Many pastors are hesitant to have a family
service at their church on a Sunday morning. Many times they are afraid that
adults will feel spoken down too and will not return to their church, or that
if kids are allowed in the sanctuary that the older people will be scared
away.
A family service is simply a time for the entire family to
learn together, worship together, and experience God together. If there
are families that go to a church this is a great time to bring them together
for a service instead of always separating them on Sunday mornings. It's not
something that should be done every week, however; children and teens should be
able to experience God with their parents and see how their parents respond to
God at lease several times a year.
Many churches are warming up to the idea of a family service
occasionally. Almost every Sunday we are on the road during our tour season, we
are doing a family service somewhere. During these services we have seen
children, teens, and adults experience God and get to know him better in an
atmosphere that is conductive for all ages.
These are a great time for grandparents to bring their
grandchildren to church or families to bring nieces and nephews or even to
adopt the family next door to come to a family friendly service.
Many churches are
not successful at family services because they either structure the service
like a regular adult service and include the children and expect them to come
up an adult level and sit still, pay attention, and endure the service or they
make it so Kiddy Kiddy that adults feel spoken down to and out of place. If
it’s just a regular adult service with children attending the children will be
bored and get unruly. A family service is a time for all ages to learn
together, worship together, have fun together, and ultimately experience God
together.
In
order to be successful at a multi-generational service where everyone including
children, teens, and adults enjoy and get something out of the ministry the
service must be simple enough for a child to understand but relevant for all
ages. The message must be taught in a way that spans generations and includes
everyone. All ages must be engaged. Adults
must not feel spoken down to and it must not be so far above a child’s head
that they are bored and get nothing out of it. This might mean having
more engaging media than a normal adult service. It might mean doing an object
lesson or illustrated sermon instead of the pastor just talking for 45 minutes.
It also might mean having a short skit or drama to reinforce the message.
Because of our multi-media
presentation and Jerry’s teaching style, we are able to conduct family services
that reach across generations that the entire family will enjoy and get
something out of. We see entire families learn together, worship together, have
fun together, and ultimately experience God and enjoy church together during
our family events. Many times adults have left our family services talking
about how they got just as much out of the service and their children did. We
have seen entire families come forward to be born again and make Jesus Lord of
their lives together. Jubilee Gang Family Events are not just a kid thing. It’s
a family thing.
We recently received this story from a father that came back to God at our Jubilee Gang family event last weekend in MD.
"Hi I was at your amazing and inspiring sermon/show this weekend. Me and my 4 year old. I just wanted to say that was the first time in a long time I've been back to church, years actually and you really inspired me to get to know God again. I was one of those who raised there hand when you asked who needed God as Their Lord and Savior and I do. I've been a bad man for a long time and I need him in my life. So thank you for being there when I went back to church, you sir have inspired me to go there again and again and I will never give up on our father again."
Family events are an awesome opportunity to invite people that do not usually come to church to come to a non threatening family friendly event where the Gospel is presented in a way that the entire family will receive.
Family Service
Testimony
Brenda Bernard
Children and Family Pastor
at Loch Lynn Church of God
|
|
Have you ever wondered why your church isn't gaining families? Do you have anything in place that children will want to come to? Are families really welcome in your church? Most pastors would say yes to one or most of these questions. I am proud to say that as the Children's Pastor at Loch Lynn Church of God in Oakland, Md, we are always trying to make families feel loved, wanted and accepted. Our Lead Pastor is a visionary. He looks past the walls, the carpet and the dirt and sees the importance and the need to minister to families. So when I ask if I could invite The Jubilee Gang for an event, he was excited and very much on board. Once I had made arrangements for Jerry to do a children's leadership training on Saturday morning and a family event that night, he ask if Jerry would be willing to stay over and do a family event on Sunday morning. We were able to seat our families right in the center of our sanctuary. We gave them the royal treatment. We let them know that they are special. Pastor Jerry brought a powerful message for the entire family at each service that he did. I can't say enough about The Jubilee Gangs programs. We had 16 children and teens come forward to be born again on Saturday night. That is what it's all about! Seeing lives changed. We had several raise their hands on Sunday morning as well. Jerry brings to children and family ministry something that we at our local church normally can't with our limited budgets. He brings lights, lazers, puppets and much more. This is what attracts families from outside of your church. They come looking for a fun and exciting time and they find it, but more importantly, they hear the message of salvation. I can't say enough about Jerry and Candy Moyer. They have a heart to see children come to be born again, but they also can reach adults through the messages as well. I look forward to having Jerry and Candy come back to our church again. If you are considering scheduling The Jubilee Gang at your church for a family event, I assure you, you won't be disappointed.
Read what other pastors and Parents are saying about Jubilee Gang Family Events at the following link
"What pastors and parents are saying about Jubilee Gang Family Events" |
|
Posts
