13-16 that I do not want to get overlooked is the part that says, "And he took the children in his arms, placed His hands on them and blessed them." The Son of God, when everyone else counted them out, chose to invite them in, place His hands on them, and bless them. Even the disciples pushed the kids away because they believed Jesus didn't have the time for them. If Jesus took the time to show a child's worth and value by not diminishing the possibility of a relationship with them, why then do we so often see children's ministry as something that is less than? Why is it so common for people to count kids out or see their words and opinions as less than those of an adult? It can become so easy for us to believe that just because a child might lack some life experience, that this causes them to lack the ability to have a full encounter with the living God.
A saying that I have heard over the past year that has really stuck with me is "there is no junior Holy Spirit". What I mean by this is a child can experience God just as an adult can. We cannot sit back and think that the God of the universe who can move mountains, part the sea, raise the dead to life, and do as He pleases, cannot connect with kids because they are too young. Kid's Ministry for some has created this idea of a daycare rather than a place that I like to call "spiritual care" where we get to help nurture a child's faith for a few hours on a Sunday.
Kid's Ministry should not be a place where kids go because they cannot handle spiritual conversation. We have Kid's Ministry so that we are able to teach kids the Gospel in a language they can understand. Just because they might not understand how things are taught in the main service, does not mean that they cannot grasp the Gospel if it is properly explained to them.
Kid's Ministry has become something near and dear to my heart because we get to help these kids have a voice of their own. In a world that counts them out, pushes them to the side, tells them they would never understand, claims they can't make an impact, and sees their life as less than, we as a church get to completely flip that narrative. If you got to read the section about my calling, it has been something I have really tried to lean into understanding these past few weeks.
As I read back through 1 Samuel 16, it's the chapter where Samuel anoints David. If you remember, I had the guy tell me at the plasma center that I would anoint Davids of the next generation. As I read further and spent time in my quiet time, it was almost as if God told me that what Samuel did for David, He wanted me to do for others. What I mean by this is look at the heart, rather than the outward appearance. This is applicable with kids especially because the world sees them as small and incapable of making a large impact. What God sees, however, is the heart of a champion waiting to take down the next Goliath. In this passage, Samuel makes that emphasis on looking at a person's character and who someone is on the inside rather than their outward appearance.
When I tell you, reading through that honestly blew my mind. Think about it, these kids to many people are seen as maybe weak or incapable of making a real impact. What if God is planning something that we least expect, and He flips the script, leading a revival through kids? Just the thought of that gets me so fired up. I have gotten to see kids chase after their own faith like no tomorrow. Sometimes I even feel challenged to be a better believer based on a child's faith.
That even goes back to what we talked about earlier, having a childlike faith. As we have seen Jesus flip the script many times through the Bible and His ministry, I firmly believe that this is another "flip the script moment". We even see this is the next few verses in Matthew 18:4-5 which says, “Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” This builds on the idea of showing Jesus' love to those who are less fortunate, those who cannot fend for themselves, and those are lost.
In Matthew 25:40, it adds to this with a little more context saying, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Now this verse is in the context of God deciphering between who is a goat and who is a sheep, meaning who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven and who will not. Obviously, there is so much more that I can unpack from these few verses, but for today we focus on the fact that Jesus understands people see kids as the “least of these” and makes it a point to say that “whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Jesus shows us that the same love that He shows us should be modeled and exemplified towards kids because of their importance.
The more that you read some of my material, the more you'll realize that I am a sucker for a good analogy. The analogy that has really stuck with me for the idea of kid's ministry is the analogy of a greenhouse. Kid's ministry is like a greenhouse - it provides a nurturing, protected space for spiritual growth. Just as a greenhouse allows seeds to take root and flourish, kid's ministry shelters kids from harsh conditions and cultivates their budding faith. The greenhouse walls block out storms and distractions from the outside world, letting seeds focus on growth.
Similarly, kid's ministry offers a safe haven where kids can develop their relationship with God away from the storms of life. The greenhouse climate gives seeds what they need - water, nutrients, sunlight - to grow effectively. Kid's pastors nurture kids' unique needs, "watering their souls" with biblical teachings to nourish their spirits. They pay attention to each child's pace of development, providing specialized care when required. A greenhouse isn't just for maintaining seeds but enabling growth and ultimately fruit production.
Kid's ministry aims for the same - not just daycare but intentionally fostering faith so kids can blossom spiritually. Workers plant gospel seeds in kids' hearts, equipping them to mature and bear Christ-like fruit, even if they never see the final growth. While this is a simple analogy, I think it holds so much truth. Kid's ministry is important because we get to steward a child's spiritual growth and equip them to have firm roots in their faith as they get older.
So, going back to my original question, why does kid's ministry matter? I think it all boils down to understanding that the significance and value is equivalent to the ministry of an adult, it just looks different. Just because it looks different, however, does not make it any less than. This just means that the language and the methods that are used are different in order to cater to the needs of the audience. What might click for a child, might not click for an adult and vice versa. Kid’s ministry matters because we get to teach kids about the Bible in a way they can understand.
I believe that no child is too young to have an encounter with the living God. Just because that might look different than an adult encountering God does not make it less than. Like I said before, there is no junior Holy Spirit, so we need to stop acting like there is. My prayer is that people are able to see kid’s ministry through the lens of souls that are encountering God in a way that makes sense to them. Everyone encounters God differently, but we all encounter the same living God who has transformed many of our lives. We cannot choose to sit back and believe that the same God who did a work in our own lives is incapable of doing that same work in a child’s life.
Although I could ramble on about this for much longer, I’ll end with Proverbs 22:6 which says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Even in Proverbs, it gives an emphasis on raising up kids in the faith early so that they can build and develop a strong foundation in their faith that they will never turn from. If the Bible emphasizes the urgency of telling kids about Jesus at an early age, then we have no time to waste.
