5 Reasons EVERY Person at Gateway Should Serve a Season with Kids

Redemption Kids is a crucial ministry to the life of our church. Every weekend there are dozens of volunteers who give of their time and energy to invest in our church’s children and bless their parents.Personally, I believe that every single person in the church – even if it’s not a primary area of gifting – should serve at least one season in Redemption Kids. Here are five reasons why:

1. You will build meaningful relationships.

Whether it’s quiet conversations with the other nursery volunteers while holding babies, introducing shy preschoolers to new friends in their class, or engaging elementary kids in discussions that range from silly to serious, you will help build meaningful relationships for yourself and others. We purposely structure our children’s ministry to facilitate impactful relationship building.

2. You will learn how to simplify the gospel.

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.” We can tend to overcomplicate the gospel by using a bunch of fancy church-y words and phrases. There may be a time and place for more nuanced language, but working with young children forces us to simplify the gospel – the good news of what Jesus has done for us. Doing so not only helps them understand it; it helps us as well.

3. You will identify more with Christ.

Jesus says in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” When we focus on serving others like Christ served us selflessly, it helps us identify more with Jesus and grow in our appreciation of how he has served and loved us.

4. You will grow in humility.

Related to the previous point, Jesus humbled himself to serve people who didn’t deserve it and who could never pay him back. This probably isn’t the best recruiting spiel, but serving in R/Kids is not a glorious task!Much of what our volunteers do goes unnoticed and unappreciated; no toddler is going out of his way to say thanks for changing a poopy diaper, and a six-year-old is just as likely to complain about wanting a different snack as she is to say thanks for the Nilla Wafers she got. However, humbly serving others in need who cannot reciprocate is one of the purest demonstrations of love.

5. You might actually like it.

This was my story. I’d never worked with children before in any capacity until some leaders at the church asked me to help out with an elementary class, and I was incredibly hesitant to do so. It wasn’t long before I discovered that I actually enjoyed both the fun and challenging aspects of teaching. I don’t get to teach in elementary classes anymore as much as I used to, but I look back fondly at that time and thank God for the way he used that experience to grow me, challenge me, and create in me a passion for ministry.We’ve got a brand new group of volunteers starting in March, but there are still plenty of opportunities for people to take next steps and get involved with Redemption Kids, especially at the 5:00pm service. I hope you’ll consider being a part of our team!Email me at markandress@redemptionaz.com to get started.