“Children are the future of the church.” I’ve heard this many times throughout the years. When you go to a church, check out the number of families with kids are going there. It is a good indicator of the church’s health. We know that children’s programs are important and that we have a responsibility as parents to “train up” our children in the way they should go. We know we need to be role models for them and that most people come to accept Christ before they are in their late teens. All of these things are true, but have you ever considered that children might have a purpose and place to be used in your home and in your church in the present?

Yes, children take time, attention and resources. They need to grow in maturity and understanding. They will often do and say “childish” things. They will need discipline and we need to expect obedience from them. However, for those who have come to accept Jesus as their Savior, they have the same Holy Spirit living within them as adult believers. Therefore, just as adults are equipped by the Holy Spirit to participate and serve in the local church, children should be considered for service as well. Let’s consider some of the things scripture says about the place for young people:

1. Children are a model for SIMPLE FAITH – When the disciples were having a dispute about the pecking order in heaven, Jesus brings a little child to them and said, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). As we get older, life gets more complicated. We second-guess others as well as ourselves. We have been let down and disappointed and find ourselves on guard and defensive. These and other things complicate the simple faith that we are to have in Christ. Children are a living example of what faith should look like to us. It’s the kind of faith that says, “God said it, so I believe it and trust it with all my heart.”


2. Children are a model for HUMILITY – In the very next verse, Jesus used the same child to demonstrate the humility that we are to have before the Lord. He said, “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4). Especially with young children, there is general humility that comes from the fact that they know there is much to learn and they are still growing. At some point in the pre-teen and teen years, this begins to change. A sense of pride, entitlement, or superiority begins to develop which has no place in the Christian’s life. Again, we are given children as a constant reminder of the type of humility that God expects from each of us.


3. Children are meant to SERVE – Timothy was likely only a teenager when Paul placed him as the Pastor of Ephesus. Knowing that many would not respect such a young man in this place of ministry, he encouraged Timothy with these words: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12) Now we know that Timothy had a godly mother and grandmother, but there is no doubt that by the time he was placed as the pastor of Ephesus in his late teens, he had been given opportunities to serve, minister, and preach. Young people need opportunities to serve in the local church. They can contribute to the special music, as assistants in junior church classes, to set up for (and clean up after) church meals and events. They can also be your best evangelists in the neighborhood inviting the neighborhood kids out to VBS and to church. There are many things that children can do and are equipped to contribute to the church. It helps them to mature, to know they are needed, and to give them opportunities to grow in their faith.

Yes, children are the future of our church, but they are to play a role in the present church as well. Look to them as reminders of what simple faith and humility are meant to be. While you are training them and molding them, be diligent about cultivating their hearts for service. Utilize them in the ministry today and allow them to contribute to what God is doing in your local church. Remember that every child should have a place!