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When I went to college, I originally wanted to get a minor in Spanish. When I opted to study youth ministry, I switched my minor to Children's ministry, believing that would make me more marketable to churches.
For years, I regretted that decision. Having a minor in children's ministry has been helpful, but having a degree in Spanish would have helped me better communicate with my neighbors.
When I started as a church planter, I looked over both of my degrees, and while I didn't regret having either one (they really helped form me, and teach me) I felt as though I might have been better prepared had I gotten a general pastoral ministry degree and gone on to get an M Div.
It's my firm belief that if we allow God to use us, God has the ability to use everything we have, and not waste anything.
My youth ministry degrees and experience has been helpful as we've hosted groups of teens to serve during the summer. It's been a way for me to help plan out short term missions trips in a way that connects with the spiritual development of teenagers.
Sunday morning we were honored to double our church size.
We were very excited with 5 new church visitors, who all happen to have found our church through vacation bible school, and are all under the age of 14. They added a lot of life and energy to our Sunday morning, and we were so blessed to have them be a part of our congregation.
One of our visions for our church is that we are a truly inter-generational church, and we were missing an important demographic to that.... children. We really feel that everyone, no matter their age, background, race, gender, etc. has something to offer the kingdom of God. That the kingdom of God, the Church, is at it's best when it is a mosaic of people and experiences.
We want to explore and live out what it means to have all ages serving, worshiping, learning, and living life together.
When I first proposed this idea, I had a couple different people ask me if it would be difficult to preach and teach to such a diverse group of people. How do you preach sermons that reach the youngest to the oldest?
I'm still exploring the answers to that, but there is a beauty to kids coming to church (some for the first time in their lives). Watching as the adults in our tiny congregation help them find the books of the bible we are exploring, and show them the verses. There's something really moving about kids coming up to take communion (maybe for the first time), and smiles breaking out over their face, and thinking that even if they don't understand it all, that God's grace is for them too. That God's grace in that bread and juice is for them as much as it is for the most theologically learned person among us. There is joy in answering questions mid-sermon, and seeing little boys in their Sunday best (who you know tried so hard). There are humbling moments when they hand you crinkled bills and handfuls of change to give their little bit back to the LORD.
There is immense beauty in the messy. The messiness of learning church together, with our neighbors, young and old. Learning to follow God together, black and white, affluent and poor, educated and less educated. It is the most crazy adventure I've probably ever embarked on, but I'm a better Christ follower for sitting in the midst of it.
And, in the midst of the messy, I re-learned, that when you give everything over to God, who truly wastes nothing, even a minor degree in children's ministry.
I'm still exploring the answers to that, but there is a beauty to kids coming to church (some for the first time in their lives). Watching as the adults in our tiny congregation help them find the books of the bible we are exploring, and show them the verses. There's something really moving about kids coming up to take communion (maybe for the first time), and smiles breaking out over their face, and thinking that even if they don't understand it all, that God's grace is for them too. That God's grace in that bread and juice is for them as much as it is for the most theologically learned person among us. There is joy in answering questions mid-sermon, and seeing little boys in their Sunday best (who you know tried so hard). There are humbling moments when they hand you crinkled bills and handfuls of change to give their little bit back to the LORD.
And, in the midst of the messy, I re-learned, that when you give everything over to God, who truly wastes nothing, even a minor degree in children's ministry.
