I just finished reading The Gospel Truth About Children’s Ministry.
I was intrigued from the beginning of the book as it was based on critical perspectives from children’s ministry leaders through a comprehensive survey. Nearly 860 ministry leaders responded to an online survey giving the Awana team a very high level of confidence in their data. Further, their sample group included churches that use Awana products, and those that don’t.
My curiosity only grew as I delved into the thought provoking and purposeful questions posed to children’s ministry leaders. Critical questions and issues that involve the deepest values of children’s ministry were explored. Leaders were queried on the relevancy of their ministry, the effectiveness of their teaching models, their curriculum, their evangelism results, and how to better equip parents to be disciplers at home, to mention a few. In my opinion, the Awana survey went after some of the tough and delicate topics most leaders I talk to are wrestling with. To be honest, the questions posed are ones I possess and I suspect you do too.
We live in an era that is demonstrating enormous cultural and moral shifts. The Church has been forced to deal with and respond to some very tough issues, and at the center is the redefinition of marriage and family. The Church and the families represented are under tremendous pressure. Further, not all the pressure is caused by the current moral shift, but also by technology. The digital revolution is changing how we think about ministry and the changes have come upon us quickly. If you are a veteran leader with a decade or two of children and family ministry under your belt, you can testify to the upheaval. We live in a time that seems to present a great threat, yet we must believe it is a time of great opportunity. The power of the cross has not changed.
If I had to briefly describe the message of the book in a few words I would summarize the insights into one statement: Change now or become irrelevant very soon. The gospel is an unchanging message with the power to change lives for eternity, but how we reach and teach the next generation must adjust. In other words our message is the same but our methods and tools must adapt to the realities of today’s family without compromising our core beliefs and values. If you’re not sure where the change process begins, I recommend asking and honestly answering the well-crafted summary questions at the end of every chapter. Those questions will serve you and your ministry well.
Attendance patterns are shifting across America. Gone are the days (so it seems) when families attended church almost every week. Church attenders are opting to stay home to live-stream a service on their own timeline. Parents are driving their kids to weekend tournaments in out of town venues. Our kids are with one parent one weekend, and then spend the next weekend with their other parent. How we deliver relevant tools that our people can access easily in order to equip them is a new challenge. We have to consider fresh and innovative ways of ministry.
I am grateful that Awana has the courage to ask hard questions and they are willing to change their product line in productive ways. We live in times that force every ministry leader hoping to impact families to demonstrate higher levels of faith. The work that Awana has done can only help leaders think deeply about their ministry approach and make positive changes, even if they never choose to purchase an Awana product. As they acknowledge in this book, they stand with other fine organizations that are working hard to develop tools to strengthen our families.
My optimism in the future does not rest with methods or models as they are subject to change over time. Our future is not dependent on who sits in the White House or who doesn’t. Our future is not brighter because of who controls the Senate. Our hope is not found in who wins the next World Series or Super Bowl. We must all believe, as the songwriter wrote long ago, “our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”
The Gospel Truth About Children’s Ministry will inspire you to re-think just about everything in your ministry. Listen to God, obey His promptings, and change the world one child and one family at a time.
