Children’s ministries will need to take a hard look at what age appropriate content is for the next generation lest they get left behind.
Kids will be searching for community. A few decades ago, kids were expected to make family time a priority. They would sit around the dinner table with family each night, sharing stories and talking about how their day went.
These family dinners are no longer a priority. Parents run through the drive through at McDonald’s and grab their children a “to go” meal instead of sitting down as a family.
Children’s ministries that thrive will provide opportunities and strategies for kids to be in community through small groups, personal connections with leaders, and intentional ways to help kids get in community.
Kids will continue to be over-scheduled. Sports. Clubs. Music practices. School demands. All of these programs and events leave little to any margin to engage in regular play and family time. Children’s ministries that will be thriving will be the ones who do a few things well and emphasize the essentials for being a disciple of Jesus.
Family structures will continue to be very diverse. A big factor is this…more children will be born out of wedlock.
“A key change in family structure since the 1980s has been the rise of childbearing within cohabitation” (Ann Berrington, professor of demography and social statistics at the University of Southampton).
Berrington goes on to say that the proportion of births outside of marriage has doubled from around a quarter in 1988 to just under half today. Cohabiting families—with and without children—are the fastest-growing type of family.
The designation of “family” will continue to move away from “Leave it to Beaver” and move toward “Modern Family.”
Children’s ministries that thrive will be vary aware of this and make adjustments as needed to successfully reach and disciple “families” in the days ahead.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.Â
