Children's ministry is not always my cup of tea. Give me a room full of teens, and I'm all kinds of excited. When you give me a handful of children, I just might pee myself. Hey, maybe I am cut out for children's ministry! ;)
My honest hesitation in children's ministry isn't, that I don't like kids. I love kids! Especially, the one, and the one on the the way that share the same address as me. Kids are fun, lively, unpredictable, and they have imaginations! Sounds good right?
Well, the first tension comes for me in trying to explain adult level concepts, to children. It's hard. But, I can't ignore the call not only on parents, but also on our spiritual community (the Church) to train up our children in truth.
The second tension is about what other people think of how I am raising my children, and the programs of our children's ministry. In the past most Americans may not have thought twice about sending their child to VBS or a children's program at church. But, with the rise of militant atheism as a system of belief, and a worldview; we as parents raising our children to love God and believe in his Word as the source of truth, will come under scrutiny. We may even be accused of "brainwashing" our children. Harsh, right?
Eowyn Stoddard, wrote a great post that talks about this tension. And, why we need and our children need to have our "brains washed", with a healthy dose of Jesus and his truth.
Give it a read here.
PS. Letting your kids decide what faith they want, is a sure fire way to lead them to choose nothing at all. Live out your faith as a family, together in the ups and downs. Just make sure your kids are with you.
I saw the article here: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2014/04/11/i-want-my-kids-brainwashed/
It originally appeared here: http://theeowiggle.blogspot.com/
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