REACH 1: Reaching KIDS for Christ - Pastor Alan Brooks

I thought we'd start with the young ones as we kick off this new blog series about REACHing people for Christ. Stay tuned here each morning for a new interview for the next week or so!

First up: Pastor Alan Brooks from New Life Bible Ministries in Rio Rancho, NM. He served on staff at Calvary Albuquerque as the Kids Ministry pastor for years before I went on staff there. I had the privilege of serving with him for a couple years on staff before he eventually left to plant a church in Rio Rancho, which is where he pastors now.

Check out his church website HERE.


1. As someone striving to reach kids (anywhere from nursery-age to 5th grade), what are some creative ways to reach them on their level?
Bottom line for ANY age level is our passion and excitement for what is being taught.  If I'm not excited why would I think they would ever be?  I believe kids especially need "hands on" personal involvement.  One thing we had done successfully in the past especially for the younger ages is having a separate "story area(room)", a "crafts area(room)" and "activity area(room)" each emphasizing the SAME bible lesson from a different vantage point usually taught or led by a different part of that age group teaching team.  Together with this I think its important to separate age groups for greater effectiveness and community.

2. When starting a kids' ministry, what are some important things to keep in mind?The Three "S"s:
Screening: spend the $$ and have a NATIONAL background check done on EVERY kids/youth volunteer/staff person
Safety: Develop a check-in/out system to properly identify who is authorized to check a child out of the class and be diligent about enforcing it.
Supervision: Always have TWO ADULTS in every teaching situation. Protects both the kids and the volunteers

Keep in mind that there are a lot of things called "curriculum" out there, some better than others, but always remember the Bible is our curriculum everything else is simply a tool to get the word out and better heard.

3. How important are volunteers when it comes to ministering to kids?NO volunteers=NO kids ministry.  Biggest mistake churches make is treating kids ministry as nothing more than childcare. Proper ratios in the classroom (not having TOO many kids and TOO few volunteers) greatly affects retention. Make sure and show/tell the volunteers they are IMPORTANT and APPRECIATED.

4. What are 1 or 2 lessons that you learned the hard way that stand out to you about ministering to kids?Kids are the easy part...its the ADULTS they give you most of the grief.
NEVER forget what its like to be a kid...and NEVER stop being one personally!

5. Kids Ministry is normally a once or twice a week thing, so do you have any tips with helping parents follow-up at home?
This is something I think most Kids ministries usually don't do well... unifying the ministry between church and home.  Most parents struggle with what to do at home with their kids, I think a church children's ministry needs to find ways to "send home" activities and lessons for the parents to reinforce what the kids are learning at church.  Our church is currently researching the resources available thru Reggie Joiner's organization "Think Orange" which has been developed to do this very thing.

How We Do Things (Part 3): KIDS MINISTRY

Part 3 of how we do things at Awaken.

Part 1 was on Bible teaching. Check it here.
Part 2 was on Giving. You can read it here.


Kids Ministry.

Kids are a big part of what we do at Awaken. We have plenty of them and we have plenty of room for them. In fact, half of our building is dedicated to just the kids - 1,200 square feet for the adults and 1,200 square feet for the kids!

One thing you'll notice about us is that we don't use the word "babysitting." It's not a bad word or anything, but that just doesn't accurately describe what we do. We call it "Awaken Kids Ministry" because that's exactly what it is - a ministry for kids. We believe that kids can experience God on their own level, so we go out of our way to help them do that. We have 3 age groups available: 8 weeks to 24 months, 2 years to 5 years, and 6 years to 10 years. Each group has something targeted toward them. Our kids curriculum is called "Generations of Grace" and it comes from John MacArthur's church, Grace Community Church, in Sun Valley, CA. If you know anything about John MacArthur, you know he is a solid Biblical teacher and his kids' curriculum reflects that! It's designed around the truth of God's Word and takes kids systematically through the Scripture at their own level. Each week there are hands-on crafts for them to do that relate to that week's lesson as well as some nutrition in the form of sugar (Kool-Aid, and some snacks)! You gotta have some sugar!

Besides the fact that kids learn about God on their own level, we also see the benefit of providing a way for the parents to drop off their kids and be able to fully focus on the teaching of God's Word in the main service. It's always a bit challenging to stay focused with a little one next to you!

Jennifer Witiuk is our Kids Ministy coordinator. She's a nurse at Gateway Hospital and she loves kids. You can read all about her on our About Us page, but make sure to also meet her next time you're at Awaken!

On a personal note, my 3-year old, Emery, has learned a lot of great Bible stories from Awaken Kids Ministry. She loves to tell us about Adam & Eve and the snake. She also memorized her very first verse in her kids class - Genesis 1:1. Watch her recite it here!

If you have any questions about Kids Ministry, feel free to email Jennifer Witiuk. Also, if you attend Awaken and you're looking for a way to serve, Awaken Kids may be just the place for you. Talk to me or one of the other pastors about getting involved!