Barneyisfat

There's a little boy that takes part in the weekly kids' ministry at my church. His name is Matthew and he loves sugar. Matthew's mom and I are friends. I don't think Matthew will ever remember my name. I share the Bible lesson every week. Every week I think, "How can I make this stick for Matthew?"

I'm teaching a lesson to my Sunday School class about leaving a legacy of generations of faith. I have a few weeks to prepare still, but I can't help but think about it now. I want to leave a legacy of faith. I want Matthew to grow up to be a great Christian man.

Bishop Schnase wrote a practical application Bible study called "5 Habits of Highly Effective Congregations." The most interesting aspect of this book is his use of quality examples from churches across the size, location, and political spectrums. He used examples of children's education at rural mountain churches and at mid sized city congregations. I'm so often overwhelmed by examples of effective ministries put on by mega churches. I'm glad that mega churches were able to allocate two clergy persons and a $10,000 budget to a new ministry ... but that doesn't help small churches in need of good ideas.

I want to be a mechanism of change. I want to work behind the scenes encouraging United Methodist congregations to use techniques that stick. Our churches should do more than entertain kids. Our churches should do A LOT MORE than bore kids. Our churches should make kids into Christian adults.