Lisa McIntosh from the team at Paeroa Bible Chapel shares how they have been rethinking what it means for children to belong and grow in faith.
Several changes prompted them to ask what is really at the heart of their ministry. They found a shared desire for children to know and feel they are part of the body of Christ and to be growing in their faith.
Now, they run a programme weekly for 3–5-year-olds, and fortnightly for children aged 6–12. The older children’s lessons follow the same passage and key points as the Sunday sermon, with the children’s leader and preacher working together in advance. On alternate weeks, these older children stay in the main service, learning alongside the wider church family
Lisa says, “Having children aged 6 and 7 and up suddenly in the whole service on a regular basis presented some challenges, one of which was staying focused.
She began offering small suggestions to her own children, like writing down Bible references or listening for a particular word. Soon after, the team developed a booklet of sermon note templates for all the children, with spaces to draw and write.
Lisa acknowledges that change takes time. “Some families love it, others find it challenging,” she says. “But if we want our teenagers to see themselves as part of the Body of Christ, we need to be intentional about building that sense of belonging early. We want to be a community journeying and growing together.”
Lisa saw a glimpse of this vision one Sunday when she stepped out of the service and returned to find her 7-year-old son joined by friends—three young boys sitting together, Bibles and notebooks open, listening intently and comparing notes afterwards.
Looking ahead, Lisa hopes to produce a bound sermon notebook for all ages. “How powerful would it be for children to sit alongside adults who are opening God’s Word and taking notes in the same kind of book—modelling what it means to follow Jesus together?”
