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’ ministry comfortably minister to the obedient when Jesus came for the disobedient?
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’ ministry comfortably minister to the obedient when Jesus came for the disobedient?
For balance sake, is it wrong to have classroom management skills, an orderly teaching environment, or even quiet time? No. But if these methods limit the audience for whom Jesus came, then reevaluate the methods to teach the truths to the people in need. Many times American churches convey the message of “clean yourself and your children before coming to gather with the church on particular days of the week, such as a Sunday” – as if morality is a ticket to hand to God before entering church building doors. A pure church is believers making disciples through understanding people are to come hear the word of God, which is the very thing God uses to transform (Romans 12:1-2). Transforming people is not uniformity with others or the current church culture; rather, God plants the seed of his word in people’s soil hearts, which he produces fruit of character that supersedes morals (Mark 4:1-20; c.f. Mark 4:40). The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc) are for the purpose making disciples through loving your neighbor as yourself, not the law, so that others know the love, joy and peace of God (Galatians 5:1-26; c.f. Matthew 28:18-20).
Jesus walks through Galilee’s synagogues, houses, hillsides and sea to the damned, disconnected, disheartened, dying, disowned, deceived, dirty, demon possessed, disorderly and disabled (Mark 1:21-2-17). As Jesus begins his earthly ministry of preaching the gospel to these people, protestors begin their barrage of questions to his methods, teaching content and people he is associating. Jesus called an IRS agent (tax collector Levi) during business hours to follow him. These agents were detested by the Jewish community – assumed to be worshipping gods of wealth, Rome and not God. More so, Jesus went into the agent’s home to dine with his friends and other “sinners.” Since Jesus is so good, he even allows the religious leaders to join. The leaders inquiry to Jesus’ motivation for eating with these filthy creatures, and Jesus’ reply spins the table to reveal the religious leaders are truly the filthy creatures as they stayed opposed to Jesus. Jesus stated he came not for the “righteous” (self-righteous) but the sinners (unrighteous or guilty).
If Jesus came for us who are unrighteous, how much more then should we be like him in going out for them as we are “fishers of men” (Mark 1:17)?
To be continued …
Further Reading:
A Passion for Souls: The Life of D.L. Moody by Lyle Dorseet
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This is part of the blog posts series from Missional Education on the gospel in children’s ministry.
