Skip to content ↓

Kids Ministry is Better Than Babysitting

This week the blog is sponsored by The Gospel Project.

“Jesus, however, invited them: ‘Let the little children come to me, and don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it’” (Luke 18:16-17, CSB).

As men, women, and children approached Jesus, the disciples told the children to wait, letting the adults through. “There are more important issues, more mature followers who need His attention,” they probably thought. But, Jesus stops them and says, “You have it all wrong. Be more like these.”

How often are we like the disciples, subconsciously focused on babysitting the kids so that their parents and other older members of the church can meet with Jesus? How often do we spend our group time teaching them to do what’s right, but never really introducing them to Jesus Himself? What can we do now to begin receiving the kingdom of God like a child, from the youngest to the oldest?

Understanding that the Bible is one big story of redemption through Jesus Christ changed the way that Lindsey viewed both her own faith and her role as a kids ministry leader. When her personal faith became less about knowing the answers and more about knowing Christ, she was able to begin pointing the kids toward Him, too, and toward the beginning of a lifelong childlike faith. Kids ministry was no longer about babysitting the kids, but about heart transformation for both child and leader.

Christ-centered kids ministry doesn’t just radically shift the way your kids view Jesus, but as you and your leaders point toward Him each week, you’ll begin to know the Savior more for yourself, just like Lindsey did. The Bible isn’t just stories to you anymore. It’s a tangible, life-altering reality centered on a living Redeemer. You’re no longer a teacher, only there for the kids. You’re regaining a childlike faith for yourself.

This can happen in your life, the life of your child, and the life of your ministry, too. The Gospel Project’s mission is to be a beacon that points people to Jesus, equipping you and your groups of all ages to live transformed because of the gospel. As the study moves chronologically through Scripture, adults and children alike will begin to see how the Bible, from beginning to end, is one big story anchored in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

We can do much more than just learn about Jesus; we can know Him. Once your kids get it, once you get it, it changes everything.

You can download a free, one-month preview of The Gospel Project for Kids (and the rest of your church) at gospelproject.com/preview.


  • Carney Trump

    How Donald Trump Upended Canadian Politics and Helped the Liberals Win

    On April 28, Canadians elected the Liberal Party of Canada to a fourth consecutive term. This is a rare feat for a political party in Canada and in this case, one of special significance, for just months ago, the Liberals seemed destined for near-complete destruction. The cost of living was spiking, the quality of life…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (April 30)

    A La Carte: Young men wanted / The glory and danger of apologetics / God’s guidelines for sex aren’t arbitrary / How much is our church worth? / People loved the darkness / and more.

  • Erics Greatest Race

    Releasing Today: Eric’s Greatest Race

    My new book releases today! Eric’s Greatest Race is a fully illustrated graphic novel that tells young readers the story of Eric Liddell, the famous Olympian whose steadfast courage and commitment to Christ has inspired generations of believers. It is my sincere hope that it will introduce a whole new generation to a man whose…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (April 29)

    A La Carte: Has the decline of U.S. Christianity finally stopped? / Holding space for joy and sorrow / No one ever hated his own body / Wisdom principles for Christian parenting / The article you don’t want to read / A new book / Kindle deals / and more.

  • The Pursuit of Virtue

    God’s character is the essence of virtue. The heart of virtue is to know the Lord and to become like him, as a child resembles her father. That is the goal, privilege, and destiny of the redeemed. #Sponsored

  • When God Plants an Acorn

    When God Plants an Acorn, He Means an Oak

    We stood together on the crest of a hill, a gentle breeze rustling the meadow around our feet. The fields ran gently downward until they met a creek that gurgled happily in its course. A few years prior, an acorn had somehow made its way to the highest point of this hill, carelessly dropped there…