Assets, Not Liabilities

Can I say something that might sound prideful (although it is SO not meant to be!)? My kids are awesome. I mean it! They are all that and a FAMILY size bag of chips! They are saved, smart, super smart, intelligent, gorgeous, polite, talented, active in school and ministry, full of potential and character, and a lot of fun! They are more than that but I don’t want anymore eye rolling than I am already getting! In short my kids, my five girls are NOT liabilities, they are precious assets to Craig and I.

I was reminded of this truth as I read a blog post from Pastor Perry Noble. Furthermore, he also reminded me of the need for the “assets, not liabilities” thinking. My dad at the start of his ministry was a children’s/youth pastor. I remember him getting aggravated whenever he would hear someone say, “Children and youth are the church of tomorrow….” My dad believed whole heartedly that children and youth are just as much the church of today as any grown folk! I believe this is because children and youth hold valuable keys to unlocking doors that have locked the church out. Kids are very resilient and they do not fear “change” as most grown folk do. Remember when Jesus told the disciples that we are ALL to come to him as children? Because of this truth, I have to throw in an excerpt from Pastor Perry….

Teens Are An Incredible Predictor Of The Future!

Pastors, if you think your church is going to look the exact same way it looks right now in ten years and still grow…you are STUPID!

I remember when I was in youth ministry the way we did it…we had bands, screens, used videos, met kids where they were and taught them Scripture using every method we could think of.

Uh…sort of looks like the way church is being done today!

The question I am constantly wrestling with is, “What’s next?” Seriously, something is coming! Something is on the way that is going to revolutionize ministry! Something is going to happen to radically transform thousands of lives in the future. AND…I believe student ministry is going to unlock that “SOMETHING” that will impact the next generation. (Pastor Perry Noble)

That is quite a statement! And I can’t help but agree. If the next “something” is coming through the young people of the church, then folks, we better rearrange our priorities!

Sidebar…

Craig and I pour as much as we can into our girls. When they take interest in something we sit up and take notice because they are our number one investments! Especially as ministers. What good does it do any pastor, minister or evangelist to win everybody else when his/her own kids are lost or can’t stand to be around them?

I’ve seen pastors make it a priority to attend anniversary parties, weddings and funerals of everyone in their church but when it comes to watching their own kids in a talent/awards show or attending a ball game or recital it just isn’t a “priority.” “After all, our kids should know that we are doing “God’s work” and they need to accept that we are a ministry family and that comes first.” To that I say, BALONEY! If a church attendee came and told us their family was falling apart because they were ‘too busy’ to spend time with them then we’d give them a good talking to about prioritizing and being a workaholic then we would tell them to make family a priority! It goes both ways folks! What good is witnessing to friends and neighbors when the kids who come to our churches are treated as second class citizens expected to be “seen and not heard.”

Back On Topic….

Bishop Miller has always quoted the stat that “Christianity is only one generation away from extinction.” Well, it is no wonder when we act as if children and youth are mere liabilities! They are ASSETS!!!! They are the ones who have their hands out ready to grab the baton and run the next leg of this race.

In closing, as I climb off my soapbox… allow me to give the platform to Pastor Perry Noble one more time….

Pastors, my advice…you CAN’T INVEST enough in student and children’s ministry!!! You’ve heard me say it before–but GIVE TO THEM before any other group in the church! Stop sticking them out in front of Wal Mart on Saturday’s with donuts and brownies…challenge your church to step up and give to them. And…when cuts need to be made in the budget…ALWAYS take away from the adults before you take away from the kids…and if they get mad–let them LEAVE and go another church… (Pastor Perry Noble)