(photo originally uploaded to Flickr by 27147)
For more info on what this group blogging project on the book Too Small To Ignore, read this.
Review of Chapter 15, “’Just’ Children: A Call to Arms”
by Penny Hunter
I often have the privilege of eavesdropping on the conversations of children’s and youth pastors. My son, Zach is a 17 year old author and speaker. When he speaks, I get a fly-on-the-wall view of ministry to children and youth. I have heard how people don’t feel appreciated by senior leadership – how they often feel like their ministry isn’t respected, but instead is a glorified babysitting service – an effort to keep noise and disruption out of “Big Church.” Or, in the case of middle and high school ministry, to keep kids out of trouble and offer an alternative to the challenging fare the world is offering.
It pains me to see people gifted and called to minister to kids feel like the only way to be involved in “legitimate” ministry is to “graduate” to the role of single’s ministry pastor, or to a preaching or discipleship position with adults.
In Chapter 15 of Too Small to Ignore, Wess Stafford tells the story of Tony Campolo’s visit to his childhood church. Upon arrival he discovered a church where “deterioration was on every side.” Curious, he asked if he could delve into the archives and study the life span of the church to try to determine what had happened. He started with the church records the year he gave his life to Christ.
“That had not been a particularly good year for the church, the author admitted. Giving was down from the previous year. Mission activity was subdued. Attendance had declined. There were only three conversions over the course of the year, and they were ‘just children.’
Dr. Campolo stared at the page in disbelief and irritation. ‘Wait a minute!’ he said out loud. ‘I was one of those three! And I know the other two. One spent his life in mission service in Africa, while the other became president of a seminary here in the United States. And I’ve given my life to Christian higher education. What do you mean, just three children came to Christ that year?’”
Hmmm. I wonder how many in leadership still view childhood conversions with such limited interest.
One of the things I love about Wess Stafford is that his theology of childhood evangelism isn’t just rhetoric. He lives it. I’ve watched him invite a young man into conversation about deep spiritual things – and listen closely to his thoughts. I’ve seen him lay hands on a teenage guy’s shoulders, look him in the eyes as tears pooled and shared that he felt God had incredible things in store for this young man. I’ve listened as he’s passionately prayed for this teen to take up the work Wess has begun and continue it. This young man is my son. Stafford continues to invest in the lives of young people – not only in the most remote corners of the world where others are too fearful to tread. But, also in his backyard, his office, at music festivals and anywhere else his work with Compassion International takes him.
What about us? In Chapter 15, Stafford issues a challenge to find children in your life who could benefit from your investment. He suggests looking for parents you can affirm for their care of their children. As Stafford puts it “In my experience, most of what we do to bless children enrages the hosts of hell. We are paddling our boat upstream against the swift current of a world that has lost most of its heart. But the rewards will last for eternity. Every child who enters the gates of heaven will trigger a cascade of cheers and joy.”
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