What would happen if the church changed the way it looked at ministry to children and teens? What would happen if church leaders changed the way we looked at everything we do? Instead of thinking either/or, let’s begin thinking BOTH/AND.  Many times in ministry we hear that either the church or the family has the primary responsibility for the spiritual nurturing of our children.  However, if we are thinking BOTH/AND, we are synchronizing the efforts of both CHURCH and FAMILY around a master plan. From birth through graduation and beyond, we are leveraging the combined influence of both CHURCH and FAMILY to exponentially increase the INFLUENCE on children and teenagers.

That’s why the children and student ministries at Parkview work together to have a combined strategy to work with parents to raise spiritual champions.  We use the terms WONDER, DISCOVERY, and PASSION to describe both a spiritual growth cycle for any age believer, as well the fulcrum for leveraging the greatest influence during specific life stages.

Preschoolers are naturally full of Wonder, so we introduce them to a great big God they can trust no matter what.  As the minds of elementary aged kids develop, they are better able to make the connections between what they believe about God and how those beliefs should shape their character; that’s Discovery.  Teens and college students desperately feel the need to establish their identity and be a part of something bigger than themselves.  In so many ways, this life stage is characterized by the drive to experience more.  We think that one of the best ways for them to have an experiential relationship with God and to grow as young leaders is to catch the Passion that Jesus had for serving all of humanity by volunteering to serve on a regular basis.

So as you consider our ministry to the Next Generation, think about this concept.  Two combined forces have the potential to have an exponentially greater impact.

Family + Church Synchronized = The Greatest Potential for Influence.