What are you saying to the kids?
Every week, you or one of your church leaders has the chance to speak to the children--whether through a Children's Message, a Blessing, or a Prayer. And you're doing it in front of God and everybody!
So, what are you saying to them?
Many children's messages focus on patience, sharing, kindness, cooperation, serving and making others feel good.
All good qualities. But they encompass only a fraction of the Christian life.
Look at Jesus' own boyhood. By the time he was 12 he stayed behind in Jerusalem to learn Torah with the adults, he took big risks, questioned, challenged, inspired, moved, and shook things up.
These are not the usual values highlighted in a message to children!
But some kids, and adults, need to hear about these ways of being faithful too. It speaks to their spiritual motivations and DiSC styles (see sidebar.) We leave these out to the detriment of children's spiritual growth, and of the church's spiritual growth.
In fact I wonder if there's a correlation between what we say we expect of children, the lack of 18-40 year olds, and the play-it-safe mentality we often find in churches.
To make disciples of ALL children, we have to speak to their differing motivations. To nurture the spiritual health of the church and the behavioral diversity among kids, try the following.
4-Steps to More Inclusive Kids Messages
1. Look at the aspects of discipleship at left that most appeal to the four different DiSC dimensions.
2. Locate the themes you usually draw upon.
3. Intentionally choose a different dimension to focus on in your next children's message. Find stories of Jesus or other biblical characters that exemplify these traits. Resist the temptation to paint Jesus as active and children as passive.
4. Remember that what you say to the children you are saying to everyone. Spiritual formation of the whole congregation happens during these moments.
Want to Learn More?
Pastors and church leaders, want to learn more? The Children's Message is one of the modules in DiSC and Discipleship: The Step by Step Program to Understanding and Transforming the Culture of Your Congregation.
Check out the video below.
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| DiSC and Discipleship: The Results |
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