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How to Kill Children’s Ministry? – Step 2
Does anyone in ministry ever ask, “How can we kill our own ministry, especially our children’s ministry?” If so, they are drinking spiked cool – aid; however, many would say emphatically, “no!” Rather, plans are made, curriculum chosen, rules implemented and patterns set in place with the purpose of doing the work of ministry (though not everyone or everything is done with purpose). Normally, a ministry dies a slow, agonizing, miserable and ugly death. Therefore, what is causing this death?
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How to Kill Children’s Ministry? – Step 1
“Kids! Please sit down, fold your hands, close your eyes and if anyone moves they will be put on timeout. Jesus loves when we focus on him and not ourselves or each other. We pray on Sunday because it is the most important day of the week.” Is this a gospel or religious statement? At first cursory glance, the statement from the teacher to the children seems honest, accurate, caring and gospel oriented. Inevitably statements like this spring from either gospel-teachable ignorance or a religious heart. Are we here to kill children’s ministry or to bring life to their young hearts through the gospel?
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Children’s Ministry to the Damned, Disconnected, Disheartened, Dying, Disowned, Deceived, Dirty, Demon Possessed and Disorderly?
Soft-spoken teacher sits quietly in front of the classroom filled with twenty little attentive children. Sheep jumping over fences with a light blue background covers the classroom walls. Toys are neatly put away by the responsible teacher. Soft carpet pads the room for a gentle child’s seat during story time. Snack time lurks around the corner with shear readiness of excitement. No disorder. No abuse. No disruptions. No apparent evil. No removal of God. No disobedience. Peace, comfort, joy and smiles fill the room. Anything wrong? Yes! Where is the disorderly? Where is the abused? Where is the disrupters? Where is the disobedient? Where is the disabled? Do our children’…
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Jesus Heals All Disabled in Children’s Ministry?
Misconceptions, misinformation and misunderstandings can destroy someone like stepping on a land mind. Either they walk away wounded or killed. Having worked for an equestrian therapy ranch for two years, I witnessed families being destroyed by inaccurate and unhelpful counsel from friends, family and unkind strangers. I also have been to a church and read their literature stating that healing only comes to those who possess faith. This faulty logic leads to an understanding that if they are never healed, then they never possessed faith. Answering the following question is vital to set expectations of what is to come through disabilities: Did Jesus come to promise all disabled children would…
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Children’s Ministry, A Labor Camp for Church Workers?
Labor camps are led by merciless, uncompassionate, ill-directed lunatics whipping the backs of men, women and children to do work. The whippers are joyless traditionalists making known their rules and work through abuse. The abused laborers understand the camp as an endless, living haven of mortal death, disease and depression. Many times church workers subtly believe children’s ministry is like a labor camp. If asked to join the children’s ministry camp they fear being whipped, yelled at and beginning a slow, miserable, inescapable, Christian ministry death. Children’s ministry is not a labor camp for church workers!
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The Good News about Children’s Ministry?
Do this, don’t do that, live right, do right, don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t have sex, don’t hate and don’t sin. These statements aim at doing right, and used many times in children’s ministry. The statements convey moral standards that children are to obey in order to please God. As leaders we can all turn to each other, pat each other on the back and say, “good job, we just created moral robots and future rebellious kids!” Some of you reading this may repel back from these words in anger or confusion. You may submit a good question such as, “Are morals or rules a good thing?” Yes, they are,…
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I Hate Children’s Ministry?
Scorching hot, as to turn the skin into a dehydrated vegetable, the desert became a battlefield between two people. One person arrived to the one who has been waiting. Mere sentences describe days of battle between the two people. Prior to the battle, thousands of years had passed, leaving this prophesied story left to be like an old wise tale, fun to listen to but nothing to live by (Genesis 3:15). What’s the story? What’s the tale? Jesus arrived to the earth and Satan hates it, let the earthly battle begin! Has our children’s ministry allowed the gospel to sound like an old wise tale, filled with facts fit for…
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Is God Pleased with Our Children’s Ministry?
Ruled by shame, the Roman culture lived to please (satisfy, appease) the gods. Animal, financial and time sacrifices were given to the gods in return of a blessed earthly life. The god’s blessing was believed to come through the consistent hard work and adequate sacrifice from each follower. The Roman and Greek gods numerically exceeded any other religion as anything and anyone could be known as a god. Emperors to planets were worshipped as gods and images, which surrounded citizens in all areas of life such as the home, businesses and government buildings. Family, employment and government pressure became heavy to please the gods and avoid any shame. Are we Roman…
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A Fake Jesus Children’s Ministry? Part 2
Who is the dude preaching a sermon on the rock with the oily, tangled hair, locust legs stuck in his teeth and honey residue on his lips? Is he a Pharisee gone liberal? A priest gone AWOL? A pastor’s kid? A rebel? A prophet with evil spirits? A protestor to religion? A new ager? A conservationist gone “desert hugger”? A lost dad looking for directions? A coming king motivating people to fight against the nearby countries’ control and oppression? The new, relevant pastor? Jesus? No. John, the one sent by Jesus, because of Jesus, before Jesus, to preach Jesus to those that await Jesus and those who have never heard…
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A Fake Jesus Children’s Ministry? Part 1
Walking through the squeezed-in streets, some wide enough for pedestrians and others wide enough to be a “two wagon” road, a Roman citizen begins to observe a normal day in the streets of Rome, Italy. The magnified aroma of incense mixed with various animal sacrifices clouds up to blend with the sights of the marketplaces filled with small figurines representing the gods and goddesses of the time. Each citizen attends to his or her responsibility. Some worshipping the idol and others buying and selling goods. The area is filled with the morning noises of conversation, traders, buyers, mother’s looking for her children, heavy animal breathing from pulling the farm carts…