We drove up to the church just as everyone was arriving for the mid-week service. It was a fairly new building. The lawn was well kept. Not too many trees around. The building itself was pretty "boxy" and didn't have much character to it. As we entered the foyer, it had even less character. The two story high lobby had bare walls and were painted a boring color of light brown. I was not impressed.
We entered the auditorium. It was a large space that seated about 600. More drab walls. The seats were comfy, but seemed to match the color scheme of "boring" that seemed to be thematic of the structure. I was not impressed.
The band began to play the contemporary top 40 worship songs that I've heard over and over again. Nothing self written. Average musician skills. Ok singers. The band could have been a mold from 85% of the churches in America. I was not impressed.
The pastor got up and gave his message. Right now, I couldn't tell you what he talked about. It wasn't a life-changing sermon. He was a decent speaker, but a far cry from Louie Gigglio or Francis Chan. Yet, as I looked around, the room was packed. I didn't know what my friend saw in the church. I was not impressed.
After the service, we went back into the lobby. He knows I'm a straight-shooter and still asked me, "So, what did you think." I did what any teacher would do at a parent teacher conference: say the good stuff first. I gave him a half-hearted, "Well, the music wasn't bad. Nice message..." "No," he said, "I didn't bring you here for a mundane answer. What did you REALLY think." "OK," I said. I went on to tell him what I thought of the lobby that we were standing in. Then gave my honest assessment of the music and message. I told him that this place was PACKED for a mid-week service. There had to be something special about this place. I told him that overall, I was not impressed.
"Good," he said. "Now let me take you downstairs." What was downstairs?
As we started down the stairs, I heard the sound of kids screaming and laughing. We continued walking down each step and the sound of kids got louder and louder. When we turned the corner at the bottom of the steps, I finally saw the "draw" of this church: its children's ministry.
My jaw dropped as I saw an elaborate town specifically designed for kids. The registration and check-in area was an old school train station depot. There was even a steam engine slide that kids could use. As we walked through the "town," I saw the main meeting room which was a theater, complete with a marquee sing out front. I looked to my left and saw a pet shop with stuffed animal pets in the window. I saw a Fire House and a bank and any other store that a small town could have. These were not functional stores, these were classrooms.
Each classroom had a theme, and not just a theme but a full dedication to the idea. A COMPLETE contrast to the drab colors and chairs I witnessed that was currently one floor above me. I started to tear up a little bit. I was speechless. Here was a church that finally got the idea of Children's ministry!
Before that experience I never saw such dedication to children. Since then, I have never seen a replication even close to it. Why? Here is a church that FINALLY figured out how to reach young families and no one wants to join in. I'm not saying that you have to dedicate an entire floor or $1 million dollars to children's ministry, I'm just saying...show that you care!
I have seen it time and time again in churches. Five minutes before Sunday School starts, parents arrive in the designated area with their children and the lights are off with no teachers in sight. Teachers and volunteers that walk in at the exact time Sunday school starts. Teachers still 5-10 minutes away from getting ready; some are still making copies when children walk into their classroom. A half-hearted attempt at opening worship...if there's any opening at all. Attitudes of volunteers that reflect to the kids that they don't want to be there.
Why is it that we put SO much effort into our annual week of Vacation Bible School (VBS), yet throughout the rest of the year, we "phone it in?" I, more than most, understand the challenges of ministry. There's not enough hours in the day to do the things we need or want to do. But if you volunteer in children's ministry or any other ministry for that matter, let me challenge you with this: what would taking 15 minutes during the week do for your kids on Sunday morning? What would you arriving 15 minutes before Sunday School starts say to the parents dropping their kids off? What would happen if teachers were not talking with fellow volunteers before Sunday School starts, but engaged with parents?
We don't need to spend $1 million dollars creating a small town (but wouldn't it be cool if you could?). Sometimes all it takes is 15 minutes to create a ministry that will change a child's life. Sometimes all it takes is a 5 minute conversation to show a parent that their kid is valued in your ministry. Sometimes all it takes is 15 minutes to be the difference between a "functioning" ministry and a "dynamic" ministry.
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