Recently, I was invited to be a guest lecturer (that wordlecturer always cracks me up for some reason) at my alma mater, Indiana Wesleyan University. Since the campus is only ten minutes from my office, I do this frequently. I spoke to a group of 30 young people in an Intro to Christian Education class. I asked the question, “What word comes to mind when you think of children’s ministry when you were a kid?” Here are some of the responses I heard:
- Music
- Crafts
- Puppets
- Dramas
- Skits
- Missionaries
- Memory verses
- Flannel boards
- Veggie Tales
One student raised his hand and said, “The answer to every question was ‘Jesus.’” Chances are, you smiled when you read that, because kids still do that today. Who built the ark? “Jesus.” Who got swallowed by a whale? “Jesus.” I then shifted the question to this, “What word best describes children’s ministry today?”
- Videos
- Activities
- Curriculum
- Structured
- Family involvement
- Safety
- Very secure
- Small groups
- Biblical illiteracy
- Extracurriculars
Children’s ministry has changed since we were kids. It’s changing for my three daughters and it’s going to change for their kids. One thing I like to do is keep my ear to the rail, so to speak, as far as what is happening in children’s and family ministry today. Then, I enjoy forecasting, based on our current trends in the church and in the world around us, what I think is going to happen in children’s ministry down the road. Here are ten predictions of what I think children’s ministry is going to look like in the year 2020.
Prediction #1: Early childhood will become a greater priority in the church.
There weren’t many children’s pastors in the 70s. The position was the exception, not the rule. Today’s church society is beginning (albeit slowly) to shift toward a different mindset where ministry to the littlest ones is seen as a higher priority. More dedicated staff positions for early childhood directors will be established similar to all the children’s pastor positions today.
There are two reasons for this shift: 1) Today’s society values kids and youth more than anything else. Kids are valued, and the more time that passes, the more even younger children will be valued. 2) There will be more and more research to show that even more important than what we do with tweens or middle schoolers, and more important than what we do with the second and third graders, is what we do when they’re three and four years old. (There’s already all kinds of research out about the importance of getting kids grounded in the Word, and that the earlier you start, the better.)
