They Are The Church Today

When we live in light of God’s mission, we see what God is already doing and how we get to join Him. That reality  struck a chord with me with what God’s doing at the Tri-Village congregation. Each week we have about twenty-five to thirty-five percent kids under ten years old. On some weeks, that’s over sixty kids that are here with us. That’s something God has gifted to us as a church as part of who we are as a church family. Our vision in shepherding and loving and caring for these littranstle ones isn’t to entertain them so our adults can meet. The reality is they are a part of the church. They aren’t just someone we need to steward because they are the church of the future. No, they are in the church today. Our vision and our passion is to pursue them where they are at, to teach them the gospel in ways they can understand and respond to.

Many of you are deeply passionate about reaching lost people with the gospel. I want to help you realize that every week we have over sixty lost people longing to hear the gospel at our church gathering. Two of them are my little precious girls that I ache to see respond to Jesus, that I ache to see brought to life by God’s grace. So I want to encourage you to really think about how we as a church are stepping in to shepherd and love these little ones. Those of you who have served in our kids ministry have been understaffed and overworked for years. I want to thank you for the cost that you’ve counted and the devotion you’ve had to loving these precious, precious little ones that God created in his image, for his glory. I want to challenge the rest of us as a church family to step in that with them. Really, the one-anothers of Scripture include children. Not because they need to be entertained, but because they are loved by God and made in his image. Jesus died to redeem them.

Over the last several weeks we’ve called for more of you to specifically serve in ministering to our kids. We’ve had over twelve new volunteers but we still need about eight more to be in a place where we can function as a kids ministry in a healthy way. I’m speaking specifically to those of you who consider Veritas your home, who are here, who are committed, and who have never considered volunteering in a kids ministry. You might not think that kids ministry is your thing, but no matter what, the church, if you are in Christ, is your thing. And they are a part of the church. So, for those of you who have not thought about that, I want to encourage you to, not out of guilt, but out of a deep love for these precious little ones.

If we have all the volunteers that we’re needing, you’re only going to serve once every five to six weeks; but as it stands now, if we don’t choose to own this as a church, we’re going to have to cut back our kids ministry. We’ll have to reduce the ages that we offer kid-specific ministry for, or we will have to cut the number of children that we’re able to take each week. I’m praying that doesn’t happen because I want Veritas to be a place where we equip, love and welcome in more families and more of the little ones that Jesus welcomed for as long as God has us here.

Brad Snyder
Lead Pastor, Tri-Village

[transcribed from a sermon at Veritas Tri-Village]