When Jesus’ disciples would chase the little children away from him, he admonished his disciples to allow these little ones to come to him. He also stated that children would be those who occupied the kingdom of heaven. Yes, children hold a special place for Christ and his followers. That is why an emphasis should be placed on children ministry.

Hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, famines and other natural disasters hit globally. Although adults may feel the stress of these catastrophes, the youngest members of society are the silently affected. All these natural disasters bring about economic stresses; and, both bring about physical hardships whether from hunger, disease or abuse from stressed out adults. If nothing is done to stop this, these young ones fall into a cycle of further abuse or crime, which is not easily broken. Thus a nation’s greatest resource can be turned into its most devastating pestilence, as an innocent child turns into a wayward adult.

Children ministry pulls the child from this cycle of delinquency and spiritual apathy. It gives him the opportunity of growing into an adult who is an asset to society rather than a drain on society. How can this be done? It’s as easy as following Jesus’ command... "let them come unto me." There are several ways to accomplish this task. The most important step, in these programs, is to show the compassion of Christ to others.

Compassion can be shown through a plethora of venues, such as, the adoption of orphans into families that will love and nurture the adopted. Financial support is often raised in an effort to supply food, school supplies, clothing, toys and other needs. A body needs clothing, food and shelter; so, physical help is offered through dental or medical services as well as housing or heat. When illness comes, medication is of vital importance so it is delivered. Teaching parenting skills is necessary because nothing can replace the love and presence of one’s own parents; and, by nature, they have greater influence in the life of their child, making them the best teachers. Some need to be taught the importance of social and relational skills. Older children can be taught trades and skills which will help them provide for themselves and be a help for others. Spiritual poverty is met by sharing the gospel and love of Christ with those who know little of him. These types of programs intervene with compassion and spiritual training to restore children to the walk of life they were meant to have from the beginning.