Ministering with Children and Families in Postmodern Culture

Pastoral Perspective—On Spiritual Formation for Children and Families: Mission and Ministry within Postmodern Generations

Listen my people,

mark each word. 

I begin with a story,

I speak of mysteries

welling up from ancient depths,

heard and known from our elders. 

We must not hide

this story from our children

but tell the mighty works

and all the wonders of God.[1] 

—Psalm 78:1-4 

In the introduction to her book, Postmodern Children’s Ministry, Dr. Ivy Beckwith asks questions such as the following: 

In what ways does the children’s ministry of the church need to change in order to meet the needs of the emerging culture of the 21^st century?  What does it mean for a community of faith to take seriously its responsibility to spiritually nurture… children and families?[2] 

Are we relying on programs and curriculum to introduce [our] children to God?  Or are we instead called to equip and empower families to introduce children to God?  Are we more concerned about attracting folks to go to church, or being the church that goes out to be with and come alongside them in mission and ministry with children and families? 

These are questions we must wrestle with if we are to be faithful as a missional people of God in the new millennial context of our culture.  Dr. Beckwith continues on with her evolving observations in research and analyses in conversations with others in her field of Christian Education and Children’s Ministry….   

The church’s ministry to children is broken.  …it’s broken when the church tells parents that its programs can spiritually nurture their children better than they can, [thereby allowing] them to abdicate their responsibility to spiritually form their children.  A church program can’t spiritually form a child, but a family living in [the context of] an intergenerational community of faith can.[3] 

As the Psalmist goes on to say…. 

Let future generations learn

and let them grow up

to teach their young

to trust in God.[4] 

—Psalm 78:6-7a 

May the Lord enable us to abound in good works of grace for such as the littlest of these in God’s family.                                                                                                     Pastor Rex

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[1] The Psalter (Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1995). 

[2] Ivy Beckwith, Postmodern Children’s Ministry, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), p. 12. 

[3] Ivy Beckwith, Postmodern Children’s Ministry, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), p. 13-14. 

[4] The Psalter (Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1995).