Isn't it a twisted mindset to expect to produce radical, sold-out children in our ministries when all they see is mealy-mouthed, namby-pamby, lackadaisical attitudes in our services? You know that I am telling the truth. Our kids are direct products of what they see and experience. Radical, Holy Ghost-filled, uncompromising kids come from boys and girls observing and participating in radical, Holy Ghost-filled, uncompromising children's ministry services.
Perhaps one of the greatest things that you and I can do today is to go through and assess and analyze our services. Are our boys and girls seeing intense, passionate prayer or are they witnessing check-it-off-the-list, I've-got-it-done prayer? Are we allowing the children to witness and participate in radical, passionate worship from our entire children's ministry team or are they possibly seeing perhaps the person on the platform half-heartedly singing while the rest of the team is busy looking at the lesson or getting their props together or standing in the back of the room visiting? What about your personal ministry time? Can the children see your faith and confidence as you pray for their personal needs? Or are they watching some exercise in religiosity? Would you even want to think about the platform ministry? Are the children seeing someone who is filled to overflowing with the message and is passionately communicating the gospel or are they seeing individuals who skimmed the lesson just before the service?
If we are going to impact this generation, there must be a change in our mindset and our way of ministry. Let's get radical. Let's become passionate. Let's make our love for Jesus and our desire to powerful demonstrate His presence in our lives and ministry so enormously large and visible that the size of your auditorium or classroom can't contain it all and it will have to spill out and overflow outside of the room ... through your kid's radical daily walk with Christ.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Pastor Billy,
This challenge is exactly what my wife and I are feeling and have begun pursuing in our personal ministry. After over 10 years in CM, we thought we knew how to run a Children's Service for the maximum impact but were always looking for ways to do more to get the kids into the presence of God and see a radical group of kids. We've been at our current position a little over a year and the first year was filled with one construction project after another (not overseeing contractors, but being the carpenters and painters). We were finally able to start focusing on our true ministry a few weeks ago. God challenged me in November with three words I saw on a banner at SAGU - Leave Your Mark. This sparked a fire in me and I knew it was the theme and the rallying cry for 2010. I was disappointed when you had to cancel your 2009 Dallas conference because you are teaching what we want to see and know. We implemented some of the interactive worship segments and did some lessons on them from Gary's Moving Kids From Virtual Reality to Spiritual Reality but still weren't seeing the move of God we've witnessed in the past, be it in CC or Kids Camp.
So we took a look at our service schedule - it was broken, we had picked up good and God ideas over the years and had just stuck them in places where they seemed to fit. The problem was, the flow was messed up during our worship times. My wife and I prayed as we threw our service schedule on the table, redefined our purpose, and let the Spirit of God lead us into developing a new plan for this hour. It has been just two weeks since we started and Sunday was our best worship segment ever.
I'll briefly describe what we do, just in case it can help anyone else:
SERVICE SCHEDULE
10:35 – OPEN DOORS
1ST PRAISE SONG
10:39 – WELCOME VIDEO
TEAM INTRO VIDEO
TEAM LEADER INTRO
HOW DO YOU FEEL?
10:42 – 2ND PRAISE SONG
10:46 – CODE OF CONDUCT
10:48 – SHOW ME YOUR SWORDS
10:50 – OFFERING
10:52 – NEWS
10:55 – WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA
11:00 - GAMES
11:03 – ACTION VERSE
11:08 – ACTION VERSE
REINFORCEMENT SKIT
11:11 – TOPIC REINFORCEMENT
SEGMENT
11:15 – CALL TO WORSHIP
11:17 – PERSONAL PRAYER TIME
11:20 – STAND UP & TESTIFY
11:22 – TRANSITION SONG
11:26 – WORSHIP SONG 1
11:30 – PRAYER TEAM
WORSHIP SONG 2
11:34 – WORSHIP SONG 3
11:39 – SERMON
11:54 – OBJECT LESSON
11:57 – ALTAR TIME
12:02 – REVIEW TIME
12:12 – WINNING TEAM
BIBLE BUCKS
12:15 – BLESSING & DISMISSAL
Thank you for your passion and your drive. We are believing God to be able to attend your 2010 conference and plan to take several people with us.
In His Service,
Bryan Braley
Post a Comment