1. S TEWARDSHIP October 27, 2010

2. The earth is the Lord 's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. - Psalm 24:1 (NLT)

3. the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care

4. “We’re really not too smart. We put 85 percent of our efforts where we will get 15 percent of the results, and we put 15 percent of our efforts where we will get 85 percent of the results.” - Howard Hendricks

5. The Importance of Children’s Ministry Attracting younger children to a church to learn about the love of God will have 5 to 8 times the impact of attracting the same number of older children or adults White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group per George Barna

6. The Importance of Children’s Ministry  “Train up a child in the way he should go... " (Proverbs 22:6).  Roughly seven out of ten Americans adults - period of time during their childhood when they regularly attended church  Majority - still attend regularly today  Large majority of non church-goers - still absent today George Barna, Adults Who Attended Church As Children Show Lifelong Effects

7. The Importance of Children’s Ministry 90 percent of all pastors 95 percent of all missionaries saved by the age of 12

8. The Importance of Children’s Ministry Insanity  extreme folly or unreasonableness  something utterly foolish or unreasonable  doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result

9. The Importance of Children’s Ministry Since 1980 - no growth in the proportion of the adult church  Television10,000 hours  New Christian books5,000  Radio stations1,000 George Barna, Marketing the Church

10. The Importance of Children’s Ministry Confidence in leadership  2005 – 65%  2007 – 77%  2008 – 80% Harvard Kennedy School, Center for Public Leadership

11. The Importance of Children’s Ministry The moral development of children is complete by age 9 White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group per George Barna

12. The Importance of Children’s Ministry  Success literature  Past 50 years: Personality & Skill development  Over 50 years ago: Character & Inner development Steven Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

13. The Importance of Children’s Ministry How to raise a juvenile delinquent? “Never give him any spiritual training. Wait till he is 21, and let him decide for himself.” - The Houston Police Department

14. The Importance of Children’s Ministry Only 13% of senior pastors list “ministry to children” among their church’s top priorities. White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group per George Barna

15. “There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.” - Nelson Mandela