Make a Difference in the Other 165 Hours

While serving in Children's Ministry is something which matters and gives us an opportunity to impact lives and make a difference, we are limited by time. A week has 168 hours - 168. Of these 168 hours, even in the best situation, we have  children in our ministries for three of those 168 hours - just three. (And many of you have them for zero hours during the summer.) Yes, we are able to make a difference in those three hours, but we are greatly limited as we are not able to be with the children for the other 165 hours of the week - or anywhere close to those 165 hours. But their parents are. And their grandparents have the potential to influence them for many of those 168 hours as well.

So, if we really want to be as effective as we possibly are able to be, then yes, we want to be certain the three hours we are with children are hours where they are engaged and no time is wasted. But, we must address those other 165 hours. We are able to make a significant difference in those other 165 hours - IF we focus upon equipping the parents and grandparents so they are able to hand down confident faith to the children they love. 

We must not continue to ignore those other 165 hours of the week. Yes, children who are involved in our Children's Ministries are learning what the Bible says. Many of them make professions of faith, but far, far too many of them are turning away from the faith they had as a child as they grow up. We are able to make a difference by equipping parents and grandparents so they are able to hand down confident faith, so they are able to engage the children they love in ways which make a difference. We are able to do this this. We must do this.

Josh McDowell says, "Belief is knowing what you believe. Conviction is knowing why you believe it." We must equip the parents and grandparents so they are able to help the children they love develop a confident conviction because they know "why" they believe what they believe. 

Barna says - "In fact, the percentage of young-adult dropouts has increased from 59 to 64 percent. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. 18–29-year-olds who grew up in church tell Barna they have withdrawn from church involvement as an adult after having been active as a child or teen." If we don't want the children in our ministries to be part of this statistic, we must be focused upon engaging them when they are in our ministries for those three hours and equipping their parents and grandparents so they are able to hand down a confident conviction during the other 165 hours in each week.

So ask publishers to help by providing resources you are able to use to equip parents and grandparents to hand down confident faith. Yes, I know, there are not many such resources, but there are a few. Check our bookstore and you will find the following - 

• Life on the Goldilocks Planet curriculum/book series
• Praying Deeper series
• Cultivate the Faith
• the little answer books

Use Deeper In for Children to teach children in a way which truly engages children as they learn what the Bible says and what the difference is it makes in their lives. Use Anchored as a supplement to the curriculum you use to teach the "whats" and check out Generations Quest at this link for another resource you could use to equip parents and grandparents, so they are able to hand down confident faith.

Equipping parents and grandparents so they are able to hand down confident faith in their 165 hours each week is just as important as it is for you to select effective curriculum for you to use in your three hours a week. It is time we start thinking about, and acting to engage and equip parents and grandparents for the other 165 hours.