Table of Contents

Mobilizing a Millennial Generation (Part 1)

Four champions of children's ministry discuss these and other questions related to children's ministry: Earl Banning, pastor, Braeswood Assembly of God, Houston, Texas; Tommy Barnett, pastor, First Assembly of God, Phoenix, Arizona; Peter Hohmann, associate pastor of Christian education and missions, Mechanicsville Christian Center, Mechanicsville, Virginia; and Jay Hostetler, children's pastor, First Assembly of God, San Diego, California.

Was there a childhood event or relationship that influenced you to enter the ministry?

BANNING: My father was a rancher and my mother was the pastor of a small church of about 75. I was impacted by their role model, worship, my Sunday school teachers, and the Word these people proclaimed. I came to know Jesus Christ at age 7. My call to the ministry came later.

BARNETT: Someone gave my dad an old bus that he used to take several of the boys from our church and me on Saturdays to knock on doors and leave a handbill. The burden for ministry resulted from this outreach. My Sunday school teacher led me to the baptism in the Holy Spirit in my class. I learned most about the Bible in Sunday school.

HOHMANN: I was raised Catholic and attended a parochial school when I was in first grade. The priest visited our classroom and interacted with the kids. He knew our names even though thousands were in that parish. We could tell he loved us. A seed was sown in my heart to be a priest like him, but God redirected my path. I still follow that priest's example, though I'm an Assemblies of God pastor. Each Sunday I try to acknowledge all the kids and communicate that I love them. I've heard that one of the real test factors in determining a child's future involvement in a church is, "The pastor knew my name."

HOSTETLER: I had no experience in the church until I was 11. I attended a small house church in western Pennsylvania where I met a Sunday school teacher who took me in. My home situation was not good, and this teacher developed a relationship with me. He took me to baseball games, played tennis with me, and through his guidance I felt tied into the church. As he talked to me and worked with me, I felt I would be involved in the ministry someday. His interaction in my life did it for me.

How should the statistic that says 85 percent of those who become Christians do so between the ages of 4 and 14 impact ministry to children and a church's budget and promotion?

HOSTETLER: In most churches an inversion of money, personnel, and facilities is dedicated to the people in the 15 percent bracket and not as much to the 85 percent bracket. Churches should put more energy into the 85 percent age bracket in every way possible.

BARNETT: Our number one priority in children's ministry is soul winning. As soon as children begin coming to church, we tell them they must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We give altar calls in each Sunday school class, Royal Rangers meeting, and Missionettes meeting. We also teach children how to witness to their friends.
Concerning the church budget, most of it should be spent on children. That's why we run buses and feel the children's pastor is one of the first staff members we should get. If children's ministry is the most important, we must have a children's church high-tech auditorium. Right now we're building three such auditoriums with video equipment and other things that can compete with television and do it better.

BANNING: Our priority begins in the nursery and goes through the youth department, with special attention to the elementary grades. We want the best and do what we need to do to obtain that, whether it is working with volunteers or paid staff.
Budget wise, if any sacrifice is to be made in the church, it will be in the adult department. We will provide the best for our children, for they are the most precious resource we have presently and for the future.
Worship services are piped into the nursery so newborn and preschool children know the sound of church and are introduced to the body of Christ. We also developed a children-friendly board who has the same heart I have for our children. Our board has exposure to our nursery and children's department through assignments or to investigate certain activities or functions. This has made a tremendous impact on our budget.

HOHMANN: The greatest unreached congregation probably lies in the preschool children's church and Sunday school, not in the general congregation. But what about the other statistic that 85 percent of our attitude—how we feel about God and the church—is formed by age 6? Some pastors still see children's ministries as a place to shuffle kids while the adults get on with spiritual business. Children's ministries deserve our best workers and resources, and that's what new families look for in a church home.

How do you integrate children into the body of your church?

BARNETT: Church kids need to come with their parents to one of the services, such as Sunday night, instead of being placed in the nursery or children's church. To integrate, I use something that relates to children and their understanding such as illustrated sermons. I keep sermons short because kids must go to school the next day.
Children are integrated into our church's special drama productions and my illustrated sermons. A children's choir and a children's day give kids opportunity to participate, including bus kids who may do a rap with the choir. We are constantly concerned about how to keep kids' interest.

BANNING: If children only attend the children's service, when they reach the age when they can make a choice, they will not be in church because they have not been a part of it. Total integration is the key.
We hold a children's musical each quarter in the sanctuary as well as a periodic drama. Children, including preschoolers, are featured in Sunday night services. Frequently, we have an all-church VBS in the evening.
Children are baptized in water in the same service as adults. They participate in Junior Bible Quiz by memorizing Scriptures. Quiz-offs in the church service integrate them into the congregation. Children participate in worship or whatever is going on.

HOHMANN: A great way to accomplish integration is by providing kids with opportunities to minister to others through their spiritual gifts. One way we do this is in our preschool children's church; preteens and early teens staff most of the 25 learning centers. The younger children are mentored by the older children. The public schools usually follow the opposite model and segregate or isolate children by age groups, which prevents younger children from benefiting from older children's experience. Unfortunately, most churches adopt this same model.

HOSTETLER: Participation, not entertainment, is the key. Children should be alongside other ministries that are ongoing. They actually participate so we're not looking at the church as ministry that's always focused toward children, but the children are involved in the body of Christ in such a way they're participating in the ministry of the church.

The church's attention needs to be on helping parents train morally and spiritually responsible children. how can the church work with parents in this way?

HOSTETLER: The church needs to view families, parents, and children's ministries as a partnership in the decision-making process of nurturing children spiritually. This may take the form of focus groups or idea exchanges where parents give input. Basically, two things must be considered: (1) the institutional approach—providing education through seminars, guest speakers, etc.; and (2) the organic approach—bringing parents together to talk about childhood issues and what the church expects of kids in their life development. For example, caring for others, which is modeled in our church. We can train children in areas such as socialization skills, discipline issues, self-discipline, and how to develop priorities in spiritual growth.

HOHMANN: Several hundred parents in our church have gone through Christian parenting classes that cover every stage of development from prenatal through adolescence. It's not uncommon to see entire families ministering together in children's church or other ministries. God advances His kingdom through the local church, but the church is composed of families. We started an intergenerational outreach team composed of children and adults to encourage families to stay together. We feel it is important to have at least one place in the church where entire families can minister together without being divided into age-specific grouping.

BANNING: In teaching, training, disciplining children, make sure they have a strong self-image, self-confidence, or self-reliance. Many children from broken homes have torn self-images. Strengthen these children and make sure they understand they are can-do believers by faith. Feed them the full gospel of Christ. By the time the children in our church reach fifth grade, nearly all have received the Baptism and speak with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. We expect, teach, and anticipate this. For children we also have doctrinal classes that teach the fundamental truths of our faith.
In the adult division, we have classes to help unhealthy families, divorce recovery, parenting, premarital counseling, and doctrine.
We introduce our children to service wherever the need arises as well as support groups of all kinds for both adults and children. Body ministry is introduced in children's church where children pray for children; lead other children into the baptism in the Holy Spirit, etc.
Churches differ in size and formation, so programs must differ as well. Much attention is given to build children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

BARNETT: We have a Family Enrichment Month, beginning on Mother's Day and ending on Father's Day, where we focus on equipping the family in the art of parenting. My sermons address the family, and I use illustrated sermons. Specialists come in and teach parenting, which includes single and unwed parents. During this month we conduct our kids camps and seminars.
Equipping the family to raise children and be examples is the most important part. As a pastor I must also be the example of that and show the congregation that even though I'm busy, I have priorities—to the Lord first, then to the family, and to the church. Preach it, mirror it, live it.

Read the conclusion to "Mobilizing a Millennial Generation..."