Living in regional Australia is beautiful, but it has its challenges!

Rural decline is no secret. Towns are getting smaller; there is less work, so many young people have to move away; income is often uncertain; drought has made things more difficult. In some places young people routinely leave home for boarding school at the beginning of high school (aged about 13) or at year 11 (aged 16).

One of the challenges for Christian children is isolation from other Christian children. Very often they experience kind and loving Christian community in their local congregation, but find very few interactions with Christ-followers of their own age. Many children find themselves attending worship where they are the only child, or Sunday School with the only their brothers and sisters in the class. For some, there is the experience of being the only Christian child they know. For others, there is a small group of children who lack role models in the young adolescent age group, because high scholars are at boarding school. Others are given 1960’s style Sunday school, when every other aspect of their lives is third millennial.

My heart’s desire is to improve these children’s experience of life in the church. We haven’t got the answer, but I want to tell you about something we are doing well, which seems to be effective. Maybe the model which has been so effective for us will be useful to other rural and regional children’s ministries.

Theoretical Background to KSO

All over the world there are thriving children’s ministry programs of all different kinds. My goal has been to try to identify the key components of highly effective children’s ministry, and then work out how we can apply them in a rural, South Australian context.

I’ve made a list of (some of) the keys to highly effective children’s ministry. They seem to divide themselves into foundational beliefs (the things upon which everything else is built); the nature of church (things that are not specific to a particular program, but part of who we are, or ought to be, as the church); and specific strategic action implemented in particular programs and events.

Foundational Beliefs:

• We believe that this is important ministry.
• We acknowledge that children can be faithful disciples of Jesus right now.
• We expect that Christ-following children can minister right now.
• We insist that ministry with children be safe and above reproach.

Nature of Church (i.e. this happens in every aspect of our life together)

• We develop gifted and well-educated adult leaders.
• We forge strong relationships between adult Christ-followers and children.We provide mentoring and ongoing care for children.
• We integrate children into the wider church.

Strategic Action (i.e. what we inject into each specific program):

• We provide age and culture appropriate teaching.
• We teach and preach the Gospel (rather than moral lessons).
• We use popular, contemporary music.
• We provide youthful role models (who themselves are being mentored).
• We think all of these factors are important in highly effective children’s ministry.

They all have a place in our understanding of what we are doing through KSO, but the things we concentrate on, and bring to the front of our consciousness when we plan and implement KSO are these:

• junior leaders
• input through a range of media
• enabling adults to be better ministers to children
• cool music
• sharing the Gospel
• providing opportunities for children to respond.

You’ll notice that I’ve used different words, but you’ll find that the concepts are the same. So having set out what we aim most of all to achieve, I’ll tell you about KSO.

Continue reading this essay by Ian Dow by downloading the full text below.

Download: Eyre Peninsula Regional Children’s Event – KUCA Sleepover by Ian Dow (pdf)

About the Author, Ian Dow:

I am married to Margaret and we have 7 children aged between 17 and 1. One thing they have taught us is that learning how to be a good parent is an ongoing process. Even when you’ve got it reasonably right with the babies and little kids, you still have to learn how to be a parent to teenagers. It isn’t always easy, or fun, but the effort has always been worth it!

We have chosen to live in rural and remote South Australia.    Despite the difficulties of living far from the state capital, we have found a sense of community in remote areas that is different from what exists in the city.

Our desire is to contribute to and become part of the communities in which we live, and to share our faith with the people there.

I’m studying towards a Doctor of Ministry because I think that country people deserve well educated and equipped professionals –too often the rural regions are seen as a place where professionals work for a few years to gain experience before returning to the bigger cities.

My particular interest is in working out what are the essential ingredients of highly effective children’s ministry, and then creating ways to put them into practice in remote and rural settings. In the symposium I will tell something about the regional Christian children’s camps we have been running.

I am a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church, currently serving Jesus in Tumby Bay and Districts, South Australia.