I know that this isn’t a characteristic of your church, but I will share it anyways. I’ve found that when a family becomes dissatisfied with a church, they quietly just disappear. Maybe in their estimation, the church wasn’t demonstrative enough in worship or perhaps too emotional and demonstrative. Some leave because … I’ll stop with just one reason. It would be pointless to even try to give an exhaustive list of the many, many reasons for people leaving a church to go find the “perfect” church.
If I could just have five minutes with these people, I would give this one piece of advice. Don’t leave the church. Instead, get involved in the children’s ministry of the church. I know that this would cause a shocked look on their faces (like it perhaps did to you).
Why get involved in the children’s ministry? In my conference teaching “10 Reasons that I am in Children’s Ministry and Don’t Plan to Quit”, I share that those involved in children’s ministry shape the future of the church. I teach that if in your opinion the church needs to be more sensitive to the working of the Holy Spirit, then teach and demonstrate (both are important) week after week the moving of the Holy Spirit. If you want a church of adults that are passionate in praise and worship, then demonstrate and provide the opportunity for children to whole-heartedly go after God. If your church is negligent in its compassion for the world, get involved in the children’s ministry and raise up boys and girls who are fervent in their prayer, sacrificial in their giving, and watchful for ministry in their personal mission field.
Don’t leave the church. Instead, stay and change the course of your church. Dr. Haim Ginott was so on target when he wrote, “Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.” Set the course of the church by raising children that will be the Church. Mold them into a New Testament, Jesus loving, Bible believing, Holy Ghost filled Church. Let’s change a church (with a lower cased “c”, a gathering of people) into the Church (with an upper cased “C”, the Church that Jesus birthed on the Day of Pentecost). Now go change your church, one child at a time!
