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You are here: Home / Archives for Spiritual Guides

Spiritual Guides

Talk to Kids About Sin and Restoration without Shaming Them

Alissa Ellett 1 Comment

What’s sin? Have you, like so many others, ever stumbled over your words trying to answer questions like these from your kids? You’re definitely not alone. Talking to kids about sin can feel like a daunting task.

sin

Maybe you were taught something about sin as a kid that was hurtful or traumatic. And, you don’t want to duplicate that for your kids. Or maybe you’ve moved out of your church background. And now that your ideas have shifted, you’re not sure how to communicate them.

We hope to offer you a few tools for going about talking to your kids about sin in a restorative way. How do you engage this topic with your kids? Share with us in the comments below!

Talking about Sin and Power with Kids

Before beginning any conversation with children and youth about sin, be sure you highlight God’s endless and boundless love. There is more than enough forgiveness for any of our personal or communal screw-ups. Jesus’ grace for even those who betrayed and murdered him is evidence enough for this truth.

Explain that sin has a whole lot to do with power. When there is an imbalance of power, we know that somehow somewhere a person or group is missing the mark. This is what we call sin. Tell your kids that we all miss the mark sometimes and hurt others and/or ourselves.

sin

Give them some examples that will make sense to them. When one group of people has more power to access food, housing, parks, money, education, healthcare, safety, etc. than another, somehow, somewhere, a person or group is missing the mark.

Perhaps, if they are old enough, invite them to give some of their own examples where there are those with more power to access certain things than others. Wonder with them about why that might be.

Explain to your kids that God intends and longs for us all to live an abundant life. A life filled with possibility, hope, and joy. A life that is thriving, because it doesn’t need to be primarily concerned with survival. Then, we begin to share in abundant living together.

sin

Looking at Sin Individually and Systemically

Awareness and responsibility are the two most important skills we can teach our children when it comes to creating systems that allow equal access for all. So, help your children look for ways they can be balancers of power.

Individually, when trying to stay more powerful than others we become overly concerned with the maintenance of our reputation, stuff, appearance, and status. We start thinking mine and me rather than ours and us.

And when this happens, we shun vulnerability and can begin to lie, horde, gossip, steal, ignore others’ needs, and use violence.

Systemically, sin functions in a similar way. But instead of individuals, large groups making decisions for mine and me rather than ours and us. The effects can feel pretty far removed from the issues we see in the world. However, you can help your kids learn how to decode this.

sin

Decoding Sin with Kids

To begin decoding sin in a situation, locate an area of suffering. Then, look to see if power to access something is being restricted. Help them search for the why. Figure out a cause. And finally, consider taking action. Here’s an example.

The suffering: Perhaps there are kids getting into trouble after school.

Lack of power to access: Maybe there aren’t safe, constructive activities to do within walking distance.

The why: Kids’ parents are working and can’t pick them up from school to drive them home or to an activity.

The cause: Cost of living force parents to be unavailable. A lack of allocated city resources for parks and recreation.

The action: Start an after school program for homework help or a seasonal sports tournament series. Petition the city for funding. Run a campaign for parks. Create a vanpool to transport kids to after school activities. Start a music program for youth.

Search anywhere. Look in the church, the family, the classroom, the office, the governing bodies, the land. You have endless opportunities to teach your kids about missing the mark and righting wrongs.

sin

Maintain the Connection

No matter what the question a child brings forth to you, maintain the connection. The fact that they feel comfortable enough to bring the ideas and uncertainty to you is huge. Honor that, and you’ll be serving your relationship and offering them a whole lot of confidence to wonder about their faith.

And don’t forget to share with us in the comments below! How do you teach your kids about sin in restorative ways?

8 Innovative Ways to Foster Intergenerational Ministry in Your Church

Alissa Ellett 4 Comments

intergenerational ministry

Intergenerational ministry is quite a buzz term in Christian circles these days. But we know from research that it’s more than a trend and massively helpful in the development of lasting faith. It creates fertile soil in which seedlings can flourish. And yet, your church may be like so many on Sunday mornings with different age groups scurrying to separate corners of buildings to learn on their own. So, how do we get away from this? What can you do as a ministry leader to forge a new path?

Intergenerational Ministry: More Than Just Planning More Fun Activities

If you’re a ministry leader, you may feel at times like your primary role is to pump out fun activity after fun activity. This can be particularly true for children’s and youth pastors. This is well and good…and fun. But do you ever get the sense that this isn’t all you’re called to and that you have far more to offer the congregation you serve? Here at ICM, we’ve been pondering how we can help you move from activities director to one who facilitates deep and lasting intergenerational relationships within your church. Really, doing so is church. In connecting across all ages your whole church will thrive, creating deep roots together that will last lifetimes.

Read on for eight ways to foster intergenerational ministry in your church.

Download a PDF List: If you’d like to download an easily-printable list of these eight ideas, click here to download and share with colleagues and friends.

intergenerational ministry

8 Ways to Foster Intergenerational Ministry

  1. Church Grandparents: Invite older adults to come alongside families and become a “grandparent” for a child. This person could take the child on fun outings, send birthday cards, attends sports games, help support parents on Sundays and beyond. This will foster cross-generational relationships, help families feel loved, and older adults feel needed and helpful. This could also be opened to all adults as church “aunts” and “uncles.” Even better if children are paired with adults who share their interests.
  2. Laundry Parents: Invite families to sign up to open their homes to college students who are living a great distance from their own families. Students can set up times with their “family” to go over for dinner and laundry. College is a formative and potentially lonely time. Having a family’s support can be wonderful. And these relationships may last for years after they have graduated and moved out of the area.
  3. Community Garden: Speak with the city about starting a community garden on church grounds. Donations are often plentiful from local stores. Children and adults of all ages can lend a helping hand and learn a whole lot about gardening and life while working together. And not only that, but this is a great way of providing fresh produce for your city.
  4. Food Pantry: Speak with your local food pantry about becoming a distribution site. This brings together children and adults of all ages to serve those in need in your city. There are sorting and bagging jobs even toddlers can do on distribution morning. And exposing our children to all different kinds of people encourages compassion and inclusion for the rest of their lives.
  5. Fix-It Kids: Invite youth to sign up to help older adults who need minor household tasks done. These could include office filing, decorating for holidays, light cleaning, window washing, etc. For more major repairs that the kids aren’t qualified to do, have a list of local referrals ready to give to homeowners.
  6. Most Important Thing Speakers: Invite adults of all ages to speak at Sunday school and youth group. Ask them to share the most important thing they’ve learned in their life thus far and a Bible verse or passage that speaks to that. This opens relationships between adults, children, and youth and makes for incredibly memorable lessons.
  7. Pen Pals: Pair congregation members with youth and young adults who are abroad, away at college or serving in the military. Invite them to write letters and send care packages, particularly around holidays and exam weeks. This makes a huge difference to those who are away, helping them feel important and loved.
  8. Confirmation Mentors: Invite congregation members to serve as mentors for youth involved in confirmation. Mentors can be present in class and available for questions and discussion anytime. Additionally, mentors can stand up with their students at confirmation and be a support to families in the years ahead. A child’s church “grandparent” would be a great confirmation mentor if they have one.

intergeneration ministry

We hope these ideas have given you food for thought as you find ways of becoming ever more intergenerational. Mix and match any of these to help foster deep, lasting relationships and sustaining faith in our church. Be sure to complete background checks for ALL adults working with children. In the comments section below, share with us what’s already working in your congregation!

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