Preamble:-
First, glory, honour and adoration to God Almighty who has been helping us in past years and has lovingly spared our lives to this blessed day. We thank Him for His divine protection over our lives and for the wonderful children He had placed in our care.
Being a children minister is indeed a special privilege and honour done to the ministers by God Almighty. It is a calling which every minister must give account of. This special area of calling requires the grace of God in one's life in order to accomplish this great task. Consequently, it is not all who have been called to be children ministers. All men are not gifted in the area of teaching and nurturing children especially in the Sunday School. Some deliberately dodge this responsibility because they cannot cope with the noise and difficulties entailed in handling children, especially, making them calm to understand what they are being taught. They see it as stressful, energy sapping, time consuming, therefore, they cannot cope. Since it is clear that not all are called to be children ministers, it follows that this special area requires the grace of God in one's life to effect changes .
Children ministry is a unique one. God has great agenda for the children. He values them greatly that is why the scripture says that their angels are before the throne of God beholding the face of God concerning them. This shows that children have special guardian angels. Little wonder, evil hardly comes upon little children.
It is also a unique ministry because anyone who does not have the heart of a child cannot enter the kingdom of God(Matt. 18:3). Jesus also said,
"I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children. (Matt. 11:25).
Mark 9:37 says that whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me: and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me. Mark 9:45 also says,
"And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, if would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone around his neck".
The above scriptures support the fact that children ministry is a unique ministry and as such, the lives and future of the little ones have been placed in the hands and care of every children minister. They cannot afford to fail Him.
Children learn by sight and example. That is they learn very fast from what they another person doing or saying. Thus, they imbibe different characters. Taking into cognizance the challenges of the home (different background), peer groups, adolescents, growing up in the world where there are lots of vices, lack of respect for human life, murder, prostitution, profanity, poverty, etc, the Children minister owes it a duty to God and these children to show them the right way to follow and this can be better done through one's own personal life, hence the essence of being aglow in the spirit.
It is when the children minister is aglow in the spirit that he or she can discern evil from good. There will be no compromising of personal standards. This is because being aglow in the spirit brings about positive transformation in the life of children ministers which in turn will affect the life of the children positively.
The children minister needs to form a picture in his or her mind of a society void of violence, godlessness , chaos, evil, homes full of peace and tranquility, children growing into responsible adults whose lives attract pleasantness, who will go into the world and bring positive change, who will not be influenced by the world but rather influence the world into the marvellous light of Christ. The Christian minister must also see that this is what God has committed into his or her hands to fulfill for Him. They are to bring up these children as agents of change (catalyst) in the society.
Conclusively, the children minister needs to take heed of his life and his ministry thereby being spiritually balanced to be able to dish out the incorruptible word of God to the children.