Children & Missions
From time to time we have a question asked at NewSpring that goes something like…“How much money do you guys spend on missions?”
Our reply is always the same - “EVERY DIME!”
When we started NewSpring in 1999 we understood that Anderson, SC was the first aspect of our mission in fulfilling the great commission. God has allowed us to take some pretty large steps in reaching this community…and there is a lot more to come. (AND we are getting ready to launch some worldwide ministry that is going to be LIFECHANGING!!! More on that later.)
From time to time I have church planters call and ask, “What is one of the most important hires that a church that really wants to grow should make?” Nine times out of ten I will reply that a church needs someone devoted to children’s ministry FULL TIME…NOT a children’s pastor - youth pastor - senior adult pastor - music director - janitor combination…but rather someone who can do nothing but focus on kids & their families.
We made a decision early on to invest a ton of money, staff, and time into kids! We understand that there is an all out attack on the American family…and that if we can begin to reach children then the family can be reached as well.
It is our conviction that kids need a place where they can learn about Jesus in a safe, clean, creative and relevant environment…and we strive to provide that every single Sunday. We do not believe that kids sitting on the back row playing with toys or coloring or mastering their “gameboy” is what Jesus meant when He said, “bring the little children unto me…” And so our vision on Sunday’s is to have kids worship in a way that they can comprehend and connect with Jesus…AND IT’S WORKING…
Yesterday I was in the gym and heard three separate stories from three different ladies that I would love to share…
The first lady approached me as I was about to begin my run on the treadmill. She told me she and her son had been coming to NewSpring for about two weeks and they both LOVE IT. I asked her how old her son was and she said five…and then proceeded to tell me how they came to NewSpring for the first time.
She said her son and his grandmother were coloring several weeks ago and the grandmother pulled out a picture of Jesus to color. The five year old said, “I don’t want to color a picture of Him—He’s BORING!” The mother asked, “Why do you say that?” He replied, “In my school they talk about Him and it’s boring…and then I have to go to church with you and just sit there on Sunday and it is boring…and since it’s supposed to be about Jesus then I guess Jesus is boring.”
FOLKS—this is a FIVE YEAR OLD!!! I know, some legalists would say, “Then the kid needs to be spanked, scolded…MADE to sit there.” Yeah right—that is VERY effective…maybe that’s why about 90-95% of teenagers drop out of church when they go to college! You can “make somebody” sit there forever…but you CAN engage them on their level.
So this lady decided to bring her son to NewSpring…they have been coming for the past two weeks and just the other day she asked her son, “Is Jesus boring anymore?” He replied, “No way mama—Jesus is awesome!” YEAH—that’s what I LOVE—kids understanding that God is not a distant Deity…but rather came to earth in the form of Jesus…and was anything BUT boring.
The second lady told me about her seven year old son who was leaving this past Saturday to spend some time with his grandparents. As he was getting in the car he said, “Wait mommy, today is Saturday—that means tomorrow is Sunday and I am going to miss church!” The mother went on to tell me that her son was really bummed out because of having to miss church!
We joked about this—because both of us agreed that at seven years old…if we got to miss church then we considered it a TREAT! However, when you begin to invest in kids and teach them about Jesus…they WANT to come to church! Yeah God!
The third story was told to me by the aunt of another seven year old child that comes to NewSpring. She was so excited because he had recently received Christ. She told me that he had been asking questions for several years…but the other night his mother when it to have devotions with him and he flat out said, “Mommy—I want Jesus to come into my heart.” So his mother led him to Christ.
The next morning the kid gets out of bed and is just beaming and tells his mother, “Today I am going to go to school and be an example and let others see Jesus in me!” WOW! This is a SEVEN YEAR OLD KID! AMAZING!!!
I said all that to say this—one of the best mission fields in America is children’s ministry. Statistics show that 85-90% of all decisions made for Christ happen before the age of 18. Truly the harvest IS plentiful!!! And if you want your church to grow then you are going to have to invest time, energy, and money into kids…because unchurched parents refuse to allow their kids to go to dirty, unexcellent and ill prepared places—that’s just a fact.
AND…if you are a volunteer in children’s ministry here at NewSpring…OR at any church for that matter—keep up the great work. You have NO IDEA how much impact you are having on the kingdom. That kid that blew snot all over you last week just might be the next Billy Graham!!! Thanks for what you do—you ARE making a difference.