LOGOS Explores New Children’s Ministry Solutions

Today’s world demands new approaches to children’s ministry

The notion that children need love, support, and guidance in order to grow into productive adults and disciples of Jesus Christ is not a new concept. What is new, however, is the degree to which today’s society and culture are all affecting this natural growth process…even threatening it. Factors and conditions such as…

- increasing insensitivity to violence and crude behavior in the culture,

- sexualization of the young in the media and consumer products,

- direct marketing to children,

- changing family structures and life styles, and the barrage of messages and information that besiege
kids - constantly in their connected lives (e.g., cell phones, computers and televisions)

…all seem to make it more difficult for children to grow-up healthy today and in a meaningful relationship with their God.

While conditions may be changing, the fundamental need that children have for connectedness and to be in relationship with supporting adults has not changed. In fact, recent studies have verified that this need is still a critical element in the developmental process. Many churches are discovering that fulfilling this requirement in today’s culture is not such an easy matter. Postmodernism, with its emphasis on relative truth rather than doctrine and personal experience as opposed to established tradition, has rendered many previously successful disciple-making approaches inadequate and not-at-all-compelling to either kids or their parents. New solutions in children’s ministry are needed now if we are to provide the support and guidance that kids really need.

At The LOGOS Ministry, this sense of urgency is leading to action. LOGOS is currently in the midst of a campaign to bring regional leaders in many of the major denominations together to discuss the need for effective children’s ministry and a course of action for solution-making. We have introduced a series of free denominational events, called From Urgency to Action, to highlight the critical needs of children today, to introduce a model for enhancing children’s ministries, and to invite partnership with ministry leaders.

LOGOS is committed to working with churches to develop new ministry methods, techniques, and tools that will work in today’s environment. In fact, our new LOGOS@Home resource provides a flexible framework and set of tools for parents to take an active, even primary, role in supporting the spiritual growth of their children. Already, we are seeing that various church groups, individual ministry leaders, and families are discovering new ways of using LOGOS@Home to meet their unique needs.

We may be living in a new world that challenges us in new ways, but we must never lose sight of a timeless commitment – to raise our children as Christ’s own.

Spiritual Wholeness Helps Happiness and Healthiness

Did you know that your work with children is a major contributor to a child’s overall health and happiness? A recent article in USA Today (read it here, “Spirituality a big part of kid’s happiness”) indicated that a study completed by the University of British Columbia shows a direct connection between spiritual formation and overall happiness in the life of children. While this is great news, it certainly isn’t a surprise to us at The LOGOS Ministry. It is why we believe that a balanced ministry that ministers to the whole child is critical for the church today. Over and over again, we can see the immediate benefits of balanced ministry. Search Institute research tells us that spiritual formation is critical to lowering at risk behaviors. The Hardwired to Connect Study tells us that we are hardwired for relationships that are both personal and spiritual and these relationships have a definite positive influence on the children.

From all of this, we discover how important spiritual formation is for our children. Not only does it make an eternal difference but it makes a definite difference in their lives today, So why wouldn’t we want to make sure that we do all we can to offer our children and youth a life that is happier, safer, more connected, and healthier as well as eternally focused?

Why Children Go to Church?

Last week, I offered a podcast from the perspective of teenagers on why they committed to going to church each week in the midst of the busyness of their lives. This week, I offer the written words of a 1st grader given to me on a recent trip. This young boy, who is gifted with words for his age, expresses the feelings of many. He expresses what means the most to him about his midweek LOGOS ministry which he attends faithfully.

“My Life in LOGOS

I love LOGOS! I like table time. I sit with my friends and we eat good food. In rec, we learn new games. I learn to be a good sport. I like Bible time. We study about Jesus and how he loves us. He did many wonderful things called miracles. My favorite part of LOGOS is choir. I love to sing praises to God. It is a small gift I can give to Him. LOGOS helps me to grow up in a good way. That is why I love LOGOS.” by Daniel

What a blessing that even in first grade, a child has a great desire to praise God, be in relationship, learn and become a disciple. The messages over these two weeks have pointed out that young people from 1st to 12th grade are not looking for pure fun and play but truly get engaged when meaning , purpose and discipleship are a part of their church experience. I was given a framed copy of this which now hangs on my wall as a constant reminder of welcoming the children. Thank you Daniel!

May God continue to bless your practical, purposeful and impactful ministry with young people.

Are We Raising Children to Be Easter People?

As I have thought about our role in leading, raising and mentoring children, I have been wondering, especially at this time of year, whether we are raising our children to truly be Easter people. There are some characteristics of Easter people that I think are critical for us to pass on to our children in both word and role modeling. Some of those characteristics that come to mind are as follows. Easter People are:

1. People who live with new abundant life. (John 10:10)
2. People who live with the promise of the resurrection. (Romans 6:5)
3. People who live with faith and hope. (Hebrews 11:1)
4. People who rejoice always, pray constantly and give thanks in all circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-1
5. People who live as obedient disciples. (2 John 1:6)
6. People who are willing to sacrificially take up their cross for the sake of Jesus. (Matthew 16:24)
7. People who are filled with abundant love for God and other people. (Mark 12:29-31)
8. People who are filled with joy. (Acts 14:17)
9. People who put Jesus as Lord (Ruler, King, Number 1) in their lives. (Romans 14:
10. People who live out their faith daily. (James 2:17)

Are we raising our children as Easter people? What other things would you add to this list that the Bible says is critical to be an Easter person?

Leading Children through Action

It is clear to me that the book of James says it is up to us. In James chapter 2 we read, “What good is it if you have faith but do not have works?”

How can we expect young people, our children- God’s children, to be a part of the church, to grow in their faith, to have a saving relationship with God if we are not doing the work it takes to make this happen today.

What good is it to say, “oh things would be so much better of if young people came to church” or, “if only young people today had faith and morals” but we aren’t willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. We aren’t willing to do whatever it takes to reach out, bring them in and help them.

We can complain about all of their behaviors, we can complain about their disrespect, we can complain about their absence from the church not to mention music, movies and other media but if we aren’t willing to be the agents of change nothing will be different. In his book Helping Our Children Grow in Faith, Robert Keely shares in his research that one of the key problems we have is “adults are not willing to work hard enough to make worship accessible for children.” In other words, we don’t want to sacrifice our wants, desires and conveniences to welcome the child.

I am convinced that our faith and our desires to pass that faith on to the next generation are absolutely dead and meaningless if we are not willing to take the action necessary to do something about it.

What about you? Are you doing whatever it takes to make sure the church you attend is wide open to the young in your community?

“So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”

Mentoring Kids Makes a Difference

The words below are written by a 15 year old girl who wrote this journal in response to her daily devotions.  She has given us permission to share them with you.  It is a good reminder of the way we should approach our life and relationship with God:

OVERCOME 

You are an over comer. God has destined you and created you to overcome. You have been given the gift of overcoming. For He has already overcome. He has won. He has power over death, and He wants you to live with Him as He lives. He wants you to carry out His image. The image that screams Overcome. Overcome sin, fear, and failure. That doesn’t mean you will always succeed but you will always be able to overcome. You will see who you can be and what you need to do to get you there. It may be as simple as talking to God, spending time with God. But, I promise you that you will overcome whatever it may be that you feel is holding you back, preventing you from starting, or tying you up. It says in John 15 that you are the branches and He is the vine. That means if you remain in Him, you will be an over comer. It is a step by step process to which you can get to this overriding state.  As the dictionary reads “to get the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat: to overcome the enemy.” You are destined to overcome to see for yourself who you really are. Remain in Him and you will see Him within yourself. Remain in Him and you will have his attributes. Be cognoscente of the fact that you are His. You have a journey ahead of you. A plan, if you seek Him whole heartedly.  God has an immeasurable amount of love for you. How could we expect the least of it? Don’t think for a second that His best won’t reach you because you are His. You have been chosen as a Child of God, to be used by Him and for Him to do great wonders. You are his Hands and Feet. Overcome. Let go of the fear, the struggle, the pain, and the loss. Overcome. Let go and let God. Let Him work through you. The destiny of overcoming will show the world who God truly is. Live it out. The reason why I think it is your destiny is because of the fact that once you have overcome and become free in His name, you have become usable. God will use you in unfathomable ways to touch you and His fellow children. Overcome. Know that you have peace and love and grace flowing in your direction every day. Overcome. Begin to realize that you can do anything through Christ Jesus who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13). What are you facing today? What can be done about that? Overcome. Overcome with strength, perseverance, goals, and Jesus who supplies all those things. Take that step of faith today and reach out. You will get the better of it. You will defeat the enemy. How do I know? Jesus did. He never gave into sin once. Yet, since we are human we do sin. However, what is holding you back from not making the same mistake over and over again? Whatever gets you day in and day out….Don’t give into it today. Don’t settle your standards for anything less. Don’t think that today will be just an ordinary day with the same troubles. It won’t be. We have no clue what is in store for today. But rather rejoice for the strength that we know we can receive today. Become that over comer today and don’t settle for mediocrity. Don’t settle for mediocrity because we don’t have a God of mediocrity. We have the everlasting God. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary.”(Isaiah 41:2). May you not either. May you not grow tired or weary because He will supply your strength. Better yet, He is your strength, your hope, your goal, your desire, your want, your need, your care, your supplier, and your EVERYTHING. You CAN Overcome!

Here at The LOGOS Ministry, we know that ministry with young people, cross-generational relationships and a weekly balanced ministry where young people learn God’s word and then are given the opportunity to live it out truly does make a difference.

Reasons to be Childlike

This blog come from Perry Noble the Pastor of NewSpring Church. It is a great lesson for all of us.

Four Reasons I Want To Be Childlike

“I am beginning to see why Jesus instructed us to have faith like children. I began to wonder the other day–what would my relationship with God and others look like if I approached it like a child?

#1 - I Would Have Less Stress In My Life!

One of the most difficult passages on Scripture for me to read and apply is Matthew 6:25! (Did I hear an Amen?) We all worry–but…

My daughter, when I’m holding her–doesn’t worry about a thing. She isn’t afraid when I throw her up in the air because she knows I will catch her.

WOW–what if I continually trusted God like that? What if I knew, that no matter what happened, He would always be there to catch me?

#2 - I Would Have More Joy!

Whenever I walk into my daughter’s room to wake her up in the mornings she always greets me with a smile–ALWAYS. AND…sometimes she even begins to laugh and does a swimming motion with her arms and legs…it’s really quite a sight to see. My point it–she ALWAYS has joy!

What if I were like that? What if I always had joy in the presence of God? I have discovered that we either are full of joy in His presence–OR–we try to hide from Him. (There is a story in the Bible about that!)

What if I truly recognized who God is–that He is holy and that every intention He has for me is ultimately going to be made beautiful in His time? (Ecclesiastes 3:11) The result–joy–which according to Nehemiah 8:10 is my strength!

#3 - I Would Be More Forgiving!

One of the things that I have to be very careful of is having a negative and bitter attitude towards other people…it’s hard, isn’t it?!?!?!

BUT my daughter–she is very quick to forgive. Recently she had a pretty bad cold and, as a result, have an abundance of snot just flowing out of her little nose.

I discovered something during that time–she DOES NOT enjoy having her nose wiped!!! Talk about a meltdown! Seriously–she would scream and kick her little arms and legs–but, usually after about three seconds after the “torture” was over–she was all smiles and giggles again.

What if I were more like that? What if, whenever someone hurt me, I did acknowledge the pain, but then I moved on and didn’t always bring it up–either to them or to others? I would be a better person, we all would! (Ephesians 4:32)
#4 - I Would Not Fear Losing God’s Love

Something I’ve always wrestled with since becoming a Christian is that how can God love me–even when I mess up.

BUT–this past Sunday God taught me an unforgettable lesson. I was holding my daughter in the air and laughing when…she spit up–IN MY MOUTH! Seriously–it was gross. I almost gagged–in fact, I am about to gag right now just blogging about it.

BUT–when it had passed–I began to laugh out loud, and so did she (and so did my wife!) She didn’t fear for one second that, just because she spit up on me, that I was going to stop loving her! One thing about my little girl–she does not fear my love–she knows it’s unconditional.

What if I were like that? Would it impact the way I live? Would I be more real with God instead of feeling like at times I need to perform for Him. Scripture says in Romans 8:38-39 that we can NEVER be separated from His love–and I think I am beginning to finally understand that more and more.”

Thank you for that message Perry. What an important lesson for those of us who work with children to understand and live out. Here at The LOGOS Ministry we not only believe that ministry with children is crucial but even more important are the relationships that are built. These relationships allow for joy, blessings and learning from each other. What have you learned from children recently?

Family Time Around Eating Together Creates Health

There is an old saying, “When you take food in the presence of another, you take in something of that person as well.” Now it appears, that there is scientific evidence to back that up. A five year study published just this week by the University of Minnesota, reveals that eating together as a family at least 5 times a week dramatically reduces the rate of severe eating disorders in adolescent girls. This is some of the latest research that has shown that eating together helps adolescents avoid a wide variety of heath risks. Earlier studies by the University as well as others have already shown that eating together reduces obesity, drug use, smoking and suicidal thoughts. In September of 2007, the University released another study that demonstrated the lasting positive effects of eathing together as a family on adult diets. This study indicated that adolescents who eat meals with their family more likely to have healthy eating habits as adults, such as eating more fruits, vegetables, key nutrients and less soft drinks.

We at LOGOS have always stressed the importance of Family Time and are encouraged by all of the information in these studies. Our newest LOGOS@Home lectionary-based family resource on CD is designed just for that purpose. It is meant to help families enjoy time together around a shared meal that will strengthen relationships and provide for a more healthy environment. It helps to foster an environment of caring. This caring is reflected not only in the joy that is shared but also the sorrows and heart aches. It is a reminder to us that Jesus often chose mealtimes to talk to his disciples. The rituals of sharing meals together provide for an arena of bonding and belonging.

Hopefully this research will create a movement back to the family dinner table.

Listen to our podcast on the benefits of a family meal

Children’s Ministry for the New Year

As we begin the new calendar year it is a good time to evaluate and plan for the future. Look back over the last year and review the successes and the areas where work is needed. Besides using our free tool for measuring effective children’s ministry, now is the time to ask these questions.

1. How can we continue to make intentional children’s ministry a priority for our congregation?
2. Are parents setting new priorities and making commitments to children’s ministry?
3. Does the governing board of the congregation understand and support the importance of children’s ministry?
4. Is there evidence of strong cross generational relationships?
5. In what ways can we deepen the scope of relationships between pastor, young people and families?
6. What are the new cultural realities in the area in which we minister?
7. Are we reaching out to the community around us in a significant way?

Finally, in the midst of winter, it is a good time to affirm the volunteers in your children’s ministry. Look for special ways to show them how much they are appreciated and the difference they are making in the lives of children.

Alternatives to a Consumer-driven Christmas?

What do you do to make Christmas a joyful celebration of Christ’s birth? How can the meaning of Emmanuel—“God with us”—be made real at Christmastime?

This was the question for the Staff at The LOGOS Ministry this year as we prepared to celebrate with each other. In past years, we went out to lunch and exchanged gifts. But in early 2007, we decided to live more fully what we teach about reaching out to others in relationship for the sake of Jesus Christ. In June, we closed the office and went on a Mission Trip to Youngstown, Ohio where we engaged with a financially-struggling church that needed help with painting the interior of their hallways, office and fellowship hall. We came back energized—and changed by the experience!

As we approached Advent, we again challenged ourselves to reach out. We have been blessed by our wonderful friends and family, and God provides necessities for living which we sometimes take for granted. So, this year, instead of going out, and instead of exchanging gifts, we shared our food at a potluck lunch [which turned out to be quite a feast!] And, most importantly, we decided to pool our gift money and sponsor a child through the Compassion Project. Durga is 4 years old and she lives in India; we became her official sponsors last week!

Our decision to reach out to someone in need has helped us to honor the gift God has given to us in Jesus. What kinds of things do you, your family, or your church family, do to make Christmas about the birth of Jesus?