I have known the ministry for majority of my life. At a young age, my father would take me with him in his ministry involvements for the poor and needy. When I was in high school, I started getting involved in the worship team.
If there is one reason for my passion and love for church community apart from the grace and love of God, I would have to say it has everything to do with the way my parents helped me get involved.
Kids are not meant to be a burden to the church. We don't put them in a separate room with some cartoons and snacks so they won't bother our worship experience. God loves children and calls them also to get involved in the church community.
How can we as parents get our children involved in the church community and in turn help them grow in honoring God by loving others?
Start at home
It is best to convince our kids to join a ministry or a discipleship group because excitement for a church community starts at home. Our children's involvement and devotion start with our involvement and devotion.
Support discipleship
So your children want to attend a small group but you're too busy to take them to the church or mall to meet with a leader. If this is the case then we should wonder no more why our kids don't think discipleship is important to them -- because we don't show them that it's important to us.
Connect them with the kids of your church friends
Church is primarily a group of people, not a set of rules. Unless kids find a group they can build relationships with then they will never find enough motivation to get involved in church. The best place to start is the community you now have.
Ask them about their ministry experiences
One thing I enjoyed about my family was how we would talk about how fun church camps, services and small groups were over dinner. When we make ministry experiences a topic for conversations, it won't be long until it translates into a culture.
Encourage them to get involved
Your children may have gifts and talents that God has given to them which can be a blessing to the church. As parents, it is our job to support and encourage our kids to get involved, not so that the church will get more free labor, but so that they will grow more in understanding God's purpose for them.
Teach them to follow Christ
This is the most important thing we can do. When we teach our kids to get involved but fail to point back to Christ, we will only form burnt-out moralistic kids who will be frustrated with ministry. Jesus is the center of the church community and we must point our kids to Him at all times.
