Do All You Are Able To Do

I write often asking churches to do all they are able to do (which is often more than they are currently doing in all honesty) to connect with children who do not come to church with their parents. These are neighborhood children who may come on their own, or children who come with a friend or neighbor, or children who come with their grandparents. However they get to your church, they are there because they chose to come - and continue to do so only IF they continue to want to be there. These children matter. It matters if your church makes your Children's Ministry a place where they want to be.

If you do not, then they will stop coming. Once they stop coming, it is very, very, very difficult to get them to go back and give it a try again. These children may not return to your Children's Ministry. They may not ever try your Youth Ministry. They may stop going to church altogether. These children matter. It matters if your church makes your Children's Ministry a place where they want to be.

I'm not saying you have to turn your Children's Ministry into a "three-ring-circus", but it should never be boring and you should ALWAYS follow up with a card when these children are absent. If your Children's Ministry is boring, they are likely to believe God, Jesus, and the Bible are boring so why should they want to go back? If you do not bother to let them know they were missed, why should they believe you care and they matter? These children matter. It matters if your church makes your Children's Ministry a place where they want to be - please make your Children's Ministry a place where these children want to be.