Show Me the Money

According to Barna less than 15% of the church budgets are spent on their Children’s ministry (pg 52) yet 50% of the populace is under age 18.
These statistics alone paint a pathetic picture of the priorities of the modern church. Yet witnessing it first hand in church after church across the county is beyond pathetic, it’s depressing. But eventually depression gives way to anger, which is where I’m at today.

To criticize the epidemic of Children’s ministries, or the lack of proper priorities in modern churches, is nothing more than an uninteresting soapbox to stand and shout from.
It doesn’t solve anything and it just leaves me boiling. So, instead here are some practical steps to help rethink the position your church has taken, and the first step to a paradigm shift for your Children’s program.

Do the research:
1. What percentage of the budget does your Children’s ministry consume?
2. List your programs and budgetary items in a priority and discover where your Children’s programs land.
Does your children’s program encompass 10%? 15% 20%?

Now:
3. Truthfully acknowledge your commitment to Children and families in your congregation. Do you honestly want your current system to change?
4. Do you want more families and children in your church?
If the answer is ‘no’ to either of these questions then you have the duty to tell your families that answer.
Tell them that you simply cannot afford or prioritize them and their children above the level you currently work at. Let them know that you do not have a comprehensive Christian education program for their children. Then it is their choice to stay and educate their children themselves, or to leave and seek another church that will help them.
Whatever their choice is, that should sit comfortably with you as well.

However, if your answer is ‘yes’ to change then:
5. Make a commitment to big and small adjustments:
a. First, find passionate, knowledgeable leaders to partner with to serve children and families. So many teachers and volunteers are worn out and tired. It is time for them to go. Thank them kindly for their years of service and recruit new, energized leaders.
b. De-emphasize buildings; emphasize relationships with families and kids. Your children will never reflect on their Sunday school days as benefiting from the multimillion dollar buildings, but only as a collection of memories based on solid, God centered relationship with teachers, pastors, and friends. In everything you do, create healthy relationships with your children.
c. Decide together what you want to teach your children. From canned curriculum to single church based theology, decide what you want to teach the kids. Keep it simple, one concept per week. Themed based concepts are best, ones that can be repeated and reinforced, built on from week to week, month to month.
d. Decide together how you will teach your children. Through a choice system or small group, through media presentations or puppet shows, examine your students and their abilities. How will they learn your concept well? How will you make your concept relevant to their lives? How will you reinforce the subject learned from week to week to make sure they understand and apply it? How will you know they know it?
e. Bring children into every element of your church family, service, and Sunday experience. Acknowledge and explain what the children are learning and tell your congregation how they can support your families. Create family activities during the week, after church on Sundays, and during the church service. Regularly invite your congregation to visit the children and become involved. Talk about the different children in your church, their families, their lives. Most importantly, lead by example and get to know your children and families by spending time with them on Sundays and during the week.
f. Provide tools for families to use for the week. Connect your sermons to the children’s program, or vice versa and provide follow up parent/child studies or questions. Give parents and families lists of resources to use, books, music, websites. Connect families by creating family small groups in your church with kid friendly activities.
g. Publicly make kids a priority. Tell everyone in every medium you have at your disposal that you are a family centered church with an emphasis on children’s programs.
h. Stop making excuses based on lack of volunteers, lack of money, lack of enthusiasm- lead by example and get involved in your Children’s program.
i. Get ready to expand your kids programs. It won’t take long for families to find out where they are the priority in the community.
j. Be brave; change is hard.

I was heartened a couple of weeks ago by a pastor who announced that if he had to, he would abandon his post at the pulpit in front of his congregation on Sundays and go teach the kids classes. He was tired of the excuses from his church on why they didn’t support a children’s program. I smiled to myself thinking about this tall, lanky charismatic pastor singing Jesus loves Me in a circle with a preschool class. He might actually like it! At least the snacks are yummy, the company is entertaining, and the possibilities eternal.