Anthem Kids Updates (And Why We Can't Be a 'Set-and-Forget' Church)

Hello church,

I am writing with an update regarding our Anthem Kids ministry on Sunday mornings. Beginning December 31, our elementary-aged kids will be joining us up in the gathering on a weekly basis. We will still hold Anthem Kids for our nursery and preschool-aged children, but for a season the elementary-aged kids will be upstairs, worshipping and joining us for the whole of the gathering.

This is not an easy decision, and it has been weighed and discussed at length. In many ways it is still being discussed and prayed over. However, it is a beautiful opportunity as well; it’s an opportunity for our kids, our families, and our church as a whole to recapture the importance of corporate growth and discipleship. To understand more deeply what went into this decision and where we are with kid’s ministry (which matters profoundly to us as a church), please read on.

Sometimes it feels like every article I write for Anthem has to do with transition and change. Transitions in our church family, transitions in our leadership, transitions in the way we do things… you name it. If I’m honest, many times I get weary of thinking and composing about it, and I’m sure many of you might be tired of reading about it, or even more so experiencing it. I am a “set-and-forget” kind of person; maybe you’re like me, and you like for things to stay constant. Change can be exciting, but too much can feel overwhelming and upsetting. I relate to this, the elders relate to this, and we feel all of this with you.

But the reality of where we are as a church can’t be avoided. We can’t be any other church except ourselves. We can always strive in the Spirit to grow, to pursue God more eagerly, to repent and turn back to the God who loves us, and to give more of ourselves in service to one another. However, we must do all of this with what is in our hands at the time. We have the five loaves and two fish allotted, and while we are to be dutiful and faithful in what God has asked us to do, we trust our sovereign, powerful God to make much out of our little.

To summarize, we are always left in this tension, no matter what situation we face as a community following Jesus: what does it look like to be faithful to God and to one another, with what we have today, together as a church family?

Every decision we make as a church must be driven by our convictions: what is our mission, our objective? What does the Word teach us to do in a given situation? How does the Word inform our worldview? What is the motive and drive behind a given ministry and decision? Is it based in biblical truth, applied with biblical wisdom? We then take these convictions and we use methods to implement and work them out. These methods can vary, but all seek to accomplish the revealed, deep conviction of the church.

In other words, we are to be firm in our convictions of what we value. If the Word of God values something, we need to value it as well. The methods, however, can often be adapted to time, circumstances and context. Many churches get this backwards: it is easy for us to let tradition or complacency place the method as the highest value, while leaving convictions subject to change and whim, moved about by the winds of culture and preference.

With this in mind, we turn our attention to our kids ministry on Sunday mornings.

Our conviction regarding our children is straightforward, and we believe is supported irrefutably in the Scriptures. Children are not a burden, but a rich, deep blessing: not just to the families that have them, but to our community as a whole. From the very beginning of their precious lives, they are not an asterisk or an afterthought in the community of God. Instead they are integral parts of our community, and it is our responsibility to treat them as such. In a culture that sees children as an inconvenience or a nuisance, the people of God must fight against this inclination and embrace them, love them, and play a part in forming them into the image of Christ. Jesus invited the children to come to him while he walked the earth, and rendered harsh criticism to anyone who would seek to hinder them (Luke 18:15-17, Matthew 18:1-6, Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16).

It is the job of the church, therefore, to help equip and support parents as these they seek earnestly to disciple and raise their children in the wisdom and instruction of the Lord. This is our goal. The manner in which this is played out is subjective; there are many ways to accomplish this, and this leads us to where we are today.

For years, as long as I can remember, we have had a ministry to children offered during the Sunday morning gathering. This was the decision made, in light of the above convictions, for helping disciple the children of the church. As a result of the many transitions we are walking through as a church, however, we are now unable to facilitate a Sunday morning elementary class as we have in a way that is healthy and sustainable in the long term. There have been many Anthem Kids volunteers who have, or currently are, experiencing a life transition, which directly impacts our capacity as a local church. As a smaller church, we are in a situation where we need to make decisions to accommodate our families (and guests) in light of the resources we have. We still very much need volunteers to serve our children on Sunday mornings, but because we have reached this point we need to adjust accordingly, trusting that the Lord will provide what we need now and in the future. If you are a member of Anthem and if there is any burden on your heart to serve our children, please let us know.

While this will be a major shift for our church, we do not view this move to bring elementary students into the gathering as an unfortunate concession. On the contrary, it is actually an opportunity for all of us. While these kids have the opportunity to worship with their families on a Sunday morning, we have the opportunity to be hospitable and to model corporate worship to them in turn. So much is caught rather than taught in these environments. As our kids participate in singing, prayer, and the hearing of the word, we participate with them, and who knows, as we offer worship to God, what they will pick up and learn. The gathering is a vitally important aspect of our spiritual formation, and these children, members of our church, now will be participating alongside us.

Please be praying for these families as they make this adjustment, and please be praying for your own heart and disposition as we embark on this together. Your attitude towards these children and families will make a world of difference in this transition. A pastoral reminder for all of us: we do not come on Sunday mornings to comfortably and passively receive preaching and music. We come to participate in communion with and worship of the living God. Children are not a hindrance to this; indeed we should be welcoming and accommodating as our parents do their best to discipline and instruct them in this environment. You were a child once; let these children learn, grow, and experience the presence of God in our midst.

We are in a dynamic time of our church’s life. As much as we’d like, we can’t settle to be a “set-and-forget” church. Things take time to develop, and we need to be patient to let things unfold as we try them, but a search for a one-stop solution will leave us paralyzed and frustrated. We have to be open to trying things, and we must be humble enough to move from these things as the Lord directs and wills.

As leaders we are doing our best to love God and love each other as we move towards God’s will for our church. Our methods are adapting to our circumstance, but our convictions remain the same. We are to be a church that honors and loves families, serving them by equipping them as they raise their sons and daughters. Before us is an awesome chance to welcome these children into our gatherings, growing alongside them and modeling our lives in Christ, on Sunday mornings and beyond. In time, our methods may adjust again, but that will come when God wills. We may try new classroom organization, or we may continue with what we have before us. Our leaders are committed to seeking the Lord in prayer earnestly in the new year to see where the Lord may lead us. For now, let us be faithful, encouraging, and hospitable during this change, pointing one another, no matter how old or young, to the one who redeems all things and makes all things new.