Almost every Bible-believing church out there would claim they value children’s ministry. I don’t deny that to be true. The question is, how high on the priority list is their children’s ministry? Sadly, I’ve been in great churches around the country — I’m talking about churches that truly have a vision for church planting, that make disciples who make disciples — that treat their children’s ministries as “step-child” ministries.

While their assemblies are full of Bible-loving, Bible-believing saints known for shouting “Amen” and “Preach it,” the children’s corridors and classrooms feel lifeless. When you peek into the classroom doorways and the children give you that desperate look pleading, “Rescue me!” it’s probably because they’re bored to death. On top of that, the overwhelmed teachers are not happy, and everyone knows it…including the kids. When walking from the sanctuary to the children’s wing, you feel a tremendous energy drop. Something is majorly wrong here.

Too many local churches underestimate the importance of children’s ministry, and I believe this is on purpose. Not on the part of the church, but on that of the enemy. A large part of the devil’s plan is to keep children from coming to Jesus.

In Luke 9, after the disciples came down from the mount of transfiguration, a man begs Jesus to heal his only child who was possessed by an evil spirit. Nobody could cast this devil out, including Jesus’ disciples. Jesus was his only hope. Watch what happens next:

Luke 9:42 And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.

Do you see that? The devil did everything in his power to prevent that boy from having an encounter with Jesus. He threw this child to the ground and tore him as if he were having a violent seizure. Like in the parable of the sower and the seed, we see that the devil’s primary concern has to do with preventing God’s word from entering someone’s heart. If he can accomplish this with children, then his job is nearly finished.

Not only did the devil attack God’s word when he made his first appearance in scripture (Gen 3:1), but he also distorted the character of God. He attempted to convince Eve that God was holding out on her, essentially saying to her, “Eve, surely you don’t think it’s right for God to prohibit you from this tree, do you?” He’s very subtle at making God look like the villain. And guess who the devil’s prime recipients are? Children.

The flesh, the world, and the god of this world (the devil) do an excellent job of working together to alter our kids’ view of who God is. If our kids are convinced that their heavenly Father is exactly like their earthly father, then there’s a good chance they’ll want nothing to do with God. If our kids are convinced that God is holding out on them, why would they trust Him? If our kids have it in their heads that God is just a manipulative monster who enjoys watching people suffer, then they’re completely blinded to the truth.

I’ve spoken with many children who wrestle with some of these thoughts. It’s amazing what goes on in the minds of children from the ages of 7 through 12. The solution to these faulty views of the Creator lies solely in one source: the scriptures. Why? Because the scriptures communicate the mind of Christ (1Co 2:16). The scriptures are what reveal who God truly is. So if Satan is after the minds of our children, then our children need the scriptures!

If the local church won’t equip mom and dad with the Scriptures, who will? If the local church won’t effectively teach the kids who God truly is, who will? I’ll tell you who. The same one who convinced Eve that God is wrong.

Studies show that most Christians accepted Christ as their saviour before the age of 18 and that many of those accepted Him before they turned 13. The devil is aware of this. He’s been around long enough to know that a building is only as good as its foundation. He’s aware that a person’s lifelong habits, values, beliefs, and attitudes are formed within the first twelve years of life. He’s well aware that there’s a great advantage to someone getting saved prior to the teenage years because they have very little to unlearn.

The devil also understands that not only are children approximately one-third of a church depending on the congregation but also that they are the primary source of a church’s future. So why wouldn’t he try to win them while they’re young? Listen to some of King Solomon’s final words in Ecclesiastes 12:1: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;” There’s no greater time in life for a person to think on and remember their Creator than the early years.

There’s no doubt that the devil is aware that churches need to take children’s ministry seriously; the question is, are you aware? Think of Moses for a moment. The Bible says the Lord gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh (Acts 7:10). He lived the first forty years of his life in Egypt (a scriptural picture of the world), immersed in a culture that worshipped nothing but false gods. By God’s providence, Moses’s real mother (a Hebrew) was able to have a tremendous amount of influence on him while she nursed him. She would have kept baby Moses until he was weaned, and this could have ranged from anywhere from three and seven years. I believe these crucial years of Moses’s life are what helped form his foundation. As Jochebed was feeding her son, she taught him about the One True God. She told him stories of the Hebrew God and His plan of redemption for His people. She never let him forget who he really was. First impressions die hard.

Fast forward about 700 years. The very nation God used Moses to deliver out of Egypt was deteriorating rapidly. By the time we get to 2 Kings 12, not only was their kingdom split, but it was being ruled by wicked kings who continually turned their backs on the Lord. We can get depressed reading about the continual sins of the kings of Israel. But occasionally, we see a gem in the midst of darkness. In this case, it was King Joash. Finally! A king who did that which was right in the sight of the Lord!

Now, Joash wasn’t a perfect king; in fact, he made some stupid decisions later on in life, but it’s a rarity to see someone go against the grain of society when he or she is saturated in a culture of sheer wickedness. What was it that caused Joash’s tender heart to be towards the Lord? 2 Kings 11:3 reveals it was because he spent the first six years of his life in the house of the lord. He learned to follow the instruction of Jehoida the priest as a child (2 Ki 12:2). Those foundational years of King Joash’s life influenced him to do what was supposed to have been done long ago: repair the Temple.

We see another example of this with the young King Josiah. 2 Chronicles 34:3 says he began to seek after the God of David “while he was yet young”. Josiah’s foundational years are the reason he purged Jerusalem and Judah from their worship of false gods. It’s so important we understand that while the cement is being formed during these elementary years, it rapidly begins to harden during their preteen years. Then, by their late teens, the concrete has settled. It’s formed. Is it possible for the Lord to break apart that concrete and reform it? Absolutely; anything is possible with God (Luke 18:27). But the odds are much lower. This is why the Lord says to chasten your child “while there is hope” (Pro 19:18).

It’s interesting to note that a key factor leading to the apostasy in the book of Judges is stated early on.

Judges 2:10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

Did you catch that? The very next generation knew not the Lord. Why? Because nobody trained them. No one heeded God’s command to tell their children of the mighty works of the Lord. The future of our churches is solely dependent on biblical discipleship at all levels. Our children need to know both the Lord and His works, and it’s our responsibility to show them what He’s doing. May God’s church see how serious He takes children’s ministry!

Mark 10:13 says, “And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.” The disciples were doing exactly what happens today in good Bible-believing local churches, acting as if children were less important than the adults present. They obviously weren’t taking Jesus seriously when He, shortly before this event, took a child in His arms and said, “Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me” (Mark 9:37).

In fact, when the disciples rebuked those who brought children to Jesus, Mark 10:14 says Jesus was much displeased. He told them to “suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” If that wasn’t heavy enough, in Matthew 18:5-6 Jesus said, “And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” God doesn’t play around when it comes to kids!

Notice something else Jesus said about children:

Matthew 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

A week prior to Jesus’ resurrection, when children were crying out to Him in the temple and singing His praises, the religious Pharisees just wanted to shut them up. Jesus responded by asking, “Didn’t you guys know that perfect praise comes out of the mouths of children?” What He’s saying is that the sweetest sound to God’s ears is when children sing his praises. What’s so special about kids? Well, pure faith and humility are the two characteristics children are known for. It’s nice for the Lord to hear children who believe what they’re singing to Him. Not only that, but He loves hearing children sing to Him from the bottom of their hearts. Their motives aren’t to impress those surrounding them — they just want to give their King the praise He deserves. That’s what Jesus calls perfect praise. Our adults could learn a thing or two from that.

Don’t write even the most stubborn child off. Sunday school teachers need to be patient when they don’t notice immediate results of their investments; the worldviews of these children are currently being formed and we have a golden opportunity to play a key part here. I don’t know about you, but if I were the devil, I’d spend my time convincing the children’s ministers that their ministry should take a back seat to all other ministries in the church. If I were the devil, I’d make Sunday school so boring for the kids that they just loathe coming to church. Mark it down: if the church is not planning, training, and equipping their people to meet the needs of this large portion of the congregation, then the whole body is guaranteed to have serious deficiencies in a time shortly to come.

The role of a children’s minister is critical. Don’t underestimate the influence you can have on a small child, even if you only see them for two hours a week. Even when all odds seem to be against that child — whether they come from a torn-apart family, an atheist background, have parents who don’t seem to care — the odds are in your favor because God is on both of your sides. And if God is on the side of children’s ministry, we should be as well.

Check out Beau Green’s book on children’s ministry, Under Construction, on Living Faith Books.