Leading Kids to Trust in God’s Character
Reframing the goal of kid’s and family ministry
One of the main goals of family ministry, ideally, is to be with each kid as they get to
know God so they can build trust with him and apply his teachings in their lives. That is
why it is so important to focus on teaching our kids to apply the word of God, instead of
simply teaching biblical literacy. Gen Alpha lives in a world where they are constantly
surrounded by information overload, and amidst all of the challenges they are
experiencing outside of church, we need to shift away from information download and
focus on helping the kids build trust and friendship with God. It is only after we build
trust in God that we are able to respond with faith in him, and it is through this trust that
the kids learn that we can look to God for guidance on how we should think, act, and
be.
How us as leaders can contribute
When reviewing the bible story that you will be sharing this week, leaders should
consider what they notice about God’s character, and what this tells them about living in
alignment with his guidance. After this personal reflection, in small group, encourage the
kids to share what they noticed about what God is like or who he is. When you
approach small group conversations like this, the kids are able to question, react, share
their feelings or thoughts on how this connects to other parts of their faith. As a leader,
you act as a kids guide when exploring scripture, and because you are exploring the
word with them it’s critical to create space for wonder, questions, and doubts.
We are encouraged to look for chances to ask kids questions with no right answer when
exploring a bible story, We can ask our kids a wide range of questions such as “what
would you be thinking or feeling in this situation”, “would it be easy or hard for you to
trust in God in this situation?”, “what is one question you have after hearing todays
story?” and “what would you like to say to God or ask him right now?”.
Leadership teams are encouraged to perform “ministry audits” in which they walk
through a typical hour in your ministry from a kid's perspective, and ask themselves:
What does our space, culture and programming say about what God is like? For every
piece of furniture, every activity, ask: What message is this sending to kids about God's
character? When we as leaders look at a sensory swing, we are reminded that God is
nurturing and that he cares about our comfort and regulation. When we see a
whiteboard and markers, we are reminded that God is creative and loves to see us
create alongside him. When we take the time to think about the significance of the small
things in teaching our kids about God, we become more equipped to lead with Gods
character in mind.
It’s important that we remind our parents that it’s ok to not be sure about everything, and
that being unsure is not equivalent to being incapable. Our parents come to our church,
often out of a need to become reacquainted, or introduced, to God and his character
themselves, so it’s essential that they know that they can learn alongside their
kids. Review the material that is sent home with kids, as well as the emails that parents
receive, frequently and ask yourself: how can this help the family as a whole understand
God’s character better?
