We have a HUGE surprise for our kids in OneLife Kidz this Sunday! I am so excited about it, and it got me thinking about WHY kids’ ministry makes me so excited and why we STRONGLY encourage parents to take advantage of OneLife Kidz each week rather than taking their kids in the auditorium with them.
Believe it or not, there are some churches that don’t allow children in their services. One of our sister churches calls it a “Pro-Kids Policy” rather than a “No Kids Policy” because they believe it is what’s best for their kiddos. We’ve stopped just short of that because we believe it is ultimately the parents’ responsibility to do what they think is best for their children. But we do strongly encourage parents of children 6 weeks to 5th grade to take advantage of the huge investment of time, finances, and human resources we are making in OneLife Kidz for their children.
So here are a few reasons why – as your pastor – I encourage you to have your kids checked into OneLife Kidz each week…
1. Relevance – Our Kidz team works very hard in all of the age groups to teach kids about Jesus on their level. It’s not very relevant for a 3-year old to learn how God wants them to share Jesus at work or for a 9-year old to learn how to honor God in his marriage. But on the flip side, I love it that even my 15-month old comes home each week from OneLife Kidz with something that shows me she is already learning about her Creator. That happens in all of the age groups. Whether it’s a 4 year old or a 4th grader, we believe your child needs to be learning about Jesus on their level, not learning how to apply it as an adult.
2. Learning Community – OneLife Kidz is based on a small groups approach, where kids are put in groups of other children their age rather than one large room with kids of most all ages. We want your child to be worshipping and learning about Jesus with other children just like them, at the same stage of life as them. There is power in numbers, and when your child misses this opportunity they don’t get to see that lots of other kids are learning about Jesus and sharing in their experiences, too. But when they do experience this it teaches them an important biblical principle for life, that God wants them to live a Christian life in relationship with others.
3. Empower Families – We don’t want to just be a drop-off zone for kids. We want to be a part of their spiritual growth, with parents being the BIGGEST part! So each week we send home with each child some resources to help parents take some next-steps with their children spiritually. These take-home sheets allow parents to learn verses and biblical principles with their kids at home. Our Kidz Small Group Leaders also develop relationships with parents to help them through these important years of growth. Finally, we are in the process of developing some new opportunities for parents and kids to learn and worship together!
4. Eliminate Distractions – When children attend a service that is designed for adults, there are inevitably distractions. Parents are distracted, worrying about their kids misbehaving. Others around are distracted when kids inevitably act like kids. Even a sleeping baby is distracting as everyone around watches the baby rather than engaging in worship (or when parents start bouncing the baby, blowing in their face, and cooing – during prayer! Trust me, it happens!). Even more distracting in the past few weeks we’ve had everything from criers, to bathroom runs, to toys and sippy-cups being dropped and rolling down the aisles. When this happens, it distracts dozens of people and potentially distracts someone from the message that God may have for them that day.
For all of these reasons, we strongly encourage parents to take advantage of OneLife Kidz. We believe it is what God wants to use to reach your children for Jesus while also helping us create an atmosphere for adults that will lead many to find Him there, too.
Oh yeah, and did I mention there’s a HUGE surprise for them this week, too?! 
