Children's Ministry–Now This Is Fun!

There are so many God-placed, God-timed, creative ideas for letting kids bloom in these great days. It would be a shame to miss them! Here are some of the ways things are better today:

 

1. Parents want to partner with church leaders to teach and guide their children, but they don’t expect us to do it for them nearly as much as ten years ago.

2. Because we’ve realized it’s as important to build strong relationships between our kids as it is to preach to them, we’re having more fun with them than ever before!

3. Musically, we have more to offer. Hymns are a solid tradition. With so many in new musical settings, hymns are more appealing to children and their families than ever before, especially when we find a creative way to pair the old with the new. Worship songs are flavored by every musical genre you can you think of. From traditional to contemporary to rock to country to rap and everything in between, there is no shortage of great music.

4. Because we often are not doing children’s choir for 9 months straight, we can partner happily with another children’s ministry in our church and enjoy the multiplied blessings of shared experiences with our kids and with other leaders who love them. If that doesn’t appeal to you, ask yourself this question: Am I here for just for the music or to share God with kids? This is no competition, my friend. We have to get honest, examining ourselves and our motives if we want to move forward.

5. Children’s praise teams, children’s dance teams, children’s art teams, children’s drama teams, AND children’s choirs all have their place in today’s Church world and live outside of a musical! I think that’s worth celebrating. It is worth thinking through, as we know the platform God has given them in these great days is so enlarged. They can participate in children’s church services on a regular basis and often in “Big Church” with adult praise teams or choir. They can go out into the community to sing and more! Take your children’s choir or dance team to the local homeless shelter and serve people who are less fortunate. Take them to the park on a Saturday afternoon to sing and dance, then share Popsicles and play with the kids who are there. Plan an art exhibit downtown with your children’s worship art team in the lead. Invite other churches and their young artists to participate with you. Make it a fun event worth a family’s Saturday morning! So many ideas are filling my head and my heart at this moment that I can hardly sit here and keep writing. I’m ready to GO. \o/

We have so much to be thankful for and too many powerfully fun things to be about with this generation that we really don’t have time for missing the past. Come on. Let’s celebrate and really live to make a difference right now. After all, this life is not a rehearsal…

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aoden@churchleaders.com'
Annette Oden is the Dove Award-winning songwriter and creator of kids musicals, including Noelle, The First!, Who Is Like the Lord?, Christmas Starr, Born to Worship, No Wonder!, Get to the Manger, and Just Run, as well as several collections, published by Integrity Music, Inc. (www.integritydirect.com ) Annette is the ChildrenÂ’s Pastor at Deeper Life Fellowship (www.dlfmobile.com) and has created a community-wide, parachurch worship arts organization for elementary aged kids called SPIN!, which she co-directs with Kellie Armstrong, now in its fourth year. She co-created and co-directs S.T.O.M.P. (Serious Time of Massive Praise!), a dance and drama troupe for kids in middle school through college. Annette is also a kids worship leader, childrenÂ’s choir director and adjunct professor. She does consulting & leads conferences, breathing new life and purpose wherever she goes. Her passion is to see kids experience the manifest presence of God as they worship Him; her eyes and heart are always open to giving them opportunities to grow in their own unique gifts & talents.