An effective children's ministry is more than an appendage to a congregation's programming: It's an integral part of a church's mission and vision, children's ministry leaders say.
Although it's tempting to evaluate the success of children's ministry only by the numbers—attendance or professions of faith in Christ, for instance—other ways sometimes are more effective, the leaders report.
DAVID CLANTON
“I don't think churches that have all the bells and whistles are necessarily doing the best ministry,” observed Diane Smith, children's ministry specialist for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. “I've seen some church functions for children where there are so many kids, it's easy for them to get lost in the crowd.”
Instead, it's better to evaluate children's ministry in light of its role in the overall life of the church.
“I would look at the vision of a specific church's ministry to children and see how it is incorporated into the larger mission of the church,” said Deborah Upton, associate pastor for children's ministries at First Baptist Church in Richmond. “When there is clarity about that, other pieces fall into place.”
“I always hope children's ministry will be seen as an integral part of the church,” said Carol Kleckner, children's minister at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston. “It's not a kingdom unto itself, anymore than any ministry in the church is. What we do in children's ministry impacts every family member.”
Evaluating children's ministry means asking:
• Are the child's attitudes changed?
“One of the most effective ways—though a difficult way—of evaluating children's ministry is if you see biblical concepts being lived out in the life of the child,” Smith said. “Are they showing kindness or patience? Are they making good choices, basing decisions on what God would have them do?”
“I've developed a variety of discipleship classes for children … to help them examine their faith,” Upton said. “There need to be places where children can discuss specific topics of their faith more in depth than is possible in Sunday school.”
Among the classes Upton developed was “‘T' is Tithing” and another on prayer, in which children practiced a variety of ways to pray. She's developing a class on service—giving children an opportunity to experiment with several church ministry opportunities.
At Dallas Baptist University, students training to become children's ministers use an interview process to discover how children feel about their church and their faith.
“It's not an invasive thing to measure children against each other, but a process that gives us a clue about how they're feeling about church and their understanding of key spiritual concepts,” said Tommy Sanders, director of DBU's master's degree in Christian education/childhood ministry.
Sanders's students use a standardized measure of biblical learning. “One of my goals is not so much to gain the information as to equip students to learn how to talk to boys and girls. Often, we don't do a good job at talking to children,” he explained.
• How do other members of the church relate to the children?
“How welcome are the children in congregation—with members who are not involved in teaching children?” Smith questioned. “Are children involved in the life of the church, or do they have to wait until they make a profession of faith? If you look at early Christian models, children were included in the church's life from birth, not just after they became Christians. Is the church actively looking for ways to involve children and their families?”
• How involved are parents?
“What is the church doing to equip parents to be faith shapers?” Smith asked. “That should be the No. 1 question.”
The DBU program has focused on ways to involve parents and connect them to children's ministry, Sanders said.
“Sunday school has kind of taken spiritual education away from parents,” he noted. “The education and training of parents [to shape their children spiritually] is as important as anything we do at church and may be the most important thing we do. We've missed that because Sunday school is so important to Baptists. But in the past—before Sunday school was developed—spiritual instruction was the parents' responsibility. Since then, it's become the church's responsibility.”
In response, Sanders, former children's minister at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, helped the church develop a mandatory four-hour class for parents who want to have their babies dedicated.
• How involved outside of church are teachers and others leaders in lives of children they teach?
“The first thing I notice in a new situation is the relationship between the Sunday school teacher and the children,” Kleckner said. “It's especially noteworthy when you see older children on a Sunday morning going back to speak to a teacher they had in the second or third grade.
“When children know the teacher cares about them, greets them every week, contacts them when they're absent—that's what the kids remember.
Added Smith: “Teachers should be making contact with the children in a variety of shapes and forms—phone calls, cards, e-mails, just stopping by and chatting.”
• Is the church keeping up with trends in child care and education—such as security and safety?
“These are very big issues right now,” Upton said. “Parents want to know that their kids are safe. Churches need to meet the challenge of improving their facilities and procedures to accommodate those concerns.”