Chapter 7 WHO WILL REACH THE CHILDREN?

If you reach the heart of the children, you can win a nation. During the triumphant entry of Jesus the children were crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Matthew 21:15 Hosanna means “He saves”. Jesus had won the hearts of the children. The children realized that Jesus was their Messiah and Savior. Many people were shouting ‘Hosanna” that day, but it caught the attention of the religious leaders that children were on board. “Do you hear what these (children) are saying?” they angrily asked Jesus. They became keenly aware that their religious rule and reign was coming to an end because Jesus had won the hearts of the children.

I have experienced this same reaction from government authorities in Communist countries. In most Communist countries you can share the Gospel with adults and you will probably not suffer persecution. I am not talking about open preaching but casually sharing to inquisitive individuals. If you get caught sharing the Gospel to children and youth under 18 years of age, you are in trouble. The Communists and other oppressive governments know that once the children and youth of a nation realize truth, their oppressive rule is a generation away from ending.

During the late nineties and into the early part of this millennium I took numerous trips to Viet Nam. Viet Nam has the fastest growing children’s ministry in the world. The under ground church became ultimately aware about the importance to reaching the children and youth. Thousands of children were coming to Christ during this time. I once spoke to a pastor who estimated that he pastored 12,000 adults and over 100,000 children throughout Vietnam. I visited hidden places where hundreds of street children were given food and clothes while at the same time had the love of Jesus presented to them in fun and relevant ways.

The children’s workers in Vietnam were desperate to be trained by the ministry teams that I was a part of. We would find secluded places and teach and train from morning until night. They hung on every word we taught. They reminded me of baby birds when the mother arrives at the nest with a juicy worm. In order to be relevant in children’s ministry you have to be able to learn to use puppets, sculpture with balloons, teach using flannel graphs, and other visuals that will help you communicate to children. Using flannel graph figures in the US churches is considered old fashion and out of date. In Viet Nam the flannel graphs are priceless as it gives Sunday School teachers a way to visually make the Bible stories come alive. The flannel graphs that we used were purchased at a missionaries’ discount from Betty Lukens. They came as large flannel sheets with the the Bible characters and scenes needing to be cut out. Cutting them out was very laborious but carrying in the uncut sheets made it very convenient to get through the tight security at the Viet Nam airports. Going through the Xray machines the flannel graphs just appear as folded cloth.

The church workers in Viet Nam would get so excited to open our suitcases filled with these flannel Bible stories. The children in Viet Nam loved them and they also provided a way to teach the illiterate tribal people!

In my years of ministry from the inner cities of America to third world village churches I have been blessed to see whole families come to the Lord as the result of reaching one child. During my first year serving as an intern children’s pastor in Singapore we would receive children into our kids church while their Buddhist parents would go shopping. They thought we were the best deal in town for child care! Those same parents today are serving the Lord and we have seen salvation extend to their brother, sisters, mothers, fathers, grandparents, nieces and nephews.

Drug addicts in the rough inner city communities of America would bring their younger brothers, sisters and their own children and make them sit and listen to our program. They knew the hopelessness of their situations and desperately wanted a different life for these children. We would visit the children in their homes only to hear a voice crying out somewhere in the house begging, “Pastor Tim, pray for me. I’m hooked on drugs!” Some found the deliverance they so desperately needed through those prayers and visits.

Studies have shown and I am convinced that most parents will choose a church based on the quality of the children’s ministry. The current Barna Group study indicates that nearly half of all Americans who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior do so before reaching the age of 13 (43%), and that two out of three born again Christians (64%) made that commitment to Christ before their 18th birthday. People who become Christian before their teen years are more likely than those who are converted when older to remain "absolutely committed" to Christianity.

Most churches spend most of their resources trying to evangelize adults while their greatest return on that investment happens with youth and children. If the church was judged on its stewardship like corporations are, church decision makers would start losing their jobs. How can you continue to invest where there are less returns and survive. We can’t! 3500 to 4000 churches are closing their doors each year in America! I am not saying to give up reaching the adults but we need to take more of our church budgets and invest them in reaching children and youth.

Jesus taught us in Matthew 18: 5-6 about the importance of embracing the children and the severity of causing them to stumble:

“And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matthew 18:5-6

One chapter later the disciples seem to have forgotten what Jesus had just taught them. People were bringing their children to Jesus and the disciples are trying to chase them away!

“Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.“ Matthew 19:13-14

The church once again needs to hear these words and commands from Jesus concerning children. I have shuttered at hearing churches say that the reason they do not do more to reach children is because the children do not pay tithes! My experience has shown me that Jesus pours out the resources of heaven upon those who compassionately endeavor to reach children with His love. Shame on every church board member and decision maker for denying the children’s ministry the resources necessary to effectively do the work of the ministry of evangelizing and discipling children.

I have watched churches that have had great growth over the years. A vast majority of those churches had two major focuses, missions and children’s ministry. I believe these two areas of concentration within a church will touch the heart of God. I once heard a song called ‘Who Will Reach The Children?” I am so glad that years ago I said, “Lord, send me!”