If you’ve worked with children for any period of time at all then you know that children are imitators. They will mirror what they see others do. And, for those in leadership, we know that this can be for the good or bad of the children in our ministry.
Here’s a great example. I believe that I can walk into any children’s ministry classroom or auditorium during the time of praise and worship and, without seeing the leader on the platform or any of the other teen/adult team members, tell you of the leadership’s involvement and passion by solely looking at the children. How? The children are a mere reflection of what is being shown or modeled by the leaders. Involvement breeds involvement. Passion cultivates passion. Desperation fans the flames of desperation in others.
If there is a lack of praise and worship in the children/youth in your ministry, I challenge you to take a scrutinizing look at every leader in your ministry. The cry for the presence of God must begin with those on the platform AND flow around the room to all of the leadership team. The entire team must be visible. They
can’t be hidden in the back of the room. The entire team must be participating. The entire team must be passionately involved. Their desperation has to be on display in order to garner the involvement of the children/youth.
Here is a reality. Passion and desperation are always visible. You just can’t hide being passionate and desperate. I love the fact that David, the man after God’s own heart, was SEEN by his wife worshiping God. You remember the story. Michal looked through a window and saw David leaping and dancing before the LORD. When chastised by Michal, David said,
“So I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the LORD.
Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this.”
2 Samuel 6:21-22 (New Living Translation)
Blind Bartimaeus of old couldn’t and wouldn’t hide his desperation to get to Jesus.
“And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say,
Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should
hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal …”
Mark 10:47-48
How can we be passive and silent? Remember:
“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay,
and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God:
many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”
Psalms 40:2-3
Our imitators are looking for our example. The children and youth are waiting to follow the leader. Children/youth leaders and ministry teams, let’s put our desperation on display. Let’s make it next to impossible for our children and youth to not enter into His presence.
