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| CPC 13 | San Diego | February 18th - 21st, 2013 |
“Are you all in?”
– Harvey Carey
The Children’s Pastor Conference presented by INCM was
fantastic. It is truly inspiring to see a convention center filled with people
who long to inspire the next generation to truly know Christ! As a result of
the great people, new ideas, and motivating speakers I bumped into, there are
three main things that I brought home with me.
#1 Power of the Bible | Inspired by Larry Fowler &
Harvey Carey
It is far too easy to get carried
away by all of the curriculum resources that inundate the children’s ministry
market. While the majority of these resources are extremely helpful and I
wouldn’t want to do ministry without them, sometimes I wonder if we
collectively forget the power of the true curriculum, the Bible. The final night of the conference, Larry
Fowler emphasized the spiritual power of the Bible. He highlighted the
particular power of the message of the Gospel, the life, love, and salvation
found in Jesus, but he also drew attention to the preventative power of the
message. He pointed out that we have to remember that the message of the Gospel
does more than lead our children to Christ but it also leads them out of sin. During
the final general session, Harvey Carey emphasized the power of the Bible by
reminding everyone that we don’t need resources, money, or a fancy building to
have an effective children’s ministry, because “as long as you have a bible,
you have a budget!” While he was taking a stab at church budgets and the money
bind that is all too common in children’s ministry, he was also making a
profound critique on the way we should view our ministries through the lens of
the Bible, instead of through the lens of the almighty dollar. The power of an
effective children’s ministry is found in God’s Story! It is so important to
remember that it is the Bible that points children to God and a personal
relationship with Christ, not our programming.
#2 Christian Children | Inspired by Adam Stadtmiller
Adam Stadtmiller asked a fairly
simple question “Do we believe children are fully Christian right away? Because
if we do…” the role of children in the church and the family has to change.
Adam points out that there is no reason to assume any less than fully Christian
from our children that accept a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He
challenges the excuses that “children are still learning” or that “they can’t
fully comprehend all of the doctrinal truths”, by asking whom among adults have
a full understanding or aren’t still learning more about Christ. Therefore we
have to look at our families different. Adam explained that we should no longer
view a family of four, as two parents and two children, but rather as four
Christians. He went on to explain that if we believe that our children are
fully Christian and that they are filled with the Holy Spirit, than we need to
foster their spiritual voice and believe they hear from God now! Believing that
our children are fully Christian and that they have a spiritual voice must have
a profound impact on our ministries. As a result, viewpoint, language, and
goals have to change. We must educate the parents in our congregations to see
their children differently. The language by which we talk about and talk with
our children has to change. But more than anything we need to set different
goals for our children so that we don’t stunt their spiritual growth! As Adam
Stadtmiller said, “We want our children to know
Christ, not just know about him”!
#3 Role of the Parent | Inspired by Michelle Anthony, Adam
Stadtmiller, & Rachel Keyes
Model a Christian Life
“The best curriculum resource is
the life a parent lives”- Adam Stadtmiller
Whether she knows it or not Rachel
Keyes agrees with Adam and emphasized his point during her breakout session
focused on partnering with families to raise children with a faith that
endures! Rachel outlined four important faith lessons that parents need to
model to their children: Serve, Love, Obey, and Worship. Parents model a
Christian lifestyle by showing their children how to serve others in daily life
and also by providing opportunities for their children to serve alongside them;
by expressing love through their interactions with their children and others;
by sharing with their children the ways they are striving to be obedient; and
by demonstrating worship through daily praise and thankfulness. This is the
call of a parent, to live a transparent life that points towards Jesus Christ!
Empower Children to Grow in Their Faith
During her breakout session on
facilitating faith formation in the home and in kid’s lives, Michelle Anthony
outlined ways to empower faith development in children. Michelle pointed out
that parents need to believe that God is big enough to effectively use our
children as his mouthpiece. Parents need to understand and help their children
understand that the Holy Spirit works when and how he chooses. Lastly, parents need
to center on Christ and link everyday life with the God’s overarching story. If
parents will work toward emphasizing these truths with their children, I bet
that the parent’s faith will grow right alongside their child’s.
Strengthen the Spiritual Voice of Children
Adam Stadtmiller pointed out that
parents have to ask their children what God is saying to them and then actually
listen. Parents who listen and react to their children’s spiritual voices help
children to value their spiritual voice and encourage them to listen to it
more. Parents need to encourage their children to listen to God when they leave
the house in the morning and end the day with the follow-up question, “What is
God saying to you today?” There is a huge voice missing from the church today. I
don’t know if the voices of our children aren’t heard because we don’t believe
that they matter or if we just aren’t listening. Nonetheless God speaks through
children (2 Kings 5:1-5), so we need to listen!
