Tuesday
Jul072009
children's ministry in the urban context - tuesday
Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 8:59AM
we are continuing the conversation in how to best reach children in the urban context. today's thoughts from darlene kelley relate to building on a different foundation and limited ministry resources.
building on a different foundation
urban ministry to children is a ministry that is built on a foundation that is vastly distinct from that of many suburban churches. many suburban churches are built on the foundation of spiritually forming children so that they live for and serve God as children and into adulthood, while many urban ministries are built upon a foundation of cementing biblical truth into the minds of children in order for them to store it up for a later time when they are old enough to use it. the expectation of many is that they will eventually leave church and return some day when they are adults because we have taught them well enough. the drop – out rate of young people continues to repeat itself because kids are not experiencing relevancy when they come to church, rather they are forced to sit through worship gatherings that are designed to be relevant to adults who are present. change is necessary to achieve the desired result of developing children who passionately follow Jesus
limited resources and adult ministry focus
many urban churches tend to be adult focused. urban leaders are focused on repairing the lives of the broken adults they see within urban communities with a seeming unawareness that part of the reason for the brokenness they see is because of a failure on the part of adults to properly invest in the lives of those broken people while they were young children. an additional unspoken barrier to giving adequate attention to ministry to children is the financial needs of congregations – kids' allowances are not adequate to finance the ministry. this remains a frustrating reality and is in desperate need of innovative and fresh solutions.
join us wednesday as darlene leads conversation in developing a children's ministry that has a holistic approach, and encourages children to develop a proper view of self.
Darlene R. Kelley has served as a leader of various ministry teams throughout the East Coast and Midwest teaching and shepherding children, parents and volunteers, hosting various community wide family events, and preaching to local congregations. She is a pastor and teacher with a heart for teaching the Bible and training others for ministry. She currently holds a Master of Arts in Educational Ministries from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and is currently studying full time as she pursues a Master of Divinity from North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL
building on a different foundation
urban ministry to children is a ministry that is built on a foundation that is vastly distinct from that of many suburban churches. many suburban churches are built on the foundation of spiritually forming children so that they live for and serve God as children and into adulthood, while many urban ministries are built upon a foundation of cementing biblical truth into the minds of children in order for them to store it up for a later time when they are old enough to use it. the expectation of many is that they will eventually leave church and return some day when they are adults because we have taught them well enough. the drop – out rate of young people continues to repeat itself because kids are not experiencing relevancy when they come to church, rather they are forced to sit through worship gatherings that are designed to be relevant to adults who are present. change is necessary to achieve the desired result of developing children who passionately follow Jesus
limited resources and adult ministry focus
many urban churches tend to be adult focused. urban leaders are focused on repairing the lives of the broken adults they see within urban communities with a seeming unawareness that part of the reason for the brokenness they see is because of a failure on the part of adults to properly invest in the lives of those broken people while they were young children. an additional unspoken barrier to giving adequate attention to ministry to children is the financial needs of congregations – kids' allowances are not adequate to finance the ministry. this remains a frustrating reality and is in desperate need of innovative and fresh solutions.
join us wednesday as darlene leads conversation in developing a children's ministry that has a holistic approach, and encourages children to develop a proper view of self.
Darlene R. Kelley has served as a leader of various ministry teams throughout the East Coast and Midwest teaching and shepherding children, parents and volunteers, hosting various community wide family events, and preaching to local congregations. She is a pastor and teacher with a heart for teaching the Bible and training others for ministry. She currently holds a Master of Arts in Educational Ministries from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and is currently studying full time as she pursues a Master of Divinity from North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL
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