Kids in the Ministry

I have always been intrigued by PK's (Pastor's Kids). When I was a teenager, I would watch them to see how they acted, not out of judgement, just out of curiosity. I would wonder what it was like to live in the Pastor's home, what the kid's personalities were like, how their parents influenced their views and values, how their parents handled challenges in child rearing. I have asked many questions to Pastor's Wives and I always walk away with lots of little nuggets of great ideas for my future. I've known since I was a teenager that I would marry a Pastor and have my own little PK's one day, so I try to learn as much as I can on this subject.

Now that I'm a mom, I think about it a lot. My greatest fear for them is that they won't care about the God we love and serve or want to be a part of ministry in some way. Of course I don't expect them to be called into full time ministry like us, but I want them to grow up seeing themselves as ministers wherever they go and to be faithful and committed to serve in their local church in some capacity. Not because it makes us as parents look like a success, but because I want them to find their own purpose as a child of God. I look forward in sharing in their own ministry opportunities.

I recently read a blog by Holly Furtick called Spiderman's Elevation Welcome from April 15th. It was about kids being involved in their parent's ministries. The comments from other Pastor's Wives were so insightful. I will tuck these things away for my future.

The three things I learned from them were:

1. Involve them. Tell your kids what's going on in your church. After all, the decisions you make affect them. They shouldn't find out about a major change from an announcement on a Sunday morning. Make sure it's age appropriate, but don't hide anything (the good and the bad). And NEVER talk critically about your members, even if they hurt you. That goes for all Christians, not just those in the ministry.

2. Encourage, don't force, your kids to own it. Let them pick some part of your ministry to be personally involved in. Help them find THEIR niche. Even a 7-year-old can be a helper in Children's Church. An older child can help run the sound. There are lots of different options in each church and each child is different.

3. Make it a priority to spend lots of personal one-on-one time with each child. One PW says that her and her husband go on a special date night once a month with each one of their children separately. It builds security in them and reminds them that you are their parents, not their pastor. This is very important in PK's since they have to share their parents with the whole church.

I'm so thankful for all the resources out there to help us along the way but I know that no matter what, the Holy Spirit guides us in all wisdom.