Every week upper elementary youth, teenagers, and adults gather behind the puppet stage in our congregation to share a Gospel message through skits and scripture songs.
One peek behind the stage on a Sunday morning and you would be surprised to find such a diversity of ages laughing and joking as they ready the skit, song, puppets, mikes, sound, lights, and props.
The group in front of the stage ? Families. Children and their parents.
Here's a sample of our skit last week:
We meet on Wednesday evenings to practice the FAITH5:
1. Share Highs & Lows
2. Read the scripture we'll be sharing on Sunday
3. Practice the skit and song
4. Pray for one another and those hearing our message
5. Bless one another
The impact I have seen over the years is that puppet ministry provides a place where a variety of ages can work together, build relationships, and reach out with a common ministry to others.
We have been doing this for about 12 years. We now have adults involved who began in their pre-teen years. It is a joy to see them in leadership roles now. They understand the impact of being encouraged and uplifted at a young age to do ministry. And from my perspective, they relish involving and understand their part as role models for young children and their parents.
Cross-Generational ministries do not happen overnight. It is one step at a time and it begins with the young. Puppets is just one example of a ministry involving pre-teens through adults.
I have discovered that when ministry opportunities for many different ages working together are set intentionally, growing a family ministry system becomes easier.
Cross-Generational? It's when all the ages are gathered under one roof to learn together and encourage one another to be in ministry together. Even the tiniest can sing and dance.
Statistics say you have about 30 seconds when someone walks in the room to decide whether or not they want to stay there.
Is there a time and a place in your congregation where all ages can gather for Christian education to build relationships and be together at least once a week?
"If your vision is for one year, plant wheat. If your vision is for a decade, plant trees. If your vision is for a lifetime, plant people." Chinese Proverb
Pastor Richard Mau is the
Director of Lutheran Media in Australia for the LCA (Lutheran Church of
Australia). It was a pleasure to meet with him during our tour of Australia and
to hear about his passion for developing a“safe website” for young children. A priority for the website is to continue
research and development towards finding ways to introduce children to Jesus
based on Bible themes. He has poured many passionate hours into developing www.happyland.com.au . Click on the link and take a peek.
Recently Pastor Mau referenced a quote
from Rita El Mounayer, the Director of Program Production and Host of a
Popular Children's Program for SAT-7, the Official site for television service for Christians in
the Middle East. I thought the quote was worth sharing with those of us who have a passion for reaching the next generation .
"If
we don’t invest in young people, someone else will. Childhood is the most
formative and most strategic stage of life. To shape an adult, we must reach a
child."
Rita El Mounayer
It is indeed true that
a parent and/or a significant adult in the life of a child is a faith role
model for that child. In today's world, we have many challenges in raising
children and far too many organizations competing for our time as a family.
School, Sports, Clubs, On-line games,Video Games, TV shows....you name it!
In the past, the
church's stance on Christian education was to provide for families and not ask
for a penny. Funds were to be taken from existing budgets. There was no cost to
be involved in Sunday school. In the present, the church's stance seems to be
the same, however; with shrinking budgets everywhere, less and less is going to
Christian education. And in fact, Sunday school numbers are shrinking as well
across mainline denominations.
For the builder
generation, it was a given: Their children went to Sunday school. This is no
longer true and it seems we have skipped a generation of adults who have
experienced Christian education.
My question: How do we bring this generation of parents "on-board"
and give them tools to be the faith role models for their children that God is
calling them to be?
A few tips for getting
parents involved:
1.Schedule a time for parents to
meet at the beginning of the Sunday school year. Most congregations schedule
parent’s meetings when confirmation begins or during a child’s Jr./Sr. High
years. Why? It’s important for a parent to understand the program offered and
know their role including volunteers and chaperones needed. Why is it we don’t
consider the very beginning of Sunday school just as important a time to bring
parents on board?
2.Challenge parents to practice faith at home with a few easy steps
and remind them they ARE faith role models for their children.
Most are totally dependent on the pastor or Sunday school teachers to teach
their children faith. They are not aware they ARE the primary role model of
faith for their children. We very rarely tell them!
3.Add parents to the list of prayers of the church. The congregation
serves as support and allies in this daunting task. Being a parent in today's
world is not easy. We all need help.
For sports, band, or
other activities, parents invest time and money wanting their child to get
something out of it. Ten years later, they no longer play the sport and the
instrument is kept under the bed.
When it comes to
Sunday school, what would happen if we asked for an expected amount of time and
money from parents for not only the same reason, but a better one. This
investment is one for the future and one a child will have for the rest of
their life. Ten years later, faith will be there. Thirty years later, faith
will be there. Fifty years later, faith will be there......
You get the picture!
Should we be asking
something from parents involving time and money when it comes to Christian
education?
There’s
168 hours in a week. In the church we see the larger percentage of people for 1
hour during worship and a smaller percentage for 1 hour during Christian
Education.
What
message can we possibly give during this prime time to nurture and sustain
faith lives the other 166 hours of the week?
Our
track record appears to be showing that whatever we do during prime time does not
continue when people leave the building. In fact what we share and teach during
1 or 2 hours in church is most likely undone within an hour in the secular
world.
What
can we do? How do we nurture our people and help them understand that faith
role modeling is in their hands and not just experienced in our buildings for a
few hours a week. It’s ours to do 24/7.
How do
we help our children, youth, and adults?
Until
you are intentional about the way you do something, it most likely doesn’t
happen. When you set expectations, you make priorities for the way we do
something. It becomes important to you and the congregation.
I want
them to come back.
Then I
thought about the FAITH 5.
I like to think of them as having the
potential of the boomerang effect.
Throw
them out there and you’ll be amazed at how quickly stories come back.
Along
with the stories come the people. Again and again.
The job of shepherds in the context of the congregation is to point others to the Good Shepherd.
It is important to remember this. The sheep are not ours. They belong to the Lord. It’s not about us. It’s about us pointing the sheep to the Good Shepherd.
I was on staff in our congregation for a little over 10 years. Although I am still actively involved in the ministries in the congregation, I thought the thing I missed the most was getting to know the people. I would see many of them two and sometimes three times a week. I not only saw them. I got to” know” them!
Since then I have found the truth is that you don’t have to be on staff or a pastor or a Sunday school teacher to “know” someone. It is up to each one of us to make connections and be part of a group. Many of us are shepherds without being aware of it. We help others and point them to Jesus.
Recently I read an article titled “How Healthy is Your Church?” in Rev! magazine. It made reference to the fact that the friendship ratio in the congregation should be 1:7. Every member should have at least seven friends. It goes on to state that friendship is the heartbeat of the church and a vital sign of life. The fact is people who have friends come back again and again.
Charles Arn, author of the article, writes that ratios tell you about the health of the body much like taking our cholesterol levels and blood pressure. “Ratios don’t change because people don’t change.” I began to wonder about the ratios in our congregations and what they indicate about our health.
How do we get to know one another? Do we each have at least seven friends in the congregation?
If we only recognize faces and can’t tell stories about one another and if we have never prayed together in a small group for one another, then I would challenge us to start keeping track of our ratios.
It’s time we begin defining what it means to be a shepherd and intentionally set in motion a plan to help us all “know” at least seven other people. The Good Shepherd gave his life for us. His was the ultimate sacrifice.
Makes sense to me that in our everyday lives, the sacrifices we make pale to the one Jesus made. Can we sacrifice the time to be together and care for one another at least once a week?
Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and extended families in congregations, I have one question for you: Got sheep?
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” John 10:11
This week I had a phone call that reminded me of another great book for congregations interested in providing reinforcement for, not replacement of the role of the parent in the faith life of a child.
The name of the book is The Family Friendly Church by Ben Freudenburg.
An excerpt from the book:
Parents are the key faith developers for their children – they can have either a positive or a negative impact on their kid’s faith growth. But either way, they’ll have the biggest impact. You can have strong faith-shaping programs for kids at church, but if you’re not partnering with homes, you risk producing kids who have weak faith.
This is a great resource to use as a study guide with a leadership team or with group of parents. There are “rest stops” to reflect on what you do at home and church. There are “quiet detours” that focus on your own life and ministry to reconnect with God through word and prayer.There are also “construction zones” where you process what you’ve learned and construct something new.
Ben explains the shift to family friendly ministry as a journey. Whether reading it alone or processing it with a group, this book is a great reference for family ministry.
