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.Hijos del Altísimo - http://www.a-ai.net/altisimo - email: altisimo@amen-amen.net
Conference "The pastor's role in Children's Ministry"Part 2: The pastor as promoter and facilitator of Children's ministry |
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(Teaching for the Association of Evangelical Pastors in Cusco, Peru, March 20, 2002) ..... - - > (Index)
| . | "7 effective ways how to hinder the development of Children's ministry":
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Note: I hope nobody will take these 7 points seriously. However, I observed each of these phenomenons personally in several churches.
Below I will present several areas where the pastor influences (if he wants to or not) in the development of Children's ministry, either in a positive or in a negative way. I will make some suggestions about things the pastor can do in order to improve the development of Children's ministry.
Part 1:
Biblical and theological foundations for Children's ministry
Part 2: The pastor as promoter and facilitator of Children's ministry
The
pastor influences in the reputation of Children's ministry before
the church.
The
pastor influences in the recruitment and specializing of the
staff.
The
pastor influences in the communication between the different
areas of the church.
The pastor
influences in the distribution of the church's resources.
Part 3: Strategies for the development of
Children's ministry
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a) Visibility:
Activities like the following can improve the visibility of Children's ministry before the church:
It is important to value the Children's
ministry as a SPIRITUAL MINISTRY, not only a means of
entertaining the children. We should expect SPIRITUAL GROWTH of
the children, and real experiences with God during the activities
we realize with them. (If an activity does not result in
spiritual growth, it is better not to realize this activity.)
b) Teaching the congregation in general about the importance of children.
c) As a pastor, spending time with the teachers, not only in order to preach to them, but in order to hear their successes and their problems, their worries and their suggestions.
d) Including the Sunday School director in the board of leaders of the church, and coordinating all activities together with him/her.
e) Enhancing the teachers' authority before the children, and treating them respectfully.
f) In order to "awaken" the leaders in the church for the needs of the children, it could be established that each board member (and the pastor himself) has to teach at least one or two lessons for children during the year. (A church in Germany has established this as a requirement for each of their cell group lesders.)
How much time does a Sunday School teacher need?If he wants to do his job well, a Sunday School teacher needs as a minimum per week:
Total: 10 to 12 hours weekly as the minimum. |
Demonstrate
that teaching children is a desirable
ministry, and encourage church members to
participate in it. If we give the impression that, for
example, the youth group, the women's group, or the
praise choir are "more important" ministries,
members will be more interested in these ministries than
in teaching children. - It is in the lives of children
where we cause the deepest impressions; that is why we
should look for the very best workers for this ministry. Insist in a good preparation of the teachers, especially in the spiritual area. - "If it does not cost anything, it is of no value": If a teacher has paid the price of a significant effort in order to be prepared for his ministry, he will value it more than if it did not cost him anything. (An elementary school teacher has to study for 4 or 5 years full-time before he is allowed to teach!) Insist that a Sunday School teacher be committed to this ministry, be realiable, and that he dedicate all the necessary time to his ministry. This implies that he cannot at the same time have responsibilities in other areas of the church, except if he has an extraordinary amount of spare time. (See at the left, How much time does a Sunday School teacher need?) |
Encourage and support
the best teachers so they can specialize in this
ministry, especially those with leadership qualities. - The
teachers need an experienced person who can train them further
and whom they can ask for help and advice regarding Children's
ministry. There is a need for specialized leaders in this area
who commit themselves long-term and, preferrably, full-time.
(It has been said that a pastor does not really produce fruit
until the fifth year of his ministry. The same applies to a
Sunday School teacher.)
Such a specialization can be promoted by offering more opportunities for leadership in Children's ministry:
Plan and pray for the possibilty to have, in the future, a full-time minister specialized in Children's ministry (either in the local church, or in the denomination on a regional level).
In large churches (and also in some small churches) there can appear many problems because of lack of communication; as for example:
- Another group of the church wants to use the same room which the Sunday School needs for an activity.
- The youth group decides to organize an activity for the same day and time when the Sunday School teachers have their meeting, and commits all teachers who simultaneously are members of the youth group to attend that activity.
- The Sunday School teachers recieve contradictory orders from the church board on one hand, and the Sunday School director on the other hand, because there is no clear definition of the areas of competence, or because these areas are not being respected.
- The Sunday School director learns from an announcement in the service that the pastor or the board are planning their own event with children and are committing all Sunday School teachers for that event, without having consulted the director or the teachers.
In the majority of these cases, the Sunday School teachers are those who have to give way for the "more important" activities. But the pastor can avoid most of these problems by maintaining a permanent and transparent communication with every area of the church, and by defending the needs of the Children's ministry. It is essential to communicate openly and to take into account the opinions of the people affected by the decisions. This communication should iniciate from above, this is, from the pastor and the board of leaders.
| If children constitute 44% of the population (in Cusco), and 85% of all people who receive Christ, should we not invest in them the same percentage of our resources? But in reality, most of the investment of the churches benefits only the adults. This includes for example musical instruments and sound equipment; much of what is invested in buildings (except if there are appropriate rooms for the children included), and also the pastor's wages (since the average pastor dedicates very little time to Children's ministry). | Material needs of Children's ministry:Rooms:
Materials:
Other needs:
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While most of the churches in Cusco grow very slowly, one church has triplicated their attendance during the last three years: from 50 to more than 150. This growth occurred because the church got a new pastor who has a vision for Children's ministry, both he and his wife. Almost all of the one hundred new people are children and teenagers.
Hijos del Altísimo - http://www.a-ai.net/altisimo - email: altisimo@amen-amen.net
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