BUT MORE THAN THE GUYS FROM THE LIVING ROOM

Workbook by Caio Vinícius Correa Mater

Are we just skating?

Introduction

In everything we do, there is a purpose. If there is no purpose, something is wrong. We are creatures created with purpose.
with intention. Therefore, we must live the same way: with purpose and intention.

About the human being, the Doctrinal Declaration of the Brazilian Baptist Convention—and this is a doctrine that
we infer from the Bible – it tells us that this was 'created for the glorification of God'1This is our goal, our
Purpose: to glorify God in everything we do.

And if you are reading this, it is because you wish to glorify God through a ministry with children. This is
our goal here is to learn to glorify God through children's ministry or with juniors.

Before we begin, a certain abstraction is necessary. We need to analyze what has been done and,
mainly, how it is being done:

Are we hitting the target?

Is the church, in general, glorifying God through the children's ministry?

Or are we just spinning our wheels, like a car stuck in the mud, wasting time and energy without getting anywhere?
place?

These are relevant questions that must be asked above all else. Here, Francis Chan tells us that:

Our greatest fear should not be of failing, but of succeeding in things that really don't matter.

Similarly, Jesus, in Matthew 8:36 (NAA) says:

What does it profit a person to gain the whole world and lose their soul?

Sometimes, we strive, we wear ourselves out, we move heaven and earth, but for some reason, we don't make it any further.
close to the objective, the main one. We can succeed in what does not matter, without getting close to our
purpose. And this is the question we will ask today: are we just skating?

1The provided text is a URL and does not contain translatable content.
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 The Mission of the Ministry with Children

Having made this introduction, let's rewind a little. What is the mission of the ministry with children? Surely, it should
to be an extension of each individual's purpose, which is to glorify God. And this mission, applied to
ministry, it is simple and ancient. The author of the book we are studying says (Dan Lovaglia, p. 16):

There is only one integral mission of the church transmitted throughout history. It is expressed in various ways in a
a wide variety of methods. It encompasses many dimensions of spiritual life in the relationship with God by
the middle of faith in Christ. Even so, the essence of the calling and the vision is the same. This mission is truth for
people of all ages, from babies to adults. It applies to anyone who humbly presents themselves before
God the Father for the forgiveness of sins and for eternal life.

This mission is what Jesus said and commanded before ascending to heaven (Matthew 28:18-20 NAA):

Jesus, approaching, spoke to them, saying:—All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
to keep all the things I have ordered you. And behold, I am with you all days until the end of time.

The mission is to go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
to keep all that Jesus commanded. We call this discipleship.

And what would discipleship be? Several definitions can be given:

Discipleship is the lifelong transformation of someone who decides to trust in Christ for salvation and become like Him.
to him in every sense. This happens individually in the context of the community through the cultivation of attitudes,
"convictions, practices and relationships that honor God" (Dan Lovaglia, p. 17).

2) "Christian discipleship is a teacher-student relationship based on the model of Christ and his disciples, in which the
the master reproduces so well in the student the fullness of life he has in Christ that the student is capable of training others to
"teach others" (The Formation of a Disciple, Keith Phillips, p. 20)

[...] Help other people to follow Jesus. [...] Another possible definition would be: to disciple is to exert a good influence.
spiritual about someone, deliberately, so that this person becomes more like Christ" (Discipleship:
how to help others follow Jesus, Mark Dever, p. 15)

I really like Mark Dever's definition. It reveals something important that we need to acknowledge: that everyone
we exert influence. In his book, he also says:

We will all inevitably be influenced by other people and thus we will influence other people. 'The bad
companies corrupt good morals,' says Paul (1 Corinthians 15:33), and 'a little leaven leavens the whole lump.'
The people around you will influence you, for good or for bad. And you, in turn, will affect the people around you.
turn, for better or for worse. [...] The only question that remains is: how will you use your influence?
(Discipleship: how to help others follow Jesus, Mark Dever, p. 29, I highlighted)

Continuing, from these definitions we can extract some ideas. Discipleship:

1) It is not something new, but rather something established by the ministry of Christ;

It is a master-student relationship;

3) It happens in the context of the community, through relationships that honor God; and

It assumes continuity, so that the disciple later becomes a discipler.

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 Are we making progress?

In many church and children's ministry environments, the wheels turn, but without movement or forward momentum.
The church leaders are divided on priorities, and we have lost certainty about what matters most.
Lovaglia, p. 19)

In light of the above, we must ask the following question: are we making progress? Furthermore, in light of the
characteristics of discipleship that we studied, we can question:

1) How new is what we are doing? Should it be this way?

Are we building intentional relationships between teachers and students?

Do the relationships built honor God?

Will there be continuity of the influence we exert?

When thinking about the children you serve and the child influencers around you, can you honestly
Are you saying you are happy with your ministry? Or is God challenging you to do something beyond the usual?
potentially good things that you are seeing today? What is preventing you from leading through the challenges that the ministry
What challenges is childhood and the church facing?

If what we are doing is not rooted in the idea of discipleship, in Christ's order, to influence.
children so that they influence others, then we will not advance. In fact, we will be stuck, investing
time, energy, and even money on things that lead to nothing.

Conclusion

As Nelson Mandela said:

History will judge us by the difference we make in the daily lives of children. (quoted by Dan Lovaglia, p. 22)

In this first meeting, we were able to rethink some aspects of the ministry with children and, mainly,
understand your mission. Our purpose is to go and make disciples. It is to disciple. It is to build lasting relationships
which will eventually result in new relationships and so on.

Now,

It's time to stop rambling and to stop waiting to see if the children are growing and becoming disciples.
productive. We need to have a new perspective on what we are doing and align the ministry with biblical approaches,
renewing, tested by time and taught by Jesus." (Dan Lovaglia, p. 27).

May God bless us.

II–Caring for the Discipleship Gap

Introduction

Well. So far, we have established the goal of the ministry with children: to glorify God through discipleship.
Now, we need to understand that we have a 'problem': we need to disciple and disciple well.

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And why is that? Because we have a problem of evasion. People have increasingly distanced themselves from the church and,
consequently, of faith.
And to deal with this, we will see four ministerial models, as well as some common problems to be addressed.
faced

Ministerial Models

In 2006, educator Michael Antony compared four modern approaches to working with children in his
Four Perspectives on Children’s Spiritual Formation
children, free translation] (Dan Lovaglia, p. 33)

These four approaches seem to summarize the types of existing ministries, see (Dan Lovaglia, p. 34):

1) Cinema and TV:

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” (Psalms 34:8 NAA)

Active media-oriented engagement models influence sensory experiences to move the

heart and hands towards participation in God's story.

2) Reflection and response:

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him: —Lord, teach us to pray.
as John also taught his disciples.

Contemplative-reflective models emphasize the formation of character, beyond simply transmitting

biblical information.

3) Theatrical play and discovery:

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Practical-participatory models offer opportunities for faith in action to be found in the Scriptures and
experienced.

4) Mind and memory:

Be sure to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of
truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NAA)

Analytical-instructional models believe that biblical knowledge is the foundation for development
beliefs and pious actions.

In light of the above, is there an ideal ministerial model? Not necessarily. As the author of our ...
book:

These four models and the methods that flow from them do not compete with one another. The children's ministry leaders
they usually choose models based on ministerial backgrounds, ministry philosophy, talents, personality
the scenario. Sometimes, these models exist only because they were inherited from a children's ministry leader.
previous. Although a balanced combination of the four models seems ideal, it is unlikely to find it in
practice." (Dan Lovaglia, p. 33)

The important thing is that the model is chosen consciously, taking into account the ministry's objective.
with children. The ministerial background, the philosophy of ministry, and the talents should also be taken into consideration,
the personality and the existing setting.

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 Potential Problems

What is common to all discipleship resources aimed at children and families is the sincere desire to hold
the tide of disturbing data. But the source of the problem is as uncertain as the proposed solutions." (Dan Lovaglia,
p. 35)

Of course, ministerial practice is surrounded by problems. Some of them, which we will address now, are the changes.
cultural, fearful parents, superficial content, and the careless leadership of the church.

Cultural changes:

Are children distancing themselves from the church and/or the foundation of faith due to changes in the broader culture? What is the
role of technology and media? Is there a correlation between the level of dysfunction in the home and the intensity of commitment
What impact does life in rural, suburban, or urban environments have on the faith of children and...
families?” (Dan Lovaglia, p. 35)

2) Fearful countries:
What happened to the good old days when every family had a Bible at home and actually read it (or so)
We thought)? How can children commit to walking with Christ if they practice sports every night of the
week? Why are parents so lazy when it comes to helping at church?” (Dan Lovaglia, p. 36)

Superficial content:
Why is so much out there very complicated to follow? Or too simplistic? Why do we do so much work of
preparation every week, especially when we have only half a dozen children showing up, and they are bored
with the content?” (Dan Lovaglia, p. 36)

4) Negligent church leadership:

Why does the church leadership treat children's ministry like a Sunday daycare? What possibility is there for us to have
a solid ministry of discipleship without a budget? [...] Why do my teachers prepare the lessons in the
parking on the way to church every week?” (Dan Lovaglia, p. 37)

These are all difficult questions, but we need to think and meditate on whether we want to have a ministry that effectively
Honor Christ.

Conclusion

At this meeting, we were able to realize that there is a problem of evasion, children and adults distancing themselves from the church.
We also saw the four ministerial models that can help us face this problem, as well as others.
possible problems.
I hope that in this chapter you realize that the gap in discipleship – our failure to make permanent disciples
of Jesus - it is a complex problem. There are no simple solutions or easy answers. [...] Something is missing. [...] You
Will you be bold enough, humble enough to raise these questions? Will you embrace, support, and defend the
principles and practices that will lead to lifelong discipleship?” (Dan Lovaglia, p. 47)

May God give us courage.

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 III–Pain points in current children's ministry
Introduction

No pain, no gain, say the gym shirts. Without pain, no gain. And it's true, for there to be
muscle growth, a certain amount of pain is necessary. And this also applies to life. Growth, often,
it does not come dissociated from pain and suffering.

The ministerial life is no different, being compared, by the author of the book we studied, to a race:
Running to stay in shape and managing a ministry have more in common than you might think. The points
Problematic individuals are a natural part of discipleship and leadership. And the way we deal with the inevitable
pressures will affect the children, the parents, and the leaders we serve, for better or for worse." (Dan Lovaglia, p. 51)

In fact, this is a very common metaphor in the Bible, which compares the life of faith to a race. After mentioning the
many heroes of faith, Hebrews 12:1-2 (NAA) says:
Therefore, also we, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and
the sin that so firmly clings to us and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking
firmly for the Author and Consumer of faith, Jesus, who, in exchange for the joy set before him, endured the
cross, not caring about the shame, and now he is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

In a similar way, Paul says in Acts 20:24 (NIV):

Still, I do not care, nor do I consider my life of any value to myself, if only I can
to finish the race and complete the ministry that the Lord Jesus entrusted to me, to bear witness of the gospel of grace
of God.

Thus, we have that the life of discipleship is like a race that is proposed to us, and, being a race, it does not come
unaccompanied by pain:
Every athlete experiences physical and mental tension, and a healthy level of stress is actually good for us.
goes beyond our limits, so that we can grow and develop. However, when stress is
unexpected or excessively serious, potentially debilitating problems take root." (Dan Lovaglia, p.57)

Because of this, we need to be aware of the main pain points, in order to run with quality in
direction towards the target that is proposed to us. For this, today we will study some common pain points.

Tired Leaders

One of the main problems to be faced is fatigue. Running is tiring, and that is natural. However, it is necessary
pay attention to whether we are just getting tired in a healthy way, or if we are exhausting ourselves, giving everything that
we have and are, without being properly recharged.
The ministry with children needs leaders, of course. But it needs healthy leaders who can transmit their
health to those who disciple. To take care of others, it is necessary to take care of oneself. A fatigued, exhausted leader,
Demotivated, it is detrimental to the ministry.

It is your responsibility to take care of yourself in the long term. This will have an impact on the people around you.
Find someone who can help you objectively review your commitments and the ministry's approach in
your own benefit and for the benefit of those you lead." (Dan Lovaglia, p. 60)

Here, some questions are relevant:

Is your current pace sustainable?
2) How can child influencers sustain themselves and avoid burnout?
3) What is your level of fatigue and that of the disciple trainers around you?

Remember:
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 Fast is fun, frantic is expensive. If your schedule is completely full, it is difficult to walk well with God.
and with other people.” (Dan Lovaglia, p. 60)

Scarce Budget

Maybe it's not the case, but many ministries face financial problems. Obviously, the resources allocated
The ministry with children is not infinite, and it needs to be managed with wisdom and intelligence.
We might not have enough money, but that is by no means the most important thing.
Yes, there will be children who, waiting for something epic, become disheartened with the church because of silly crafts and
poorly presented Bible lessons. On the other hand, the presence of concerned adults and teenagers who
spending time, eye contact, attentive listening, and genuine love will lead to relational connections that can have a
eternal reward. Do not forget: children are attracted to Christ for Christ. This is more powerful than
anything you can buy." (Dan Lovaglia, p. 63, I emphasized)

Finally, two questions for reflection:

How much money does a successful ministry make?
What factors besides money ensure that children have great experiences with God?

Complex Programs

One of the best lessons I have learned through children's ministry over the years is that things work
better when you keep them simple. Excessively complex programs drain energy from the ministry. Each
layer of complexity brings additional potential to distract the attention of those serving away from people
to which they are called to reach, disciple, and serve. Over time, as ministerial structures become
increasingly complex, more and more of your 'ministerial energy' is redirected to keep the program in effect
execution, not for the life of children." (Dan Lovaglia, p.66)

Here, there is a point to note: are we just keeping a program running, just treading water, or
Are we making a difference?
A lot is required from the children's ministry. They expect us to have various presentations and special programs. Day
of Mothers, of Fathers, of Family, of the Friend... But none of this should be the core. The program is secondary, discipular
children, honoring and glorifying God, is the main thing.
Simplicity is the goal. The purpose of children's ministry is never the program itself – it is to glorify God and
to serve children and their families. Complex programs do not make ministry meaningful; they create chaos in
ministry." (Dan Lovaglia, p. 66-67)

To reflect:
1) What do children, parents, and leaders in your ministry consider 'good to have' and what do they consider 'necessary to have'?

2) Which aspects of your programming could be removed without diminishing the effectiveness of engagement or
discipleship?

Superficial Content

The founder of Young Life, Jim Rayburn, once said: 'It is a sin to bore a child with the gospel of
Jesus Christ.'" (Dan Lovaglia, p. 69)

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Unfortunately, this is what we often do. We insist on telling little stories, Adam and Eve, Noah's ark,
David and Goliath, without diving into the implications of these stories. We talk about Adam and Eve without speaking
about the doctrine of the Fall, about Noah without talking about God's judgment, about David without mentioning his descendant.

And so we go on, telling superficial little stories, with no good theology. And that is a mistake. According to Charles
Spurgeon (p. 9):
Children need to primarily learn the doctrine, the precept, and the life of the gospel; they need that the
divine truth be taught to them with clarity and conviction.

Do not neglect the children in your care. They are intelligent and capable of understanding a great deal of the word.
of God. As Spurgeon said well (p. 10):
"Why must the highest doctrines be denied to them, the doctrines of grace? [...] If there is any difficult doctrine
more for a child, it is more because of the concept that the teacher takes from her, than because of a lack of ability
small to welcome her, provided that the child is truly converted to God.

It is up to us to make the doctrine simple; this will be the main part of our work. Teaching the little ones to
whole truth and nothing but the truth; for education is the great desire of the nature of the child.

Thus:
Every sermon, every lesson should be a sermon that nourishes, and a lesson that nourishes. [...] There must be doctrine,
solid, healthy, evangelical doctrine to be true food." (Charles Spurgeon, p. 30-31)

To conclude this section, here are two questions for reflection:

What is the prevalence of biblical content in your curriculum for children?
What do you do to equip children to fight with faith, instead of feeding them fragments of history?
of God?

Conclusion

We learned that our ministry and our life of faith are like races. Therefore, there are obstacles, pains and
suffering to be faced. To deal with them well, we studied four pain points of the ministry with
children, namely, fatigued leaders, scarce budget, complex programs, and superficial content.
After that:
We can no longer continue executing the same programs that give us the same results while the
Children grow up bored and give up. With intentionality and persistence, we must rise above status.
to bring new life to the children's ministry. The goal is to take on and live out the mission that Jesus gave us. We want to
involving children in the word of God together with the people of God to make disciples of Jesus.” (Dan Lovaglia,
p. 76

May God empower us.

IV–The disturbing approach of Jesus to discipleship

Introduction

Jesus had a different way of doing things. He often left people perplexed. In Mark
9:33-37 (NAA), we read one of the situations in which Jesus caused perplexity:

They arrived at Capernaum. When he was at home, Jesus asked the disciples: - What were you discussing?
Discussing on the way? But they fell silent because, on the way, they had argued among themselves about who was the greatest.
And Jesus, sitting down, called the twelve and said to them: 'If anyone wants to be first, he shall be the last of all and servant of all.'
everyone. Bringing a child, he placed her in the midst of them, and taking her in his arms, he said to them: — Whoever receives a

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 child, just as this one, receives me; and whoever receives me, does not receive me, but the one
who sent me.

In this passage,
[...] the disciples are arguing among themselves, competing for a position in the Kingdom, and they ask Jesus to intervene and
breaks the tie in the game. Instead of choosing favorites, Jesus sits with the disciples in a teaching moment. He
Explain that prominence and privilege in the family of God do not work the way they are thinking. In
instead, do something unexpected. Jesus calls a child and explains that this child - a person without rights,
authority or power in that culture – is the first to enter the Kingdom of God. He is encouraging them not to value
what the world values, seeking humility instead of hierarchy.” (Dan Lovaglia, p. 82-83, no emphasis in the text)
translated

As leaders and caregivers of children, we are often tempted by the spotlight, hierarchy, to command. To the
Sometimes we want a position of authority and superiority over those we teach. However, this does not
It is correct.

Jesus calls us to a disturbing approach to discipleship that challenges worldly standards. A

an approach in which the last are the first and those who serve, like slaves, will later be glorified by
God.
In addition,
There is an additional point we learned from the example of Jesus. It is that caring for children, loving children, and ministering
Children are something very good. They are precious to God. Jesus' illustration reveals how position and importance are.
defined in the world. This reminds us that those who are sitting in the front seat, at the forefront and in command, receiving
All attention is not what matters." (Dan Lovaglia, p. 83)

What matters is to glorify God, discipling with humility, following the example of the master.
For this, today we will explore the requirements to become a disciple-maker.

Requirements for Discipleship

The first and most important requirement to become a discipler is to be, yourself, a disciple. A. W.
Tozer said: 'only a disciple can make a disciple' (quoted by Dan Lovaglia, p. 85).
It seems obvious, but many times it is not. Often we focus so much on discipling, teaching, and leading that we forget...
We stop being a disciple.
"Look at Peter. Or Matthew. Or the Samaritan woman at the well. Think of the Roman centurion. Mary. Or the..."
Apostle Paul. Go through the list of people in the New Testament who encountered Christ. Jesus broke something in life.
something that had to happen before they could minister to others. [...]

To become relational disciple-makers, we must first have a face-to-face encounter with God.
by faith in Christ.” (Dan Lovaglia, p.85, no emphasis in the original)

You need to have been impacted by Christ in order for Him to use you to impact other people. For that, you
must have been:

1) Shaken by the convincing call of Jesus: it is necessary that we have been called by Christ,
drawn by your great love, and invited to a different life.

[...] Jesus regularly invited people to turn their lives around in response to God. And, although not
all of us are called to move to another country or sell everything we have to live with the poor, we must
waiting for following Jesus to be costly. This will require us to change. Once an individual turns away from sin, they are
on a journey of regret. This means that his course in life has been interrupted and now he is following
a new direction guided by the Holy Spirit." (Dan Lovaglia, p.88).

2) Shaken by the challenging example of Jesus: secondly, we should feel challenged by the example
of Jesus. At the Last Supper, the Master said:

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 Now, if I, being Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. Because
I gave you the example, so that, as I did, you may also do." (John 13:14-15 NAA)

In this text,

The Master and leader who had been with them for three years, the one they loved and respected, humbled himself to
serve your followers. And He does this by taking on the humblest of tasks. [...] He humbled Himself before the
disciples and took on the role of the forgotten servant of the nighttime. By doing so, Jesus demonstrated that love
it is not a selfish achievement; it is a gift that serves and sacrifices. He expressed this love and then challenged his
"followers to do the same." (Dan Lovaglia, p. 89-90)

We need to follow the example of our Lord, the Suffering Servant.

3) Shaken by the consistent presence of Jesus: when Jesus ascended to heaven, He said: 'behold, I am
with you every day until the end of time" (Matthew 28:20, "b", NAA).

Jesus is always with us. However, we are not always with Jesus. In ordinary life, we can lose.
the chance to be connected with Jesus through the reading of the word and prayer. Therefore, it is necessary
that the discipler strives to be constantly shaken by the presence of Christ.

4) Shaken by the clear invitation of Jesus: 'Take up your cross and follow me,' 'come to me all who are weary'
Jesus' invitations are incredibly simple and clear.

In his 'follow me' approach to discipleship, Jesus was committed to creativity and simplicity by
well of eternity. This was true for his lifestyle, teachings, and relationships. Christ cut
the complexities of people's internal and external worlds, attracting them and redirecting their trajectory.
Lovaglia, p. 92

Don't complicate what should be simple. Live a simple life in the presence of Jesus.

Conclusion

In summary, to disciple we must have been shaken (i) by Jesus's convincing call, (ii) by the example
challenging Him, (iii) for His consistent presence and (iv) for His clear invitation. And all of this is important:
The call, the example, the presence, and the invitation of Jesus transform human hearts daily. Before
make the transition to a ministry model, do an introspective analysis. What does God have to say to you?
What area do you need to grow the most? What is holding you back? Open yourself up to being shaken in new ways as a leader.
from relational children's ministry, but first as a disciple.” (Dan Lovaglia, p. 94, without highlights in the original)

May God help us.

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