I’m 41 years old, I’m the Senior Pastor of a relatively large and busy church, I’m not a Youth Pastor or a Children’s Ministry Pastor so what in the world am I doing preparing to start another semester teaching catechism class to 6 year olds? That’s a good question. I was thinking about that yesterday afternoon as I was preparing my cue cards, checking my candy jar and printing off activity sheets. Here’s what I came up with:
1. Jesus made time for children
The disciples thought that Jesus was too important to spend time with children. They were wrong. Jesus rebuked them saying:
“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14 NKJV)
If Jesus was not too important for the children then neither am I – not by a long shot. Jesus knew that ministry to children was very strategic, in fact he said once:
3 “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3–4 ESV)
The logic seems to be that the older people get the more arrogant and hardened in their disbelief and self centeredness they become. Children are humble – they know that they don’t know. Children also naturally believe in God – they don’t have to be argued into faith, they have to be argued out of it. Therefore, ministry to children is very efficient and strategic. It should take less time to lead a 6 year old to Christ than a 46 year old. The 46 year old has to unlearn his atheism and unlearn his arrogance to get back to the place where he is prepared to let God be God. That’s a bit like putting the toothpaste back in the tube. Better to reach them when they’re young.
2. Childhood conversions are real
It bothers me when Christians smile condescendingly at the news that 35 kids made first professions of faith at VBS this summer or little Johnny gave his heart to Jesus at camp this summer. The smile seems to indicate that we’re not quite sure what to think about that. Did little Johnny really understand? Does he even know how to spell propitiation? Can a child make a credible decision for Christ?
I’m not sure how credible decisions made by 6 year olds should be considered, but I do know that God works conversion in the hearts of little children. I know that because it happened to me. In the summer of 1980 my recently converted parents sent me to VBS at Mrs. West’s house. I can’t even picture that women’s face, but just thinking about that day still makes my eyes well up with tears. My life changed at that house. I remember that after the lesson the children were all invited to meet with Mrs. West if they wanted to pray to receive forgiveness of sins and to profess faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I remember sitting on the stairs that led to the basement and praying with all the sincerity and surety of a 6 year old boy. I don’t know how credible my decision was but I do know that God changed my heart. He put something in me, something like a compass or an inner compulsion. I had all the typical teenage temptations and challenges, but that inner compulsion, that deep and undeniable sense that I was God’s child and that he had saved me from my sins and for himself never left me. Ever. I’ve always KNOWN that I belonged to God through faith in Jesus Christ. I’ve never doubted that it was all of grace. That day changed my life.
I believe in those kind of days. I believe they can happen to 6 year olds. I believe that when the Word of God washes over kids, the Spirit of God moves inside them and strange things can happen. Lives can change. The Spirit is given, faith happens and nothing will ever be the same. I know that not every kid who waves their hand at Jesus at the camp fire has really come to saving faith in Christ. Some kids think they’re asking to go to the bathroom, some kids think their might be a freezie in it, some kids just want to please the teacher or the counselor – I get it. But for some kids it is real. I teach catechism class – still - because of those kids.
3. Hanging out with little people keeps you humble
Little people have no idea that actually, a lot of people think I’m quite impressive. Their parents and their grandparents respect me quite a lot. Some of them write me embarrassingly affirming cards and letters. That makes me feel nice. Little people have no idea what my problem is. To them I’m just the old guy who hands out candy when they get a question right and so maybe I should just settle down.
Of course I take seriously my job to teach the children the importance of respecting all forms of authority – and as the class progresses they always seem to fall in line, they learn to obey the rules and we all have a marvelous time. But secretly it amuses and improves me to be confronted with their total and utter disinterest in me as a reasonably spectacular person. It seems to suggest that I am actually nowhere near as spectacular as I have been led to believe. I’m just somebody’s dad and P.S. can you remember to bring M&Ms next week? These skittles are pretty stale. Seriously.
4. Explaining the Gospel to little children is good for me as a preacher
I’ve come to the conclusion that if you can’t explain the Gospel to 6 year olds then you don’t really know it. I’ve also discovered that if you can explain the Gospel to 6 year olds then you will be much better at explaining it to 46 year olds. A couple of years ago I stumbled on a way to explain imputation to little children. I won’t go into the details but it involves the repeated use of the word “poo” as in “im-POOOO-tation” and it has to do with a very messy shirt, a swim through a sewer and the magical cleansing power of Jesus on the cross. The funny thing is that I found myself using that same illustration to explain the Gospel to 40 year old men a few weeks later. It worked like a charm! It turns out that my 40 year old friends have essentially a 6 year old’s theological vocabulary. They did however know a fair bit about poo. Preaching the Gospel to little people made me a better evangelist to my friends.
5. That whole “train up a child in the way they should go” thing
Proverbs are not promises but they are still pretty important. Proverbs 22 says:
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6 ESV)
There is something about spiritual trajectory in this Proverb that should not be overlooked by pastors and parents. There are numerous studies that argue from a secular point of view that the education and training that a child receives in her early years determines to a great extent her future behavior and achievement. We’ve all been warned as parents to read and speak to our children as often as we can because the words our kids hear in their early days become abnormally formative with respect to their intellectual and social development. Therefore we need to take seriously the call to train our children in the ways of the Lord. We need to be reading the Bible to them, we need to be praying with them, we need to be speaking of God’s goodness and grace.
This isn’t brain washing. This is parenting and this is pastoring. If God is there; if God is good; if we are sinners and God has saved us through the person and work of Jesus Christ then our children should know about that. They should know about it young and they should know about it early. Train up a child in the way she should go and even when she is old, she will not depart from it.
6. It helps me connect with families
Our church has nearly doubled over the last 8 years and as we’ve grown and added staff I have become more and more of a specialist. I preach, I write curriculum, I serve the Board, I manage the staff and I do some leadership development. That doesn’t put me in contact with too many families. I seem to have a great deal of natural contact with about 20% of our congregation. Teaching catechism class helps me build relationships with young families who are not at the stage of their lives where they are serving on the Board, leading small groups or joining leadership programs. They’re just trying to raise their kids. I want to know those folks. I want them to know me.
There is an old adage that I believe in: If you do me a favour I will thank you. If you do something for my kid I will love you forever.
I think that’s a true thing and its one of the reasons I still teach catechism class.
7. It gives me a chance to be a pastor to my kids
I have 5 kids. So far they all seem to love the church. None of them looks at the church as “that place that eats my dad”. The church is just family to them. I can’t include my kids in every thing I do. I’ve taken my son on some pastoral visits, I’ve done some camp ministry with my oldest daughter, I rocked the last Lazer Quest event with my middle kids and I have occasionally taken a child with me on a speaking gig. Catechism class however, gives me a unique experience to regularly minister to my children in a church setting. I’m not just taking them with me, I’m ministering to them. That’s different. Its important for them to know what I do and more than that, its important for them to feel and experience what I do. When I go out at night my kids understand that I’m going to help people – people like them, people who are part of the church.
Being a pastor’s kid isn’t easy, but it doesn’t need to be as hard as we sometimes make it out to be. Kids love the church. Kids love their dad. It shouldn’t be too hard to bring those things together.
Catechism class is not rocket science; its probably not the answer to all of what’s wrong with the church. It isn’t the sexiest or most strategic thing that we do. But its good. Its good for the kids, its good for the church and its good for me. There are weeks – I grant you – when the noise and the silly and the skittles make me want to scream. But there are also weeks when somebody gets it. There are weeks when the light goes on. There are weeks when the Spirit moves and there are weeks when I can feel the smile of Jesus on us all.
I have a class in 5 minutes. 8 little boys and girls are coming to hear about Jesus. They’re bringing their Bibles, their pencils and their precious little hearts. And there is nowhere else I’d rather be.
Thanks be to God.
Pastor Paul
Written on Thursday October 8th 2015 at 3:30 pm.