Blog Post: “The Frontlines of the Future: Why Children’s Ministry Matters”
“Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”
— Matthew 19:14 (NLT)
Children’s ministry is not a side room for the noisy and the restless. It is not babysitting while the adults “have church.” It is not optional, secondary, or shallow. Children’s ministry is where foundations are laid. It is where seeds of faith are planted and watered. It is where the next generation first hears the name of Jesus in a way that matters to them.
If we are serious about reaching the world, we must start with the little ones among us.
Week after week, children walk into church carrying more than coloring books and sippy cups. Many are carrying burdens they do not understand. Some are already exposed to abuse, addiction, abandonment, or spiritual confusion. Others are simply growing up in a world that is louder and more chaotic than any generation before them. What they find at church may be the only place where truth is spoken gently, love is given freely, and Jesus is introduced clearly.
1. Children Matter Deeply to God
Throughout Scripture, God shows His heart for the young. He commands that children be taught diligently and loved intentionally.
“Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.”
— Deuteronomy 6:7 (NLT)
God entrusted parents and His people with the spiritual care of the next generation. He warned against leading them astray and promised blessing to those who lead them rightly.
In Matthew 18, Jesus said it would be better to have a millstone tied around your neck and be drowned than to cause a child to stumble. That is how seriously He takes it.
If children matter to Jesus, they ought to matter to us. Their spiritual development is not a phase. It is a battleground.
2. Kids Ministry Is Kingdom Work
In my 30+ years of serving in youth and children’s ministry, I have seen firsthand that some of the most powerful ministry moments happen away from the spotlight. I have watched children worship with abandon. I have seen them cry as they ask if God really loves them. I have heard them pray bold prayers for their families, their schools, and their futures.
The Holy Spirit does not skip the kids’ wing. He moves wherever hearts are open.
Psalm 78 tells us why this matters:
“We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord… so each generation should set its hope anew on God.”
— Psalm 78:4,7 (NLT)
Children’s ministry is not just preparation for real ministry. It is real ministry. When a child understands that Jesus died for them, that they have value, and that God has a plan for their life, something eternal takes root.
3. The Church Cannot Afford to Wait
The enemy is not waiting until they are adults to attack. He is already after them. He wants their identity, their purpose, their purity, and their trust. While we debate over curriculum and volunteer schedules, he is sowing confusion, loneliness, and fear. If we sleep through this, we will wake up to a generation that no longer believes truth exists at all.
Children’s ministry is not a luxury. It is a lifeline.
Now more than ever, the Church must rise up to be intentional, creative, and consistent in how we minister to children. We must speak their language, meet them at their level, and offer them something deeper than the shallow promises of the world.
This requires training. It requires investment. And it requires more than just women.
4. Men Are Needed Here
Let me speak clearly. The kids’ ministry needs men.
Not because women can’t lead, but because children need to see godly men who care about their hearts, who listen, who teach, and who stay.
Boys need to see what spiritual strength looks like. Girls need to know that godly men are safe and trustworthy. The Church is full of men who will cook for a fundraiser, build a stage, or help with security. But far too few are willing to sit with a group of second graders and tell them Jesus loves them.
It might feel awkward. It might feel messy. But there is no substitute for a man of God who shows up and speaks life into a child.
5. Your Church’s Future Depends On
The church you’re building today will be inherited by the kids in your children’s ministry. Whether it thrives or dies depends largely on what they are learning now.
Will they be grounded in Scripture?
Will they know how to worship?
Will they understand repentance, grace, obedience, and the call of God?
Or will they leave when they are old enough to choose?
Proverbs 22:6 says,
“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”
That does not guarantee every child will stay. But it guarantees that our work is not in vain. We are called to train them. To direct them. To love them enough to lead them well.
If we will not prioritize this, someone else will. And the world is not shy about discipling our children.
Children’s ministry is sacred ground. Every snack you hand out, every story you tell, every prayer you whisper over a little one’s life echoes in eternity. You may never know which child will one day become a missionary, a pastor, a parent, or a light in their community because you poured into them now.
Do not despise small beginnings. Do not overlook the classroom for the pulpit. The future of the Church is not out there somewhere. It is coloring in the room next door.
Let’s be found faithful.
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