Two respected pastors from the past saw the importance of a ministry to children; one as
he reflected on his long pastorate, and the other as prepared to lead the church to a return of Biblical theology.

After the observation and experience of a long life, I have come decisively to the
conclusion, that, if I had my life to live over again, I would pay ten times as much
attention to the children of my charge, as I ever did when I had a pastoral charge. If I
were now about to undertake the care of a new or feeble church, I should consider
special attention to the children and young people of the neighborhood as one of the most
certain and effectual methods of collecting and strengthening a large flock that, humanly
speaking, could possibly be employed. (Samuel Miller 1860’s)

When I preach, I regard neither doctors nor magistrates, of whom I have above forty in
my congregation. My eyes are on the servant maids and the children. (Martin Luther
1500’s)

In many churches today an emphasis is being placed on ministry to children within her
doors. This emphasis can be seen at the Sacrament of Baptism when the congregation is asked the following question, “Do you promise to support these parents as they rear their child in the love and discipline of the Lord?” This promise, this vow, this attitude we have toward children is rooted in the concept of covenant. I want to briefly lay out for you the Biblical basis of why we minister to children, why there is such an emphasis to be placed on children. As we think about children’s ministry, let’s go back to when you were in Sunday School.

My testimony is a Timothy Testimony; that is, I have had the privilege of knowing the
Scriptures since infancy. There were many people that inculcated God’s Word into my life, but there are two teachers that stand out in my mind: Mr. Bolin and Mr. Walker. Mr. Bolin was my fifth grade Sunday School teacher and had an obvious love for his class. I do not remember what exactly we learned that year, but I do remember a man who loved me and cared for me, even when I requested to sing, They Will Know We are Christians, for the umpteenth time. The other was Mr. Walker who had great gadgets in my Senior High Sunday School class. I can remember going down to the beach and writing our sins in the sand, and then the waves washing them away, and then sitting around a campfire and listening to the story of Jesus’sacrifice in a whole new light. He also had this black box hooked up to the television, a Betamax (Does that take you back?) that made Josh McDowell appear on his screen at will. These two men, along with many
others members of the church, assisted my parents in building into my heart a love for God and His Word.

I remember those godly men as I walk into the classes I teach today. I can remember a
three–year-old class in which a little boy named Timmy would ask the most off-the-wall
questions and make the most irrelevant statements in the middle of my lessons. “Pastor
B, Pastor B, yesterday my sister went poop in her pants.”“Pastor B, Pastor B, We saw a helicopter on the way to church today.”“Pastor B, pastor B, do you think God likes apple juice?”There were times when I would wish that he would not show up so I could actually get through a whole lesson. Then a wise woman in the church, Heidi, made this statement to me;“You know, one day when you are old and gray and sitting in the pew, little Timmy may be your pastor and may be serving you communion.” Wow! There was an eye opener. From that day forward, I really began to enter the classroom with a long-term vision, a perspective of eternity.

That perspective of eternity is the essence of the covenant. Our Lord, the sovereign of
the universe, has entered a relationship with His creature through no merit of our own by His own holy decision. There are many threads we could follow through the Bible, but if we follow the development of the covenant, we notice how important children are in the economy of God.

Let’s take a look at a sampling of Biblical passages:

In Genesis 1:28 we read that “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and
increase in number…”What we see in this passage is that one of the foundational purposes of marriage was procreation, was children. It is important to note that children were not a result of the Fall, but were part of God’s original plan.

In Deuteronomy 6:4-9 we read “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” As the nation is assembled and addressed, the Lord takes special emphasis to tell the people that they must instruct the children, not just the adults in their midst. It is important and necessary for the adults to know God’s commands, but equally as important that the children be given instruction as part of the covenantal community.

In Deuteronomy 31:12-13 we read, “Assemble the people — men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns — so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” As God prepares the people to enter the promised land, he takes special care to remind His covenant people to obey His laws, not just the adults, but the children as well must learn the law.

In Psalm 78:1-8 (printed on the front cover.) we see the eternal perspective of one
generation passing on to the next generation the things of the Lord. Unless we intentionally pass on our faith, humanly speaking, Christianity is only one generation from dying out.
In Joel 2:16 we read, “Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the
elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast…” Again, as God gathers His
covenantal community for Worship, all the members of the community are included, not just the adults. Children learn from our model, as well as from our words, perhaps even more so.

In Jeremiah 32:38-41 we read, “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I
will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul.” Take a minute and re-read this passage. Note all the things that God said He will accomplish for His people. But, note that it is not only for His people but also for their children, the generations to come that He will accomplish these things.

In 2 Timothy 3:14-17 we read, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and
have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In God’s providence Timothy was mentored by Paul to become a leader in the early church. But, Paul did not start with a blank slate, but rather Timothy had been taught the Scriptures since infancy. Our training of children must begin at an early age!

In Psalm 8:1-2 we read, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have
ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger”, and then in
Matthew 21:15-16 we read, “But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?” In this passage Jesus uses the praise of the children to silence His enemies, just as the Psalmist declared. It was not the praise of the adults, but of the children that Jesus pointed out. Our children must be given that opportunity to praise the Lord.

In Genesis18:17-19 we read, “And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am
about to do, since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? “For I have chosen him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice; in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” In this passage the Lord points out the promise that He has made to Abraham to bless him and all the earth. Interestingly, one of the reasons that he was chosen was to command his children. An integral aspect of the covenant is so that our children will be taught the ways of the Lord.

From this brief reflection on your past experiences and an overview of Scripture, I hope
the point is clear: Children are an integral part of the covenantal community, not simply an add on or the future church. As such  we design the children’s ministry to ‘come alongside’parents as they seek to fulfill their covenantal obligations to rear their children in the love and admonition of the Lord. The Children’s Ministry seeks to provide opportunities for children to engage in worship, be given instruction in God’s Word, be involved in fellowship, and give expression to their faith. Our responsibility to children is not simply babysitting, but to minister to them, for they are part of the covenantal community.