The Importance of Children in Churches

Jesus said in Luke 18:16, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” He said this because he saw that the disciples scolded the parents who were bringing their children to him.

Often times, children can be overlooked inside the churches simply because they are children. And many times, adults were given the priority – in prayer, in food, in blessings, etc. As a Sunday school teacher, I find this perspective and attitude in the Kingdom of God to be dangerous and distorted. When children of today’s generation would feel overlooked, unimportant, a second priority (even last), think about the damage it could do to the next generation. These children will grow up with bitter roots that will be passed on to the next generation. The damage goes on and on.

But when children feel the love of the people surrounding them, giving attention to their needs and giving them voice inside the church, and demonstrating to them the heart of God it will surely bring a better change to the next generation.

Jesus did not simply look at his disciples hindering the children from coming to him; in fact, he asked his disciples to call for the children and he corrected them. Jesus then said, “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” (Luke 18:17).

God sees something in a child that we all must imitate for us to enter His Kingdom. In short, Jesus is telling that most adults should learn from a child. This is the first thing that God has taught me when I started handling Children’s Ministry in our church. Although I was called to teach them about Christ, I was also learning from children. And I learned two things: children do not worry about anything at all and they also do not hold offenses. Children are worry-free, burden-free, and have an inborn trust that they will be taken care of and that they will always be okay. They don’t worry about what they will eat, if they have money in their wallets, if they don’t have this or that. Most of us adults would worry about such things despite knowing that we have a good good Father who would always take care of all our needs.

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Mat 6:25-26).

I believe that children must be given priorities in all churches. We, adults have all been part of a hand me down curses coming from the past generation. As a sign of our repentance, we should decide to put an end to all the bad cycles going on in our life by passing it down to the children, so that these children could come freely to God full of love, protection, care and Godly teaching which they can pass it on to the next generation when they are older.