Why Faith for a Lifetime?

A Sweet Teacher Encouragement…

When preparing for a combined Children and Youth Ministry Sunday School Teachers training. Joanna and I were working on a devotional; here is the basic idea…

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. –Hebrews 12:1-2

Normally, you would then hear, this is why you should keep running the race of faith because of everyone who went before you. But as Sunday School teachers, those who have made a choice to pour into students’ lives, we approached the scripture from the other side.

Hear now that you are this cloud of witnesses for those whom you are teaching. By helping teach them the story of God and of God's people, you are helping them throw off everything that hinders them and teaching them to run with perseverance. Thank you for being this encouragement cloud of witnesses them.

So in order to give them a take away to remember this we came up with a cloud illustration…

COTTON CANDY! It looks like a cloud, and it is awesome!

Feel free to use this with your volunteers! More to come about our combined teacher training soon! Below is the Image for the Postcards!

The Future...

For the past two years, Joanna, my wife, and I have been working at the same church.  Until this point, we had both been solely in youth ministry.  Due to this experience we have both learned about youth and children’s ministry together.  If I could express what we have come to learn about both children and youth ministry, and the future of each, it is this:

The Future of Youth Ministry is Children’s Ministry,
and
The Future of Children’s Ministry is Youth Ministry.

I know that this might seem strange and to some almost a joke, and a few years ago I might have agreed with you, but I truly feel that the future of youth ministry is children’s ministry, and with that, the future of children’s ministry is youth ministry.   It seems that for some reason in youth ministry there has become this stigma that children’s ministry is kind of a joke and more of babysitting with bible stories. When these children become a part of the youth ministry, we, as youth ministers, have to correct all the problems created in children’s ministry. 

Two years ago, Joanna made the transition from a focus on solely youth ministry to ministry to all young people- including children. I must admit that until I had Joanna as the children’s minister I had made this same assumption that children’s ministry was doing more damage than good in our churches.  I don’t think that I ever said it verbatim, but I know there were many times that I felt I was just correcting all the problems caused in children’s ministry.  I can only imagine what children’s ministers think of youth ministers…I will leave that to the imagination. I believe that many of these assumptions are not accurate ones, but nonetheless they are present.  I know now from experience that children’s ministry can be done in a way that builds a theologically sound foundation in young people before they enter the youth room but it must be done intentionally.

Working together, and integrating each part of children and youth ministries into one larger focus, we have been able to see beyond these struggles and find the beauty of synergy, the idea that when two things combine they are more than the two separates (1+1=3). 

On this blog we will share our findings, struggles, mistakes, successes, and everything that goes with them.  We hope you can be inspired by our stories and ideas, and that you will share your own experiences and ideas as well. 

Join us on this journey to Faith for a Lifetime…