Pastors Role in Children’s Ministry is Vital
A call to pastors.
How pastors allocate their time indicates their priorities. What’s your weekly schedule? Do you connect with children amidst sermon preparation, prayer meetings, Bible studies, counselling, managing operations, organizing events, preaching, and other things?
As a lead pastor in a local church, I spent significantly more time with adults than children. It wasn’t that I disliked children or thought of them as someone else’s job; that’s just how it was.
Shepherding the whole flock.
Who has God called you to minister to? Is it seniors, adults, young adults, youth, or children? While you may be more inclined to serve one age group over another, the role of a pastor is to shepherd a flock. A standard physical flock consists of lambs and sheep. A standard spiritual flock consists of young and old. Pastor, you’re responsible for fostering people’s faith formation from the cradle to the grave.
Your church’s staffing structure or your personal preference may dilute this, but biblically, a pastor should preach the Gospel, make disciples, support, and equip believers of all age groups for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13). Note the emphasis on “all age groups.” Age-segmented programming, normative in many churches today, is a social preference, not a Christ-like model.
Emulating Christ.
When Jesus placed a child among the disciples (Matthew 18:2), He said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones” (Matthew 18:10). We should emulate Christ’s example. In human form, He was aware of, loved, and ministered to little children. Pastor, never fall into the trap of thinking it’s not your job to foster children’s faith formation.
Reinforcing faith at home.
That’s not to say the pastor is solely responsible for shepherding the children in a congregation—far from it! A pastor’s contribution is simply a supplement to their overall spiritual nurture. A child’s primary environment for learning about the works and wonders of God should be the home. The pastor’s role, as well as the congregation’s, is to reinforce what the parents do to equip and encourage their children to follow Jesus.
Reevaluating Priorities.
Every ministry context is different, yet every pastor should be invested in reaching, rescuing, rooting and releasing every generation to live for Jesus (Psalm 78:4). Maybe your schedule prevents you from meeting with the children and youth when they get together. But regardless of the demands of your weekly calendar, you should find ways to actively demonstrate your care and concern for children’s spiritual health and growth.
A concerted effort.
There’s no doubt that Jesus considers children prized and precious (Matthew 19:14). Do you? Your role in children’s ministry is vital. If you’re mainly connecting with adults, please prayerfully consider how to make a concerted effort to know, walk alongside, teach, and love the children in your church.
Do you agree or disagree with this call to pastors? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Related Articles
From Age-Isolated to Age-Integrated. Initiating Intergenerational Ministry in Your Church
Unlocking the Future: The Power of Intergenerational Ministry in Church Revitalization
© Scripture Union, 2024
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Blog Author: Lawson’s purpose in life is to cultivate growth. He has sought to fulfill this calling by serving as a teacher, pastor, church planter and children/youth evangelist. He is the author of the bestselling children’s series Bible Beginners and the acclaimed handbook, Bible Engagement Basics. Lawson is a children’s ministry consultant, conference speaker, adjunct seminary professor, international trainer, ministry innovator, Bible engagement advocate, sports ministry specialist, family ministry champion, and the president of Scripture Union.
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