Are you tired yet? Christmastime turns into a whirlwind of parties, activities, last-minute purchases for school, concerts, performances, buying the other last-minute things you forgot, travel…and the list goes on. All of the families in our church are facing a similar whirlwind. At the same time, this is Jesus’ birthday we are celebrating! We should be the ones making a big deal out of the season. How do you decide what your ministry to families looks like during this time of year?
When planning how to best minister to families during this season, here are four key questions to ask:
- Are we adding value or adding more things to do? Sometimes in kidmin I feel that we feel the pressure to have an event because having an event is what you are supposed to do. Events are usually good times, but it is important to evaluate if it is the very best use of our time and energy. More importantly, we should evaluate the true purpose behind our children’s ministry event. Is our event helping families add legitimate value to their Christmas experience or is really just another thing on the calendar? Are we offering something that is missing within our community or are we the 15th church on the block offering something similar?
- Are we celebrating Christmas in a way that is unique from the world and points toward Christ? Our families have plenty of opportunities to do Christmas-y things. Let’s make sure that the things we invest time, energy and resources into are different from what they experience everywhere else. What an opportunity we have to shine brightly the true story of Christmas. Let’s take full advantage of that opportunity by loudly proclaiming Jesus and by giving our families opportunities to intentionally focus on Christ.
- Are we allowing families time to be together? The rest of the world is not going to slow down. Sometimes it is our responsibility as churches who are “for families” to resist the temptation to over-schedule families and give them the opportunity to actually spend time together.
- Are we giving families opportunities to serve others? Christmas is a time when children become very focused on themselves. We feed this quite a bit as they are constantly asked during December what gifts they want and if they are being “good.” Your children’s ministry can add great value to families by equipping them to serve other people. These opportunities could include random acts of kindness, serving senior adults, Christmas caroling, delivering treats to fire stations, and so many other options.
What would you add to this? What are some ways your church has made Christmas awesome for families?
This article originally appeared here.
