Speaking up for Children at Church

31/05/23

Do children get to speak at your church’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Parish Council meetings?

How much of a voice did the youngest at your church have, the last time a vision was cast, a strategic plan developed, or a new ministry initiative launched?

I’m not advocating for a 6-year-old parish councillor, but children often lack the platform to express their opinions and ideas, especially when it comes to church-related matters. Yet so many of the decisions that are made by church leaders directly impacts young people. Those decisions have consequences for a young person’s experience of church and belonging, or not belonging, to the community of God’s people, and in turn their maturity in the faith.

Amongst the myriad of responsibilities that may fall to a children’s minister [1], there is one that isn’t urgent, it doesn’t have a deadline and it doesn’t help the next program to run, but can be one of the most significant things that they will do:

The children’s minister has the unique opportunity and responsibility to be an advocate within the church leadership for children.

Being a Voice for Children

The children’s minister has the responsibility to ensure that young people are seen, heard, valued and included in the life of the church. They can and should speak for the young when they cannot speak for themselves. The children’s minister can encourage decision-makers to ensure that the young are not pushed to the fringes of church life but included, welcomed and safe.

In practice this can be as simple as questions amongst the leadership team like:

·       how will this decision effect children among us?

·       If we run this event or program, how will children experience it? Are they  included or not?

·       When reviewing the event, asking not just how did it go for adults, but how did children feel about it? What did the event or program achieve for them?

While not everything a church does can or will cater for all demographics, the children’s minister is in the position to at least ask these types of questions to ensure that young people are part of the discussion. If anything, the simple question of, “What will this mean for children?”, is often enough to begin a discussion about the youngest and their engagement within the life of our churches.

Advocating for Children's Spiritual Development

If first we want to include children in the life of the church, then we want to include them in a way that prioritises and celebrates their spiritual development. The children’s minister can help facilitate this by collaborating with other church leaders to keep asking the question, “What does this mean for young people and their faith development?”. This might mean thinking through the timing, location, style and content of different church programs and events with children and families in mind.

One story that comes to mind is a church that wanted to hold a church-wide prayer meeting. When this was initially proposed the suggestion was a Monday night at 7:30pm, the children’s minister asked the question, “How can children engage in this type of meeting at this time of the day? If we want children to be developing the habit of praying with others, particularly the wider church congregation, then how will this type of event facilitate that?”.

The answer was very few children would be able to attend on a weeknight, the flow-on being that few families would attend. After discussion amongst the leadership team, the prayer meeting was moved to a Saturday morning, breakfast was provided, some of the prayer examples provided were written in child-friendly language, children were prayed for and in turn, they prayed for others. Throughout, the children were specifically addressed and included from the front. The result was a morning where children were not simply tolerated, nor were they simply included physically, but the spiritual development of children was a significant driving factor in the decisions around the prayer meeting and the way in which the meeting was conducted.

While this is just one example, it shows how advocating for the spiritual development of children can shape the life of the church in a way that isn’t just good for children but results in a more vibrant church life for all. We can ask the same question about:

·       our weekly church services;

·       special services like Easter and Christmas;

·       how we structure small groups;

·       what we do around our services like morning teas;

·       preaching/teaching series and how or if they interact with what children are learning.

By advocating for children, the children’s minister can help create a church environment where they feel safe, valued and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and ideas. We want to see children growing into mature disciples of Jesus set up for a lifetime of following and serving him, and in turn the vitality and health of the local church as a whole.

By simply asking the question, “What would this mean for children?”, the children’s minister pulls in a seat at the table for the youngest amongst God’s people as the leadership of our churches seek to make disciples and see disciples of Jesus mature in their faith.

[1] The children’s minister may be part of a large staff team or a very small church, they could be employed full-time, part-time or volunteer their time, in any case they have a level of responsibility and authority within the church for how the church teaches, disciples and raises young people within the congregation.