Why Minister to Children?

As a pastor, I occasionally have the opportunity (and privilege) to preach in “Big Church,” and I always enjoy it. With a degree in Bible theology and a love for the Word of God, I always enjoy getting to communicate with and challenge adults in ways that I can’t in children’s church. Afterwards, it is customary for the preacher to stand at the back and greet people as they leave, and in the course of doing so, people are kind to express thoughts on the message and often compliments, which is always nice. Who doesn’t enjoy a “good sermon,” or “great job?” – even when the goal isn’t to impress folks with my delivery but to challenge and change lives. But compliments should always be received with a thankful heart and with grace and humility. The compliment that always gets me though, is when people (meaning well) say,

“You know, you should consider becoming a real pastor someday…you know, to adults. You’re good.”

The intention is an extra big compliment, but the message is still clear. My talents are being wasted down there in the boiler room preachin’ at the kids week in and week out, when I could really be changing the world by ministering to adults. Adults who, most likely, are far less likely to be dramatically changed by my teaching, despite the nice compliments on a sermon well delivered.

So why have I thrown my life away for ministry to children?

There are a number of reasons people suggest.

As a Moody Bible Institute student, I read that the great Dwight Lyman Moody (the Billy Graham of his era) said at the end of his life, “If I had my life to live over, I would devote all my time to children.” Why would he say this?

It is reported that Moody once displayed two lit candles, one tall and the other short. He asked the audience which represented the child and which the adult. A member of the audience guessed that the tall one was the adult and the short one was a child. Dwight responded that the gentleman had it backward. The tall one represented the child who had his entire life yet before him to live, and the short one was an adult whose life was all burned up and who had only a short amount of time left to burn. He then asked, which has greater potential to impact the world for Christ? The child, of course. Reach the children and change the world! Whether this story truly beckons from Moody we will never know, but I have used this illustration many times to demonstrate why devoting my life to children is strategic. If you change the course of a person’s life in their childhood, you change the entire course of their life!

Another reason often stated for reaching children is that through children you can reach the entire family. This is indeed true! I have seen it happen in my own ministry time and time again. However, I caution against this motivation, for it makes children the bait with which we get the real prize, the tithe paying adults! I don’t reach kids that I might reach their parents. I reach kids because kids need Christ. If their parents come along, that is a BONUS! Praise God!

Others have said they reach kids because they are so teachable. This motivation scares some, and it is one reason the secular world attacks us. “You are ‘brain washing’ children before they have time to think for themselves,” is the cry of the secular humanists who would rather children grow up believing nothing – despite the fact that “believing nothing” is actually believing something. It is a world view that deprives children of value, purpose, identity, and an understanding of the world around them. The time will come when they will be able to evaluate what they have been taught and weigh it against what the world proposes. If we have taught them well, they will be able to see the strength of the Christian world view against the hopelessness of a world without God. They will see that life requires faith one way or another – either faith in a living, loving God, or faith in chance and chaos, and they will make their choice. There is no need to postpone the foundation they need to make that decision wisely.

So have I devoted my life to children because it is strategic? Or because they are a bridge to families? Or because it is when they are young that they are most teachable – “wet cement” as some have described them?

No. It is none of these.

My reason for a life devoted to children is much simpler. Since I was nineteen years old and determined my Call for life and ministry, I have signed my name under a closing statement that sums up the motivation for my ministry, and it is no more complicated than this:

Because Jesus Loves Children,

Karl Bastian

THAT is why I minister to children. Because Jesus loves them. I don’t need any other reason. Any other reason is merely a benefit. Jesus commanded us to love children. He said if we were to come to Him, we needed to come as a children. He told us not to hinder them. He warned us against harming them or keeping them away from Him. Bottom Line: He loves them. And that is all the reason I need.

So I’ll speak to adults and preach whenever I’m given the opportunity, but I’m happy to ‘waste’ my life reaching kids. I love them. For He loved them first.

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13 Comments:

  1. I’ve had many “miss the point” conversations with folks who just cannot fathom that someone would devote their time to being with children, let alone being a “pastor” to children. I’ve been a senior pastor and I’ve taught college classes, but I’ve never felt more at home than when I was a CP. After my departure from that role, people tried to comfort me by saying, “Y’know…I think you’d make a good professor! You ought to be in front of a classroom.” or “at least you’ll have more opportunities to exercise your gifts and talents in preaching.” They mean well, but I can almost picture my “inner child” stomping his feet and saying, “But I don’t wanna be a prof, I wanna be Children’s Pastor!”
    Anyway, I’m going to adopt “Because Jesus loves children”, because it is a stable truth (no Christmas pun intended) in the midst of waiting.

  2. Thank you so much for encouraging me today! Especially at this time of year when we celebrate God sending a BABY to the world – children’s ministry should be celebrated. I’ve been a children’s minister for a long time and it has always troubled me when churches fragment families. I’m reading an awesome book, Too Small To Ignore by Dr. Wess Stafford. He “sings our song” too! Abundant blessings to all of you who celebrate children, the tall candles!

  3. Well said! I wish that the leaders of the church could understand this!

  4. Thank you! I loved this article!

  5. Thanks for your kind comments on my blog! So glad you enjoyed the blog post! I’ve been blown away by the response in the last 24 hours, truly humbling to see the response in “likes” tweets, comments, etc.

    Thanks so much for taking the time to respond!

  6. Karl,
    Thank you so much for these affirming words. My mother served as a preschool minister for 27 years and I’ve been teaching preschool and elementary age kids for 25 years. I’ll be passing this article along.

  7. This article came at the perfect time! I was feeling so unsettled, and all day God was reminding me of my calling. Then I got my newsletter, and God spoke loud and clear. Continue doing what I placed in your heart and hands to do. Times change, trends fade, but as long as there are people there will be children whose hearts need the light of God’s loved planted in their hearts:)

  8. Thanks Karl. Yes in the end it comes down to our expression of love for Jesus – and so going for what He loves. I am doing it in reverse.. after ministering to adults for more than 15 yrs and then now doing kids! haha. Much to learn and still praying for clarity!

  9. Wow, Karl, how well I can identify with this blog! Just a Kids Pastor…Hah! After 18 years as Kids Pastor at the same church (watching God bless our church with tremendous growth, much because our lead pastor made ministering to kids and youth a core value of our church), I was asked by our lead pastor to step into a new role starting in September of this year- Campus Pastor of our church’s first multisite. I had mixed feelings, because at heart I will always be first a Kids Pastor. However, I’m excited by the thought that my ministry to kids will continue, but now through leaders that God will raise up at our multisite campus. My prayer is that I will have the opportunity to lead a congregation that will make it a priority to minister to the “greatest in the kingdom”.

    One of the most rewarding things that I have experienced…in the past year is to see young people who grew up in our Kids Church, now becoming leaders in our and other Kids Ministries. When I see how much better prepared and trained the upcoming youth are, compared to where I started 18 years ago, I have great anticipation at what will be accomplished through them over the next 18 years.

    Core Value:
    Next-Gen – “Raising up the next generation of Christ-followers and leaders.”
    “We’re not keeping this to ourselves,
    we’re passing it along to the next generation—.
    God’s fame and fortune,
    the marvelous things he has done…….
    So the next generation would know,
    and all the generations to come—.
    Know the truth and tell the stories.
    so their children can trust in God…”
    Psalm 78:4, 6 The Message.

  10. Amen! Thank you for allowing God to use you to speak to children!

  11. Thanks for letting me use this for my January Kids Inc. newsletter. Here is how I used it!

    Being in Children’s Ministry for 15 years brings a lot of stirring questions from people such as is this what you want to do the rest of your life? Don’t you want to move up in the Ministry and do something else? This causes me to reflect on why I do what I do.
    So, why have I thrown my life away for ministry to children?

    [blog post quoted]

  12. Thank you, Karl, for the encouragement and reminding me of why I am in the Children’s Ministry of our church. God bless you more.

  13. Thank you for your encouraging words! They could not have come on a better day! :)

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