Thinking Outside the Box!

If you work with kids you know that you can’t just show up and have church. It doesn’t work that way. Instead, you have to really go after the principles found in all the multiple intelligences charts (intrapersonal, naturalist, kinesthetic, musical, etc.). In order to affectively reach this generation, we need to begin to think even more outside the box than in years past.

Think about how Jesus ministered. He thought out of the box. It would be really easy for Him to just say, “be healed” or “ok, you’re saved”. Instead, Jesus healed a man by using mud. He turned water into wine (and not the cheap stuff, but the top shelf stuff!). He picked up an ear that had been chopped off moments ago by a solders sword and reattached it back to his disciples’ head.

Those are the first examples that came to my mind, but there are tons more where that came from (check out the Gospels)! Now if Jesus did all that to show people who God was…well we should probably step our game up as well.

So this makes me think about children’s ministry. How often do we pray for the service and for the kids to see Jesus in a new, exciting way? How many times do we study the curriculum before the service starts? How many times do we review the worship songs and have the motions down? How often do we encourage our small group leaders? How often do we talk to the parents before and after service times? Are we content with just having a “good children’s ministry”? After reading what Jesus did in the Bible, He wasn’t content with that. He did stuff to make people really think and to really contemplate their decisions. Jesus forced people to think outside their religious boxes.

So when is the last time you thought outside the box with your ministry?