What does it mean to "called"? Well, the simple answer is that being "called" means that God has specially chosen an individual to do a certain task. It means to be set apart. Numerous volumes of books have been written on "The Call", but what does the call of God look like when you narrow it down to a specific ministry? What about Kidz Ministry? What exactly is a Kidz Pastor called to do?
The answer to that questions varies depending on who you ask. I would like to take a few moments to share with you what my calling means to me personally. As it relates to the ministry, God has called me to do/be three things...
1. To be a crucified servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, kidz and their parents.
First and foremost I am called by God to put to death anything that seeks to exalt itself above the Glory of Jesus Christ. That means my dreams, my goals, my desires and ambitions. The Ego itself must be crucified to the point that all that remains is a humbled servant of Christ.
Leadership in the Kingdom of God does not model after the pattern of the world. In the world, leadership is about position, power, and success. It's about climbing up the ladder, doing just a little bit better, and always moving foreword with the understanding that the higher you go, the better life gets.
Leadership in the Kingdom of God is not about power but service. To be a leader in God's Kingdom means to take on the humbled position of a slave. It can be compared to a drink offering being poured out as an act of sacrifice. The higher you go "up the ladder" in leadership, the more of a servant you must become.
2. To be an agent of transformation in the lives of children
My calling as a Kidz Pastor is not simply to facilitate kidz services or to oversee a children's program. The fruit of my labor should be life change. This is not to say that I am the one who changes children's lives. The Holy Spirit through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the transformer, but it pleases Him to use ministers as His agents of life transformation.
3. To build up, equip, train, and empower children whose lives have been transformed by the Gospel to go out into their world and do like wise.
This third part to my calling can be summed up in one word; Discipleship. While it is fulfilling to watch kidz come to the alter week after week and watch their lives changed by encountering God, that must not be seen as the over all goal. Life change and transformation are essential and important to the ministry but we must move beyond that initial moment of transformation.
Those who have been transformed by the Gospel must then be discipled and helped to integrate this new found life change into the rest of their everyday lives. We must show them how the power of God applies to life outside of the four walls of the church or the safety of the small group.
Once this has been accomplished, then they must be empowered to go out into the "Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria" that God has called them to and do the same thing. Twelve individuals had an encounter with Christ. It was a life changing moment of transformation for them. They spent three years with Him learning from Him, being trained and discipled by Him. After He had risen from the dead He told them to go out and do the same thing. Lead people to God, and disciple them. Then tell them to go out and repeat. 2,000 years later, here we are.
There is an unwritten fourth element to my calling. It isn't so much part of my calling but more a method of applying my calling. That is "by any means necessary". The Body of Christ is known abroad at times for being traditional. There is a certain way ministry is done, and its done that way because we have been doing that way for a long time. Thats just the way it is. Its tradition.
God is challenging me with that line of thinking as of late. God is challenging me to throw off everything I know about church and how it works, to throw of all traditions that have been engrained in me since birth and simply accomplish the mission set before with whatever method that works. If that method looks like nothing else ever seen in a church before, then so be it. Its not about the methods, its about the mission, and the mission is people. The mission is kids.
This aspect is challenging for me because I have at times been described as traditional and even "old school". But if I have to throw away generations of tradition and "church culture" in order to do and be all that God has called me, then I must let it go. I must die so that I can transform, and transform so that I can empower.
Joseph Reeder
Monday, September 17, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Why is it so important for Kidz to have an "Encounter"?
This is our vision for Kidzville.
"Our vision is for Kidzville to be a ministry in which kids regularly encounter the presence and power of God and experience the moving of His Spirit".
When people hear this they sometimes ask the question, "why is that so important?" People want to know why we focus on helping kids encounter God and experience His Spirit rather than on teaching, programs, and activities.
We have entrusted into our care an entire generation that is going through an identity crisis.
Here are the conditions that have created this crisis. Often cited is the high divorce rate in the United States. While there is disagreement on how accurate the numbers actually are, the general consensus among experts is that if current trends continue, the divorce rate will soon exceed 50%.
This high divorce rate has created an environment in which many children in our nation are now growing up in either single parent homes, or are coping with the lifestyle of being shuffled around between parents. Whats even more erratic for children is adapting to the new relationship they may have with a step parent. An fortunate effect this has on children is that now many children are growing up without a father or positive male role model in their lives.
On top of all this, children in this generation are involved in so many sports and activities all at the same time. They are forced to balance these extracirriculars with school and family. The result is that children walk through life with a performance driven mentality.
This is not to say that being involved in sports or extracurricular activities has a negative impact on children, but that when focus is performance driven children may grow up with the mindset that unless they are being the best athlete, musician, performer, student, etc, they are not truly accepted and loved by their caregivers.
When you combine all these factors with the natural physiological and psychological development of a child, the result is confusion, insecurity, low self esteem, and an identity crisis. Children walk through life not knowing who they are or who they are supposed to be.
Colossians 3:3-4NLT says, "For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory."
This verse tells us that our identity is in Christ. It is in Him that we discover who we truly are and who we are called to be. When children are going through an identity crises, an encounter with God can reveal to them who they truly are. Once they discover their Kingdom Identity and begin to embrace and walk in it, it will give them the solid foundation that they can build the rest of their life on.
In addition to helping discover, embrace and walk in the identity that God has called them too, an encounter with God provides the consistancy and stability that children need in their lives. People and environments are always changing in a child's life often with a negative impact.Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He never changes, His love is unconditional, and He has promised to never leave them nor forsake them.
At Kidzville we believe that an encounter with God is of the upmost importance. Not so that children can have an "experience" and not so that we can say that ours is a "Spirit Filled" ministry, but so that children can discover who God has called them to be in the midst of self confusion, and walk in that identity to change the world for Him.
"Our vision is for Kidzville to be a ministry in which kids regularly encounter the presence and power of God and experience the moving of His Spirit".
When people hear this they sometimes ask the question, "why is that so important?" People want to know why we focus on helping kids encounter God and experience His Spirit rather than on teaching, programs, and activities.
We have entrusted into our care an entire generation that is going through an identity crisis.
Here are the conditions that have created this crisis. Often cited is the high divorce rate in the United States. While there is disagreement on how accurate the numbers actually are, the general consensus among experts is that if current trends continue, the divorce rate will soon exceed 50%.
This high divorce rate has created an environment in which many children in our nation are now growing up in either single parent homes, or are coping with the lifestyle of being shuffled around between parents. Whats even more erratic for children is adapting to the new relationship they may have with a step parent. An fortunate effect this has on children is that now many children are growing up without a father or positive male role model in their lives.
On top of all this, children in this generation are involved in so many sports and activities all at the same time. They are forced to balance these extracirriculars with school and family. The result is that children walk through life with a performance driven mentality.
This is not to say that being involved in sports or extracurricular activities has a negative impact on children, but that when focus is performance driven children may grow up with the mindset that unless they are being the best athlete, musician, performer, student, etc, they are not truly accepted and loved by their caregivers.
When you combine all these factors with the natural physiological and psychological development of a child, the result is confusion, insecurity, low self esteem, and an identity crisis. Children walk through life not knowing who they are or who they are supposed to be.
Colossians 3:3-4NLT says, "For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory."
This verse tells us that our identity is in Christ. It is in Him that we discover who we truly are and who we are called to be. When children are going through an identity crises, an encounter with God can reveal to them who they truly are. Once they discover their Kingdom Identity and begin to embrace and walk in it, it will give them the solid foundation that they can build the rest of their life on.
In addition to helping discover, embrace and walk in the identity that God has called them too, an encounter with God provides the consistancy and stability that children need in their lives. People and environments are always changing in a child's life often with a negative impact.Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He never changes, His love is unconditional, and He has promised to never leave them nor forsake them.
At Kidzville we believe that an encounter with God is of the upmost importance. Not so that children can have an "experience" and not so that we can say that ours is a "Spirit Filled" ministry, but so that children can discover who God has called them to be in the midst of self confusion, and walk in that identity to change the world for Him.
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