Childhood Ministry
This year my husband and I were blessed with our first grandchildren. One of my friends referred to us as double grandparents because we received two grandchildren at one time, twins!
As all grandparents, we too were eager to learn their names. We were so pleased when our granddaughter was named for her two great-grandmothers and our grandson had the middle name of his grandfather. As the family genealogist, I was delighted that one day I can share stories of their namesakes with them.
What really is a name? Does it matter very much? Most of us would affirm that a name has the potential to represent the essence of something. Businesses pay a great deal of attention and money to find the perfect moniker for their product or their service. Who hasn’t grinned at these names: NerdWallet, Grubhub, and the nickname for my hometown, St. Louis, known by locals as The Lou? And how many different ways can barber shops and hair stylists name their businesses? A Cut Above, Clippers, Off the Top, Mop Shop, and The Comb Over are only a few.
In this blog I want to write a bit about the name that encompasses all of our work with children. In many churches the ministry to children falls under the heading, Children’s Ministries. Some churches enfold this within Family Ministries reminding us that God places children within families specifically for their spiritual nurture, their integration within families rather than separated from their siblings and parents. In ministry terms, Family Ministry implies less siloing and more integration within the church body.
For those churches who don’t use the term Family Ministry or even for those who do but have Children’s Ministries as a subset, I think there is a better, more accurate and term. It is Childhood Ministry. The idea is not mine. Author and ministry specialist for children, Janice Haywood,* MDiv, DMin, calls all ministry to children in the church “Childhood” Ministry.
Childhood is a stage of life that is foundational to all of later life. Childhood is intended to be a season of nourishment, filled with first things such as walking, talking, eating, running, singing, and reading.
The love relationship that begins at birth between the child and the parents becomes the foundation on which the child develops trust and builds more love relationships including that formed with God. It is a time when children are observing the world and asking a multitude of questions including those of life and of death. As ministers to children and their parents, we have more than sufficient research studies to remind us that far more children come to faith than young adults.
Does changing the name change what you do? Possibly. Does it change the perception of what your church plans and does on behalf of children? I propose that the term Childhood Ministries speaks to the hearts of growing children. It connotes brevity and urgency. Childhood ends. In so many ways the best time to nurture the heart of a person is during childhood.
Names don’t stand alone. They are best placed within the framework of your vision, mission, and goals. I think that Childhood Ministry is a a powerful name that reflects the who and why of this critical ministry of the church.