My wife and I attended my grandson's t-ball game the other day. August is four years old. It was the funniest time I have had in a while. The kids were learning how to play baseball. It was like herding cats. The kids were learning.
The batter hits the ball from a tee, and the coach stands behind the girl or boy, instructing them to swing and hit it. Each team member gets a chance to bat before the rotation, and then the other team bats. Even for four-year-olds, they can hit the ball pretty well.
When the kids hit the ball, some would chase the ball they had just hit. Others would run to the wrong base or run past the base. It was adorable to watch these innocent little ones learning how to play.
I loved that when kids were playing in the outfield, a parent stood out there beside them. There were large colored dots on the ground, so they knew where they were to stand every time a batter stepped up to the plate.
The batter would hit the ball, and all the kids from the outfield would run to catch it. That's right—all of them looked like chickens chasing a bug! It was a little wild, but they were learning how to play the game. Watching the moms and dads on the field with them, ensuring they did it right and were successful, was fun, too.
A thought came to mind: “What if the church was just like this?” We let kids serve, and the coach, minister, and teacher show them how to do it. All the while, the parents are right there with them, encouraging them along the way. What if the church and families worked together with that goal: kids successfully growing in their faith and serving in the body of Christ?
Do you know what would happen? Kids would discover God's purpose for their lives. The church would not have any leadership voids because they would have been serving from a very young age, eventually becoming young adult leaders. Kids would be the teachers, the leaders, the servants, helpers, and administrators.
It's time to make changes. The old way of doing children/family ministry has to include the elements of T-ball, where parents are standing right there with their child with the ultimate goal that they have value and can serve the Lord today.
Kids can play in the game just like the adults. We must be careful not to be hindrances to their faith. Jesus was serious about that. He said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.” Let's let them come and serve, and let’s encourage them to participate in the Master’s plan for their lives today.
If a child participates in a sport today, their parents typically attend every practice. They would have them practicing at home. They would take the time, just as in baseball, to practice hitting, catching, and throwing a ball properly. The most important priority in the life of a child today is not sports or activities. The most crucial activity is building a child's lasting faith.
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