Have you had the opportunity read the previous blog posts about launching a revolution in children’s ministry? I know that these posts are connecting with the hearts of those longing for the fulfillment of Joel’s prophesy of an outpouring of God’s Spirit in their children and children’s ministry. Around the globe, there is a cry from those that recognize that there must be more. It’s time for a revolution!
Beginning with my first post of this year (January 1st), I began sharing a weekly insight that will help bring about this revolution. Please pay special attention to this week’s insight. To me, this blog post is one of the most important insights given so far. This week, we want to look at …
So, you have strategically determined where you want the ministry to go, purchased a curriculum to use as a resource to draw from, and now you are on your way to seeing the desired Joel 2 Generation, right? Well, you’re kinda’ right. What else is needed?
Warning. Warning. Warning. What I am about to share will go against the grain of the way things are done. Most in children’s ministry today purchase a lesson, prepare the lesson, plow through it line by line, and end it by the time that the parents arrive at the end of their service. Am I right? Will this bring in an outpouring of God’s Spirit? NO! This way of thinking is a MAJOR roadblock to seeing an outpouring of God’s Spirit.
So, what needs to change? Ready for this? We need to accept a Don’t Be Afraid to Park the Bus way of ministry. For some, this will be a major challenge because it will require us to drop our present title (Sunday school teacher, children’s church leader/volunteer, mid-week Bible club leader, etc.) and become a Holy Spirit tour guide. What is the difference? The present way of thinking has the mindset to git ‘r done, that is, get through the lesson within the allotted time before the parents arrive to pick up their child. A Holy Spirit tour guide will have studied and prepared the lesson and yet, under the prompting and urging of the Holy Spirit, will pull the bus (the planned service) to the side and park so that passengers on the bus (your children) can fully experience what the Holy Spirit is saying at that particular place at that particular time. The tour guide defies the present-day mentality of bypassing the right-now, thus-saith-the-Lord moments just so that they can finish the lesson. The tour guide knows that to push past His prompting would nullify what He is wanting to do at that given moment.
Let me share this illustration. Several years ago, Vickie and I traveled to minister in Mali, Africa. On the way there, we had a two day layover in Paris, France. Of course we went to see the Eiffel Tower, ate some escargot (snails), and visited the Louvre. Since it was just two short days, our time to be at the Louvre was so limited that we literally raced through the museum. We spent micro-seconds looking at the hundreds of works of art. Did we see the Mona Lisa and the Venus de MiloYou? You betcha’. Did we spend enough time to appreciate the beautiful works of art? Because we only had 90 minutes to spend at the Louvre, sadly, no. But, we can say that we saw the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.
Here is where a decision needs to be made. Do you want a supernatural ministry or a we raced by it ministry? Please, please, please don’t be afraid to park the bus. Recognize that if the Holy Spirit’s unction is ignored, you can’t come back later and do what He wanted to do at the right time, the right place, with the right people.
I have gone way, way, way too long with this insight. I will pick it up again next week with Ministry Revolution Insight #5 – Dealing With the What Ifs.
