If you know any under-11s well, you'll know how great they are. This is an age of discovery, when they are learning new things all the time. So here are four reasons why children's ministry is fertile ground for the gospel:
1. The good news is just right for everyone
Think of the range of children in your group, or the wider church family: they will vary according to age, sex, cultural background, academic achievement, and ability at sport or languages or being able to sing in tune or… But for every single child on that list the gospel is exactly the perfect message they need to hear. The good news about Jesus is exactly right for every single one of them.
2. Children soak in new things all the time
They haven’t yet become bored with learning. They don't assume they know everything. They haven’t closed their minds or put up barriers in the way older teens and adults can do. They are open to new things, ready to listen, and often have a streak of enthusiasm running through them that is eager to find something to be excited about.
3. Children already know that they are sinners (though this is becoming less true as modern children are increasingly told how wonderful they are!)
One huge difference between children and adults is that children have far more experience of being in the wrong! Many of them get told off every day at home or school for doing what they shouldn’t or not doing what they should. They’re used to making a mess of things. Even the well-behaved ones know how easy it is to mess up, or have the experience of being caught up in a larger group of children who all get punished together.
Compare that with what John says in 1 John 1 v 8-9: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I’ve met many adults who “claim to be without sin” (or, at least, without enough sin to need saving from it!)—but children find it much easier to recognise their own sinfulness, and therefore see what wonderfully good news it is to be offered forgiveness through Christ.
4. In children’s ministry we can build the teaching up over time
This is in contrast to many adult evangelistic events, which tend to be one-off opportunities that we try and encourage our non-Christians friends to come to. But much of children’s ministry is regular (often weekly) and so gives us the time to build and develop a child’s understanding of the good news about Jesus.
So teaching them about the God who loves them, and the fantastic news about Jesus, is a delight. It’s the best job in the world!
But it isn’t always easy. It can be hard working out the best way to explain Bible truth to young children who are concrete thinkers. The room you meet in, or the time you have, may not be ideal. And all that energy means that some children find it really hard to settle down and listen!
Working with children is exciting, but can also be a little daunting—and that’s where our new book Starting out in Children’s Ministry is designed to make the job a little easier. I hope this book will encourage you, give team members some basic (and simple) skills, and thrill you all with the joy and privilege of sharing the good news of Jesus with the next generation.
One more encouragement for anyone in children’s work
Some years ago, a dad came to find me and thank me for the children's Bible-reading notes that I had written and that his daughter was using. He was genuinely very grateful for the way his daughter was enjoying getting into the Bible on her own.
I was thrilled, particularly since it is so rare for people to take the time to say thank you for the things I've written. (Writing for children may be the ultimate example of never seeing how God has used your work!) But then this dad said something lovely:
"Alison, one day you will be in the new creation, and a whole long line of people will be queued up waiting to talk to you. Every single one of them will want to say thank you for the books you have written that they read as children."
One day, we will see exactly how God has been at work through us as we serve him.
I was so encouraged by that thought—and hope you find it encouraging too. One day, we will see exactly how God has been at work through us as we serve him. And we will meet people who, as children, came through one of our groups. We may have felt that what we did in that group was nothing much—but we will see that the Lord has used it to work out his own eternal purposes.
This is adapted from Starting Out in Children’s Ministry by Alison Mitchell — a brand new book designed to give basic skills and encouragement to leaders and helpers in Sunday School and children’s work. Available now in the UK. Join the conversation and comment below. You can also like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
Alison Mitchell is a Senior Editor at The Good Book Company, where she has worked on a range of products including Bible-reading notes for children and families, and the Christianity Explored range of resources. She is the bestselling author of The Christmas Promise and the award-winning Jesus and the Lions' Den.
