- Kids need to move their bodies. So we sing songs with hand motions, and sometimes play games, and don't make them sit still for long periods of time. Adults are better at sitting in one place (but don't let that lead you to the conclusion that "kids just need to learn more discipline"; movement is essential to overall child development). (Although hand motions in adult church would be worth seeing.)
- Kids need to eat more often. Their stomachs are smaller, and their metabolism is higher. So we feed them a snack midway through the morning, while adults are able to wait until their next meal.
- Kids need help with a vocabulary they don't yet have. So we have to simplify concepts and explain adult-sized words. It doesn't always work to "just read the Bible" to them.
- And, kids need relationships with other kids at church. Why? A few reasons:
I think we adults forget how hard it is to be "the new kid" - yes, even in church. Most of us attend adult church with someone else. So from the moment we walk in the door, although we may be surrounded by a sea of strangers, at least we have that one next to us who we can talk to, relate with, and - let's face it - blend in with. When you're solo (as kids are if they don't know anyone), you stick out like a sore thumb - or at least you think you do.
It's where Christianity "happens": Let's face it - relationships are where the rubber meets the road for our Christianity. We can all talk a good game, but life is the real test: how will you act/think/do around other people? Same goes for kids. A bucketfull of "just right answers" isn't worth much if the truths behind those answers aren't lived out.
Just the presence of other people doesn't necessarily put our Christianity to the test. We can all play nice. It's once we call someone "friend" or "brother" or "sister" that we subject our lives to the test: if you or I change (or irritate each other), can we still dance?
Kids need a Crowd: To be sure, we aren't Christians because we hang out with Christians, or because we were born into a Christian family. But who we hang out with influences our identities. So - who is your kid hanging out with? Because they will become like them. I'm not of the camp that advocates strict separatism - that kids should only have Christian friends, and that all other kids are dangerous. But I wonder what kind of magic parents are expecting when their kid has no Christian friends? When all of your kid's friends are indifferent, if not hostile, towards God, what do you think is going to happen to your own kid's attitude toward spiritual things? That they'll stand on the truth, simply because it's the truth? Really?
I once had someone argue to me that youth groups were a bad deal, because her daughter had been negatively influenced by the kids she met there, and it turned her off to the church. Well, churches aren't perfect, and it's unfortunate that happened; but as a parent, making sure my kid was part of a church's youth group would be a gamble I'd be willing to take.
It may seem like I'm only really writing about older kids, and there's some truth to that. While young kids need the security of a pal or two at church, they probably haven't reached the critical juncture where they decide of "Christian" is going to be the identity they wear through adolescence and into adulthood. But be ready, because the onset of that stage comes quickly. When I ran our 4th-6th grade ministry, I would say, "When 4th graders hear about a special event we're running, they ask, What are we going to do there? and if it sounds fun, they'll come. But a 6th grader, on hearing about a special event, asks Who else is going to be there?" No friends = no way!
So let me stop dancing around a hard truth and be blunt: If your son or daughter doesn't have some meaningful peer relationships at church by the time they leave 6th grade, the chance of them hanging around a youth ministry is really, really small.
And in that regard, they're not that different from adults, who also need the security, the testing, and the identity that having like-minded friends provides. The thing is, as adults we get to choose our affiliations freely. Kids come to church because their parents bring them. So while it's great to have kids tell you they "had fun" and give you a few "points" they picked up from the lesson, probe a little deeper and observe what's going on: is your son or daughter building some lasting friendships at church? Believe me, it will pay dividends down the road - more than being Bible Quizbowl Champion.
Here are some pointers on making same-age Christian friendships happen:
1. Be consistent with your family's attendance. The more often kids attend, the more likely they are to get to know the other kids at church. And -
2. Be consistent with the service you attend. We're a large church. If you bounce among three services, and attend three times a month, your kid is only encountering the same group of kids once each month (and that assumes that kid is himself regular and consistent). That's not really enough to form a meaningful friendship with someone.
3. Ask your child, "Of the kids at church, who do you like to play with? Is there anyone you'd want to have come over after church some weekend?"
4. Meet the families of the kids your son or daughter identifies. Here's how. Tell your kid to ask their friend at church to wait until you come for pick up. If the friend's parents come first, train your child to say something like, "Hi, I'm ______________. I'm [so-and-so's] friend. My mom and dad want to meet you." Voila! Two families make a connection.
5. Come to a smaller, weeknight program like The Harbor. You'll meet other parents and your kid will interact in activities with other kids. Simply because of size, The Harbor program allows kids more freedom, and there's more kid-to-kid contact, which is an important ingredient in friend making.
