Lads to Leaders & How the Church Goes All Out for Children
Over this past weekend, we were blessed to be part of about 10,000 or so people at the Opryland Hotel for the annual Lads to Leaders convention. Additionally, more Christians gathered in five other cities (Memphis, Louisville, Atlanta, Orlando, and Dallas) for Lads to Leaders, as well. It is always a highlight of our year to see all the great things that young people from all over the place do as they grow in their willingness to use their talents for the Lord.
Each year, I see people talk about how these children and their talents give us hope for the church in the future. I agree. As I watched a lot of young men over the weekend lead in various areas, my heart was touched by the ability and desire of these young men, and I pray they continue to grow in their willingness to honor God with these talents.
But today, I want to speak for a moment of another blessing that comes from things like Lads to Leaders. In fact, this post may be more for kids and teens than for adults, but I hope it encourages every adult who helps the children or teens in their congregation.
While it may not be true in every congregation, it is an overall truth that Churches of Christ go all our for our children. Just look at the budget of even quite small congregations, and you will very often see a large amount of money going to Bible school materials, VBS stuff, and activities (like Lads to Leaders) for the young people in the congregation.
Attend something, and you will most likely see that an incredible amount of effort went into making it “just right” for the kids. At Lads to Leaders, for example, you cannot help but notice how much time, prayer, effort, and planning goes into virtually every detail. But, even in something of smaller scale, like a local Bible class, you will see a great deal of effort put into the lesson, crafts, activities, and other things connected with the class.
Why do we do this?
It’s because our children are so valuable, and the church loves them. Yes, those kids can be unruly at times, and they can frustrate us all, but we see their potential, and we strongly want to do all we can to help mold that potential into true servanthood, focused on the Father in heaven.
Not every congregation can have iPads for every student, or all the “latest and greatest” stuff. Not every congregation is going to have a youth minister or children’s minister. Not every congregation is involved in big programs like Lads to Leaders.
But find me a congregation that does not go all out for her children, and I’ll show you the exception, rather than the rule.
Congregations should do the very best they can, not to entertain the kids, but to use every possible Scriptural means to instill in those kids a knowledge and love of God, the Church, and being a servant. Most congregations do, and for that, we should be thankful.
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