Is This Kids Church Coloring Page More Tragic or Funny?

This is an actual children's coloring page my wife found online (she leads children's ministry for our church). It's title: Resisting Temptation.

I'm not sure if it's more tragic or funny. This drawing warns our children of the evil path in life, which includes swimming pools and swing sets. And it encourages them to  live as a true Christian: avoiding fun and attending services at your local church.

Note 1: This children's ministry website has provided many other wonderful coloring pages for us. How this one slipped in, I don't know, but the rest of the site is great.

Note 2: There's no special significance in the "Baptist" title of that church. I've seen this mentality (if not this coloring page) in many, many denominations.

Note 3: Though you probably just laughed at the absurdity of this picture, you may have reinforced this same message with your kids. If you've ever required that your family attend church, no matter how tired you are or busy you've been, because that's what good Christians do--and if in that same week you did nothing else with your faith (talk about the Bible, pray for each other, serve someone less fortunate, worship God together, etc)--then you gave the message that the heart of the Christian life is attending services. You inadvertently passed on the message that despite all our rhetoric on Sunday about making a difference in the world, the fundamental Christian duty is attending services (and if you're very committed, tithing 10% to that church, of course). The other items are icing on the cake.

I'm not against attending services. The Bible does challenge us to "not forsake gathering together" (Hebrews 10:24-25). And I'm not saying that skipping church during a busy week helps your kids. I'm concerned about how our focus on church services has dominated our concept Christian living. We've become comfortable with a Christian life that includes only service attendance.

Hold on, Scott. Better a little something than nothing at all, right? At least we're going to church regularly. Actually, Jesus said to the church in Revelation 3:15-16:

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

God would rather you be cold than be comfortable with a passive Christian routine. He might prefer you stop attending altogether and face the fact that your relationship with Him isn't a real priority in your life. He might be disturbed to see you keep coming to church week after week, doing nothing else, and patting yourself on the back.

We find this coloring page funny precisely because it hits close to home. (There's a nugget of truth in every joke that works--that's what makes them funny.)

Is your church inoculating you from real engagement by implying that Sunday services are the primary responsibility you have as a Christian? (Think about what they do as much as what they say from the pulpit.)

If you'd like to learn more about what a totally different approach to Christian living can look like (and it's not about being more busy at more church services or giving more money to missionaries) check out my book at Amazon or email me for a free e-book copy at scott@memberdrivenchurch.com.

Member-Driven Approach to Kids Ministry

Some have asked what crazy ministry we do with kids in a member-driven church? How have we broken free of the centuries old assumptions about children's ministry that keep typical churches stuck?

Actually, for kids 12 and under, our children's ministry is basically identical--even using the same curriculum--as typical churches.  Seriously.

We're not trying to change things just to be different. Different doesn't equal better. So, despite how passionate I am about the need to change some aspects of church, I'm only going to change an element if a clearly better approach comes along.

And let's face it, children's ministry in most churches is awesome. I don't know exactly how or when it changed (there aren't a lot of church history books dedicated to children's ministry), but the kids portion of church somehow got a free pass from medieval restrictions.

They don't teach lecture style, but are creative in how they engage the kids with interactive teaching. They have lots of dialogue, where the kids get to share what they think and apply the lesson to their life. They get to play together and build friendships. They even get to eat together every week. To this day, every time I eat a flower-shaped shortbread cookie--you know, the one with the hole in the middle you can put your finger through--I feel like I'm back in Sunday School. Especially if I can get some apple juice or fruit punch with it.

In fact, if adult services were more like kids service, we wouldn't need to talk about member-driven churches--we'd already be doing it.

I don't know why kids have enjoyed a freedom adults denied themselves. All I know is there's no biblical or strategic reason to change the typical model for kids under the age of 12. If anything, our church is working hard to keep up with typical children's ministry.

Yes, our kids do eat the meal we all eat at the beginning of our gatherings, so they are a part of the first hour with the whole church together. But once we go into either bible study or open ministry, we have a typical children's church program.

Now, our teenagers are handled differently…but that's another post.