Children are the Lifeblood of the Church

When it comes to church finances, the amount of money in funds from various church activities or accounts depends on the generosity of adult members, although youth’s contribution should not be discounted.  The youth play a more important role, since they are the lifeblood of the church.  The Bible has many references to our relationship to Him as children, including Matthew 5:9, and the concept of rebirth or “born again” in the Holy Spirit has child-like metaphors.
But let’s face it, a vibrant church has a thriving youth ministry from toddlers on up because when the youth come, especially in the  teenage years, parents like to do things to support  their children, even if it means attending church services and events. If it were not for the youth of this church I serve, I would not only be losing the challenges of my job, I probably would not be employed at my present position.
So the question is, how do I get young people of various ages interested in the Lord and learning more about His message?
I reflected on my youth, and there was a weekly youth meeting at a church with a group that has the words “Christian” and “Youth” in the name.  To some youngsters, this labeling was too obvious, and it was a prescribed form of Bible study that didn’t go beyond the weekly meetings. 
For the last five years, I have achieved great success with a program I developed called “Candleworx Ministry,” and it’s something any church can use.  The candle is used with the quote from a Greek philosopher, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”
We have the Bible reading meetings; but moreover, we have varied activities with many fund raisers which create a bond between the youth and it works.  We use study materials from several Christian publishing houses along with information from health and safety resources. I started with 12 people ages 8 to 16, and they wore their logo on t-shirts at summer camp. The children served as good examples, and the second year, the number of members doubled. The trend continued. After five years, the number of youth involved is now around 200 children.  They gain leadership skills with this positive approach, and the Candleworx Ministry’s goal is to increase the level of self-respect to deal with daily pressures they face.  The lessons are based on the Bible, and the overall attendance on Sunday has increased just as dramatically because of the involvement of the youth.
The organization is officially sponsored by the church as a semi-independent club that reaches out to all the youth in the area and networks with similar organizations in the city. It is a combined effort as a response to stem the tide of gangs, violence, teenage pregnancy, drug use, suicide, crime and other youth issues.
In addition to the logo, the club has a set of complete set of by-laws approved by the sponsoring church. The by-laws call for defined obligations of the secretary, treasurer, vice president, president and chairmen of various committees, including a standing activities committee. Changes in the by-laws can be made through a committee process which allows for a customized organization depending on the community served.  It is practically self-governing and the members elect officers and committee chairmen.
As the club sponsor, I am responsible for what happens, though, and act as the liaison between the club and the church. This is my answer to the question I posed earlier, but it really doesn’t matter very much what the name of the youth club may be.  The main goal of any effort is to engage the children from an early age to learn and eventually accept God’s Word as the truth and filled with the spirit of the Lord, for the children are the lifeblood of the church.  After a while they grow up and replace older members who typically become less active for a number of reasons.

Peace be you with always,

Rev. Paul Abernathy 

Contact Paul Abernathy at paulabernathy@gmail.com.

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