OrangeWeekElevateCommunity

Something we say around my church all the time is, “Life-change happens best within the context of community.” The same is true in the lives of our kids and students. Creating this community isn’t easy. It takes a lot of volunteers who are heavily invested. However, when this is in place, the impact is huge!

Here’s one reason why community is so important. When it comes to programming, music and production, the church can barely compare to what the world and culture have to offer. However, the world and culture can’t even touch what the church can offer in the form of community. It’s the ace up our sleeve that far too often never gets played.

While kids are still in the children’s ministry, small group leaders can reinforce what parents are already teaching their kids. However, something drastically changes once a child enters middle school and beyond. Not that the parent isn’t important, all kids get to a point where they NEED validation from an adult who isn’t their parent. As a church, we have the ability to put adults in the lives of kids where they can communicate truth, have spiritual conversations and say the same things that parents would say (assuming the teenager is in a Christian home).

Parents who are leading their kids spiritually will need to lean heavily on the small group leader of their child.  If the child isn’t comfortable talking to his/her parent (which he/she wont) the parent needs to trust that he/she feels comfortable talking to a small group leader that will represent the values of the parents. This is where the church and family truly do partner in the task of leading the next generation. Elevate community, becasue without it the church will never gain traction in the lives of kids.