Jesus said, “I came to give life; the kind of abundant life that allows my sheep to thrive!” John 10:10
We believe there aren’t many callings greater than the call to lead our kids to Jesus and help each one build a real, personal relationship with him. Our dedicated Family Ministries Director, Carlyn Brown, and her team of loving volunteers count it a privilege and a blessing to answer that call every week. Thrive is committed to ensuring your kids and grandkids build authentic connections with God and always remain a top priority!
Proverbs 22:6 teaches we should “raise children up in the way they should go” so that “when they’re older, they won’t depart from it.” Thrive Kids’ Ministry has been developed around three fundamental spiritual needs of children:
- To thrive and grow, a child needs good soil!
In Matthew 13:23, Jesus shares a parable of a farmer planting seed and says, “The seed that fell on good soil is those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty or even a hundred times as much as has been planted!” We believe children need to be planted and nestled in good “soil” so that when they become teens and adults, they already have such a deep understanding of God and such a meaningful relationship with Jesus that they can more easily weather the challenges of life.
- To thrive and grow, a child needs plenty of water!
Jesus says in John 4:14, “Those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. That water will become a fresh, bubbling spring within them, welling up to eternal life.” We believe children’s ministry is about much more than preparing kids for things they can see; it’s about preparing them for eternity, and that eternity begins the moment they accept Jesus and begin living for him! The earlier a child is introduced to Jesus and the water of life he offers, the sooner that child can begin to make a huge impact on the world for Christ.
- To thrive and grow, a child needs to be in the light!
Ephesians 5:8-9 reads, “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! The light that’s now in you produces only what is good and right and true.” We often try to teach our kids how to avoid trouble, stress and hardship. But Jesus has another way! He wants us to walk and dwell in his light. It not only illuminates our paths and keeps the darkness at bay, it’s the source of good decisions, honesty, integrity, righteousness, and every noble thing we want our children and grandchildren to experience and emulate.