What will keep our children tethered to Christ?

This is the question that should drive us, inspire us, and keep us up at night.

But if I’m honest, I’ve spent much of my time in ministry trying to answer different questions:

1. How can I get more people to attend?
2. How can I get more budget dollars or more staff on my team?
3. How can I upgrade my environment to make it look cooler?
4. How can I impress my peers in ministry?
5. How can I position myself for a promotion—or a bigger church to lead?

These are the standards of success the world sets for us.

But by what biblical measures are we excelling?

God’s Word should lead us to a different set of questions:

1. Do our kids love Jesus with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength (Mk. 12:30)?
2. Has the Word of God been impressed on their minds (Deut. 6:7) and written on their hearts (Prov. 3:3)?
3. Do shouts of praise spring from their lips (Matt. 21:15-16)?
4. Do our children feel welcomed and nurtured (Matt. 19:14-15)?
5. Are we making disciples (Matt 28:19-20) whose lives are full of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)?

By now, many of us are familiar with Barna’s research on young adults leaving the church. If yours is a typical church, a startling two-thirds of the kids in your children’s ministry will leave the church in young adulthood. Oh Lord, may this not be true of us!

So what will keep our children tethered to Christ?

It will not be the immersive environments, the hyped-up events, or the perfect VBS. It will not be the right furniture, the right curriculum, or the right parent resource app. Our kids must become worshipers. And this task can’t wait for tomorrow.

Studies from the Barna Group indicate that “a person’s moral foundations are generally in place by the time they reach age nine. … [and] in most cases, people’s spiritual beliefs are irrevocably formed when they are pre-teens.” This should wake us up to the urgency of our mission.

If God wants to form worshipers, then childhood is not the prelude to the real thing; it is the main attraction. The way our kids learn to worship may be the most important spiritual formation of their lives. Our children aren’t warming up to enter the game. They are in the big leagues!

This is the foundational belief that supports everything we do at Doorpost Kids Worship. We’re on a mission to awaken a generation of worshipers.

And we know you’re on that mission, too. It’s our joy to give you great resources, practical training, and encouragement for the journey.

If you’re tired of chasing worldly success and ready to start asking a different set of questions, we can help you find the answers!

Adapted from the book Kids Worship: Awakening the Church of Today by David Ray. If you’re ready to go deeper, check out the companion Leading Kids in Worship Masterclass.

About the Author

David Ray

David Ray is a pastor, worship leader, artist, and songwriter from Houston, Texas. He and his wife, Jess, are the creators of Doorpost Songs, a series of songs and resources designed to awaken a new generation of worshipers. Dave and Jess are the parents of three kids, and they love getting to serve churches and families across the nation.