Amanda Gunderson
November 8, 2004
Children as an Essential Part of the Church 
	A normal, healthy, Christian body got into quite a discussion the other day.  You see, certain parts of that body were having a problem seeing the big picture of how it all comes together.  It all started with the skeletal system.  All those bones started to think that they were the most important part; after all, the body would not have any shape or form without it.  Then it was the hearts turn.  The heart knew that it was the most important part of the body since it was the only one who was able to pump the blood that was so vital to all the other parts.  Next, it was the brain that started thinking it was all that and more.  Without the brain, everything else would not be able to function.  It held all of the control and knew when something wasn’t right.  Clearly, the brain thought it had to be the most important part of all.  But then something happened.  The little toe wanted to be recognized as an important part of the body as well.  The brain, heart, and even skeletal system all laughed at this idea.  Can you imagine, the little toe making any difference at all?  As soon as this happened, something very unusual occurred.  The little toe was very hurt, and stopped contributing to the function of the body.  That normal, healthy, Christian body took a great tumble and all the parts were brought down.  It was only then that the heart, skeletal system, and brain realized the error of their ways.  They recognized that the body is a whole and each member or part is just as important as the rest.  They embraced and encouraged the little toe and the body was able to stand and function once again (Kidz Quest, skit).  Romans 12:5 says, “So in Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others (NIV).” 
	The following is an in depth look at the church’s function in ministering to the most often overlooked member of the body-the children.  It will attempt to clarify the reasons of importance of children’s ministry and the responsibilities of the church to make it possible.  After all, the body would not technically be complete without the little toe.  
Jesus deeply loved the children.  He enjoyed being with them, and loved their faith and how they received his message.  We see this in action in Mark 10:13-16, which says:  

People were brining little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant.  He said to them, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these .I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
The church today is almost in the same shoes as the disciples were.  The church has a reputation for quietly rebuking the children, constantly trying to find ways to keep them out of the way of the “proper functioning of the church.”  They are not given a voice, or a place within the church.  They should be seen and not heard.  But, maybe like the disciples, the church also needs a little rebuking.  Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is to be received as a little child.  The kingdom of God is design to grow, and children are essential for the growth of the kingdom (Spurgeon, 36).  They give tone and character to the kingdom; it is rather a kingdom of children rather a kingdom of men.
	Just as the kingdom grows when children are welcomed into it, so also is the way that a family grows.  When a new member enters into the family, everyone takes part in helping the little one to grow and be nurtured.  God places a special claim upon the children in his family.  He desires that his church takes responsibility for their nurture.  Bringing up children in the nurture of the Lord means acknowledging that they belong to him and fostering growth on a continual basis (Clowney, 150).
	This can be accomplished in simple ways.  For example, when the people of God gather for worship and praise it is important to ensure that everyone take part (Williams 3: 107).  Just as each part of the body has a specific purpose, so also each person who gathers in a congregation has something to specific offer (Williams 3: 108).  This should be no different for children within the congregation.  Children should be instructed to the point of understanding that they have an important place within the church.  They should be encouraged to participate, to worship freely alongside adults, and to have their own personal experiences.
Some might get a little uneasy with this idea. How can it be possible for someone so young to not only comprehend the things of God, but also participate in the time of worship?   Here is where the responsibility of the church to foster spiritual growth of a child is increased. Proverbs 22:6 says to train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it. It is vital to have foundational training for the youth so that they may understand the gifts and workings of the spirit in the church setting. The first learned is generally the last forgotten (Spurgeon, 47).
Sadly to say, this type of training is very neglected.  The attitude of children is more often “church is so boring!” Church can be a time of acute discomfort for the alert child.  Feelings of being hushed, trapped, and immobilized can make a child desperate to get out and away.  It is no surprise that the child does escape it all when he or she gets old enough to make his or her own choices (Stenberg, 76). 
This may be the cause for the abandonment of Christianity by the youth of a church-going tradition.  Surely they are not to blame for wanting to escape the environment where they have had to endure the indignity of being ignored, with needs unmet and unrecognized (Stenberg, 77).  Not very many would put up with that kind of treatment, no matter how old you are.
Some would argue that the children are being provided for though programs like Sunday school.  The reality is that some Sunday schools are taught by teachers who don’t want to teach, attended by students who would rather not be there, sent by parents who don’t know why they insist on kids attending, and watched over by a pastor who knows better, but who doesn’t know what to do next (Richter, 49).  This may come across as very negative, but the concept of Sunday school may be dying out.
Children will rebel when a Sunday school can’t keep up with their level of development.  It is not fair to take an educated child and push them into a Sunday morning experience where they are asked to take the story of Jonah as it is without any questions--or have them study Moses for the hundredth time (Richter, 55).  It is as if we are saying, “Hold on Jesus, we’re going to inspire those kids with two new Bible verses and a flannel graph (Richter, 55).”  
We owe it to our church of the future to provide them with the kind of education that is appealing and interesting. If there is any doctrine too difficult for a child, it is rather the fault of the teacher’s conception of it than of a child’s power to receive it, provided that childe is really converted to God (Spurgeon, 8).  We have the means to properly teach children.  It takes dedication and creativity to bring those doctrines of faith to their level of understanding.  This way, through its various programs of Christian education, the church can build more effectively on a solid and continuing foundation (Williams 3: 116).  This is very possible to do on a weekly basis with children.   
To help children learn, they need an environment and an instructor that is suitable for them.  When they see that everything that goes on in the adult worship and teaching time is just as relevant for them as it is for their parents, there is no limit to what they can learn.  If given the proper instruction and comfortable opportunity, children can experience the same powerful presence of God in their own group setting. This can promote the likelihood of youth participation in the spiritual manifestations during corporate worship time.
	Beyond what the church can teach, others still would say that the spiritual upbringing should be left to the parents.  According to Williams, children who are raised in godly homes and from their earliest days are trained in the faith find their later church experience all the more meaningful.  Christian parents have the primary responsibility to make that happen (Williams 3:116). 
Parents are given the authority over their children.  Paul commands nurturing, but warns fathers not to abuse their authority so as to provoke resentment. “Fathers, do not exasperate you children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4, NIV).”  Parental authority does not mean children belong to their parents. Not only do parents need to exercise responsible authority, but also children to obey they parents in him as the Lord commands (Clowney, 150).
The Lord who entrusts his children to parents also entrusts them to the church.  The pastor of a church has a responsibility to the lambs of the flock (Clowney, 152).  One church struggled for a long time with what to do with the children while the adults met for church. It suddenly dawned on them that one of the best ways to grow our church family was to make ministry to children a strong point rather than a weak point in our structure (Stockstill, 119).  This church finally understood.  The goal of the church’s teaching is maturation of (all) Christian believers (Williams 3: 111).  Children are not an exception.
In the church, there needs to be a program of total teaching in which the Word of God is central to the education of both children and adults.  Bible stories need to be truly taught, but with a minimum of imaginative embellishments.  “Teach the little ones the whole truth and nothing but the truth: for instruction is the great want of the child’s nature (Spurgeon, 8).”  The church also needs to be taught how best to study the Bible, and how to apply principles in a home setting (Williams 3: 115).  It is important that the parents are grounded in the Word before teaching the scriptures and applying the principles with their children.  
	So, what does this mean for the church today?  This means that we have obligations.  We have a great responsibility to the church as a whole to ensure that the children get a sound and relevant education and instruction in the things of God.  When we neglect their needs, we are depriving them of the spiritual nourishment that God desires them to have.  We have a duty to train them up in the way they should go and not give reason for them to despise or resent the church.  This means we need to provide adequately for their needs.  They are our future church.  It expects to find us faithful (Nash, 123).  The little toe belongs to the rest of the body just as much as the heart or the bones or even the brain.  They are essential to the complete function of the church today and most definitely to the church of tomorrow.

Works Cited
Clowney, Edmund.  The Church, Contours of Christian Theology.  Downers Grove, IL:  
Intervarsity Press, 1995.

Kidz Quest. Little Toe.  Skit, 2003.

Nash, Robert.  An 8-Track Church in a CD World.  Macon, GA: Smyth and Helwys, 1997.

NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.

Richter, Ed.  Jesus and Your Nice Church.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Eerdmans Publishing, 1969.

Spurgeon, C.H. Come Ye Children.  Pasadena, TX:  Pilgrim Publications, 1917.

Stenberg, Odin.  A Church Without Walls. Minneapolis, MN:  Bethany Fellowship, 1976.

Stockstill, Larry.  The Cell Church.  Ventura, CA:  Regal Books, 1998.

 Williams, Rodman J.  Renewal Theology:  Systematic Theology from a Charismatic 
Perspective, vol.3.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1996.