What Do You Think?
The lastest issue of Childrens Ministry magazine includes an article about a church in California whose Children's Ministry attempts to connect children to God's story through food fights,silly string fights, and lots of other similar kinds of activities. This is the second article this magazine has devoted to this program at this church. I'm not sure how such a program cares for the souls of our children and/or promotes the spiritual formation of said children.
If you haven't read the article I'm sure it can be found at www.childrensministry.com. I would be interested in what others think about these forms of children's ministry. Please feel free to comment through this website.
I'm off to camp for a week.
Ivy
If you haven't read the article I'm sure it can be found at www.childrensministry.com. I would be interested in what others think about these forms of children's ministry. Please feel free to comment through this website.
I'm off to camp for a week.
Ivy
10 Comments:
Ivy,
I have read the article and share your concerns. I was more troubled, however, by the cover article "Creating a Kid Friendly Church." Here is the text of a letter to the editor in response to that article.
I have read many wonderful ideas in your magazine for years. I've also read some about which I thought "Oh, well, that's just not for me and my church." I have never, however, read an article which I judged to be dangerous to the spiritual health of children - until today. That article is "a church made for kids." While there are many helpful suggestions such as make church fun, take them outdoors, use "active" activities, and keep consistent teachers, the idea that Big Church is bad for kids is ...the only word I can think of is irresponsible. The fact is, the way children learn to worship God in their particular faith setting IS to worship God in their particular faith setting. You can't teach children about worship if you exclude them until they are 12 or so. Granted, worship shouldn't be boring (for anyone, even adults.) But the solution is not to take children out. The solution is to improve worship. Make it more paticipatory, more engaging. We know that children "catch" faith in relationship to significant adults of faith. Children learn how to worship God by sitting with their parents and experiencing the worship of God. Shame on you for making a simplistic, declarative statement about an issue that is constantly being debated among professional children's ministers. A good source to read about children and worship is Elizabeth J. Sandell's Including Children In Worship. She emphasizes the fact that children are part of the body of Christ and that God desires their worship. When we send them away, we teach them that they are less important to God than the grown-ups are and that they are "second class citizens" in the kingdom. This just will not do.
Maybe the next time you address an issue of this importance, you will ask the opinions of the ministers rather than of the children. Yes we want them to be happy at church. Yes we want them to want to be here. But while they're here, we want them to develop faith and a relationship with God. In my own family I want my children to have fun and love being with me. That doesn't mean I let them make the decisions about what is best for them. If I did, we'd have candy for dinner everynight. It would taste good. It wouldn't help them grow.
I, too, was troubled by this article. Cathy's response is so right on. Yes, we want children to enjoy church and think of it as a positive place but there are other ways to do that than turning church into a playland.
I am a new Children's Director (about a year and a half), with no experience whatsoever.... except a Master's Degree in counseling and psychology. One of the first things I did was to subscribe to Children's Ministry magazine, and Group magazine. When I saw this article, I was disturbed. Unfortunately, that's what a lot of people are expecting us to do... entertain the kids (and keep them out of the main church's hair).
I am sooo glad to hear that other's are disturbed by this, as well. These activities are fine for a get-together where goofing off (and connecting) is the point, but not Sunday!!
If we continue doing church this way, we are going to raise adults that are expecting church to be entertaining (an epidemic that I am concerned the megachurches with their concert atmospheres might be pandering to with adults now). I don't remember anywhere in Acts where the early church set out to entertain its followers....
Cool guestbook, interesting information... Keep it UP
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best regards, nice info
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