Brian Plumb Lead Youth Minister

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Lets define kids Your kids Your neighbors kids Your carpool kids Your kids friends Kids you coach

Why do kids matter? You cant see the results right away You are planting a seed that will matter when they are moms and dads. The bags that are being packed right now will allow them to have a good journey What we do for kids will keep us from dying. What you do for kids will make you a better Christian If you aren’t investing in a student somewhere think about how you can. When we invest in a kid will change how kids see the church. The church will grow.

Waiting for Superman!! The reason there are kids in Harlem who don’t believe in God is because they haven’t been around adults who are like God. They have never been around adults who can show them how to start over. Geoffrey Canada

Average age of people in most churches are 60-65 years of age Average age of people in most churches are 60-65 years of age. In the next decade they will lose half of their attendance simply because we aren’t reaching the young.

Who showed up for you??

Let them see your faith in action

God did not call you to be cool he called you to care.

Leverage what time you have 1. Time: Meal Time. Communication: Formal Discussion. Role: Teacher. Goal: Establish Values Time: Drive Time. Communication: Informal Dialogue. Role: Friend. Goal: Interpret Life. Time: Bed Time. Communication: Intimate Conversation. Role: Counselor. (thirsty theologians) Goal: Build Intimacy. Time: Morning Time. Communication: Encouraging Words. Role: Coach. Goal: Install Purpose.

Tell them your faith story

Give them some grace

Teach them Gods dream and not the American dream

Stop comparing your family to that family.

Don’t confuse proximity with presence

Affirm their Identity in Christ

What does God see when he looks at your family?