Relaunch, part 4 - All things? Really? Like, all?
"Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings." - 1 Cor 9:22b-23 (NLT)
One of the more familiar verses in the Bible. If you've been a Jesus-follower for a while, there's a good chance that you've heard it, and can even kind-of quote it. ("Kind-of" quoting things is my specialty!)
And what Paul is saying doesn't make us comfortable. The implications, if we're honest, stink.
My personal preferences. The style I'm comfortable with. How we've always done it. That stuff is incongruent with the phrase "common ground with everyone" (or, "all things to all people", if you prefer).
As my team began talking about what this fall's relaunch of Kids' Church is going to look like, we all agreed that "unchurched" kids are who we're going to build our Sunday experiences for. And so we were forced to start thinking about what it would really mean to be "all things to all people". About what that looks like. What it sounds like.
What do we know about kids these days, anyways? And how does that relate to Kids' Church?
Music. At the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice awards this year, the favorite male/female artist awards went to Shawn Mendes & Demi Lovato. Does that mean we add Demi & Shawn to our worship set lists? Not quite.
This does speak to a style of music that is connecting with kids. And God wants me to connect with kids. And He wants my team to. And you. And your teams. To find common ground with everyone, so that some would be saved.
The music we choose can become a common ground, or a stumbling block, to meet kids who have never been in a church building before. It's either one or the other.
Screens. As of 2017, 5-8 year olds spent almost 3 hours a day on screens. Every day. It's largely spent streaming Netflix, Hulu and/or YouTube. Nickelodeon gave out awards for kids' favorite YouTubers. Does that mean that steaming videos on making smoothies or applying eyeliner should replace sharing about Jesus? Uhhhhh ... no.
This does speak to a style of presenting information that is connecting with kids. And God wants me to connect with kids. And He wants my team to. And you. And your teams. To find common ground with everyone, so that some would be saved.
How we choose to use screens can become a common ground, or a stumbling block, to meet kids who have never been in a church building before. It's either one or the other.
Bible. As of 2017, 14% of Millennials were considered to be "Bible engaged" by Barna. Millennials, for the most part, are the parents of the kids in our ministries. So, if only 14% of them are "Bible engaged", what do you think Gen Z's % looks like? And does that % go up or down if the kid who comes through the door is "unchurched"? Ouch. Does this mean that we give up on the Bible? Of course not.
This does speak to how we need to treat the Bible in our lessons. The days are long past when the phrase "the Bible says" is respected by all but a small minority of people. When verses are routinely memorized. When most people know the story God reveals in the Bible. Or have heard "Jesus" mentioned as anything but a curse.
But story still connects with kids. And Good News. And we have the best story and the greatest news out there. And God wants me to connect with kids. And He wants my team to. And you. And your teams. To find common ground with everyone, so that some would be saved.
The story that we tell can become a common ground, or a stumbling block, to meet kids who have never been in a church building before. It's either one or the other.
These are the kinds of things that me and my team are thinking about. And it's these things that will determine what a Sunday morning looks like, and what kind of curriculum we implement.
Not personal preference. Not what's comfortable. And definitely not what's always been done.
Because we want to try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything we can to save some. We'll do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.
What will that Sunday experience look like?
See ya next time.
One of the more familiar verses in the Bible. If you've been a Jesus-follower for a while, there's a good chance that you've heard it, and can even kind-of quote it. ("Kind-of" quoting things is my specialty!)
And what Paul is saying doesn't make us comfortable. The implications, if we're honest, stink.
My personal preferences. The style I'm comfortable with. How we've always done it. That stuff is incongruent with the phrase "common ground with everyone" (or, "all things to all people", if you prefer).
As my team began talking about what this fall's relaunch of Kids' Church is going to look like, we all agreed that "unchurched" kids are who we're going to build our Sunday experiences for. And so we were forced to start thinking about what it would really mean to be "all things to all people". About what that looks like. What it sounds like.
What do we know about kids these days, anyways? And how does that relate to Kids' Church?
Music. At the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice awards this year, the favorite male/female artist awards went to Shawn Mendes & Demi Lovato. Does that mean we add Demi & Shawn to our worship set lists? Not quite.
This does speak to a style of music that is connecting with kids. And God wants me to connect with kids. And He wants my team to. And you. And your teams. To find common ground with everyone, so that some would be saved.
The music we choose can become a common ground, or a stumbling block, to meet kids who have never been in a church building before. It's either one or the other.
Screens. As of 2017, 5-8 year olds spent almost 3 hours a day on screens. Every day. It's largely spent streaming Netflix, Hulu and/or YouTube. Nickelodeon gave out awards for kids' favorite YouTubers. Does that mean that steaming videos on making smoothies or applying eyeliner should replace sharing about Jesus? Uhhhhh ... no.
This does speak to a style of presenting information that is connecting with kids. And God wants me to connect with kids. And He wants my team to. And you. And your teams. To find common ground with everyone, so that some would be saved.
How we choose to use screens can become a common ground, or a stumbling block, to meet kids who have never been in a church building before. It's either one or the other.
Bible. As of 2017, 14% of Millennials were considered to be "Bible engaged" by Barna. Millennials, for the most part, are the parents of the kids in our ministries. So, if only 14% of them are "Bible engaged", what do you think Gen Z's % looks like? And does that % go up or down if the kid who comes through the door is "unchurched"? Ouch. Does this mean that we give up on the Bible? Of course not.
This does speak to how we need to treat the Bible in our lessons. The days are long past when the phrase "the Bible says" is respected by all but a small minority of people. When verses are routinely memorized. When most people know the story God reveals in the Bible. Or have heard "Jesus" mentioned as anything but a curse.
But story still connects with kids. And Good News. And we have the best story and the greatest news out there. And God wants me to connect with kids. And He wants my team to. And you. And your teams. To find common ground with everyone, so that some would be saved.
The story that we tell can become a common ground, or a stumbling block, to meet kids who have never been in a church building before. It's either one or the other.
These are the kinds of things that me and my team are thinking about. And it's these things that will determine what a Sunday morning looks like, and what kind of curriculum we implement.
Not personal preference. Not what's comfortable. And definitely not what's always been done.
Because we want to try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything we can to save some. We'll do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.
What will that Sunday experience look like?
See ya next time.
Comments
Post a Comment