Kids Ministry at Roots Church
OUR MINISTRY PHILOSOPHY:
When children ran to Jesus, the disciples feared they would be a burden to Him. But Jesus told His disciples to let them come, and then He laid His hands on the kids and blessed them. (Mark 10:13–16)
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Jesus wants children to encounter Him and experience His love and blessings. Kids are just as capable of interacting with the Lord as anyone else, and since Jesus so frequently held them up as an example to adults, they may even be better at it than the rest of us!​
In Psalm 103:7, David wrote, “[God] made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel.” There is a difference between knowing the deeds of God and knowing the ways of God. The people of Israel knew God’s deeds—they walked through the Red Sea and saw the fire on the mountain. They told the stories again and again. But Moses knew God’s ways, actually being the vessel through whom God parted the sea and being the one God called up the mountain to commune with Him.
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Much of children’s ministry today effectively teaches the deeds of God, telling Bible stories about heroes of the faith and the miracles God worked through them. But at Roots Church, we also want to teach kids the ways of God, drawing truths from the Bible stories that invite children to experience the same supernatural Savior.​
We teach our kids how to pray for each other, share their faith, and partner with the Holy Spirit in the expression of His fruit (like love, joy, and patience) and His gifts (like healing, miracles, and prophecy). All this is done in non-spooky, age-appropriate, and down-to-earth ways so our kids can experience and share the love and power of God in practical, non-threatening ways.
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Parents: The First Ministers
We also believe the most important ministers in a child’s life are the adults in his or her home. We encourage and train parents, grandparents, stepparents, foster parents, and surrogate parents to be the best caregivers they can be, raising their children to know the God who loves them so deeply. We sometimes host parenting seminars and classes, and we look for ways to come alongside parents to help when we can. Kids don’t come with a manual, but the Church comes with a family.
CHILDREN'S MEETINGS AT ROOTS
Kids Ministry at House Church:
Some of our house churches offer children's ministry. These house churches have trained, known, and background-checked ministers who supervise playtime and lead a lesson geared toward children of various ages.
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In keeping with our interactive church culture, kids minister to each other as the adult teaches and facilitates. Our kids look forward to their "One Thing Moment" when each child shares one thing they know about God—or one thing God spoke to them or did in their life that week. Bible lessons are interactive and discussion-based. And children regularly pray for each other, encourage each other, and even minister healing to each other in Jesus' name.
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Whenever children come to a meeting where children's ministry is not offered, they're encouraged to participate in the conversation, and adults are encouraged to keep the conversation appropriate to children. In such circumstances, parents are responsible for their children and may choose to give them quiet toys, coloring materials, etc. that will help hold their attention during the meeting.
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If you'd like to attend a house church meeting where children's ministry is provided, please fill out the contact form below.
Kids Ministry at Encounter Nights:
On the first and third Sundays, during the Encounter Nights where all our house churches come together, the Sprouts Kids’ Ministry meets simultaneously to the adult teaching time. Children are taught something along the lines of the same topic being covered in the adult meeting (provided the topic is age-appropriate). In this way, families can discuss what they learned after the meeting and continue growing together.
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Kids ages 4 and up remain with parents during the music portion of the meeting and then go with our children’s ministers to an age-appropriate class of their own. For security purposes, kids are “checked in” as families enter the meeting place, and parents can pick up their kids afterward using our secure system. Children under 4 can be dropped off before or after the music time.
Special Events & Camps:
From time to time, our network of house churches hosts special events where whole families can come together for a few hours of fun. Whether it's swimming, sledding, a picnic, or a trampoline park, we like to create opportunities for parents throughout our network to mingle and kids to form lasting friendships.
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We also partner with Assemblies of God churches throughout the Michigan Ministry Network for large, state-wide events and camps, including summer "kids camp" at Fa-Ho-Lo in Grass Lake, Michigan. These camps provide wonderful opportunities for kids to disconnect from their screens, form friendships, have loads of fun, and encounter God.
Teens at Roots Church
OUR MINISTRY PHILOSOPHY:
There are tons of “youth groups” in our region who are doing a lot of great things, and they’re going to reach many teens with the gospel in great ways. Here at Roots Church, we’re not interested in comparing ourselves to all those other ministries and trying to do everything they’re doing. Instead, we bless those ministries for reaching the people they’re going to reach, and we commit ourselves to doing what God is prompting us to do here. We believe that in order to reach the people no one else is reaching, we need to do the things no one else is doing.
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Roots Church functions like a family, and therefore the core concept of our youth ministry is family-based. That means teens are integrated into the multi-generational environment of our house churches. Their voices are valued, and they are treated as fellow members in the Body of Christ.
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But we also know that teens need opportunities to build relationships with their peers. For this reason, we look for ways to connect the teens throughout our house church network—both for pure fun and also for encountering God.
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As the number of teens throughout our network grows, we will choose events that best facilitate the group we have at the moment. Sometimes that may be as simple as hanging out at someone’s house or as elaborate as a week-long camp. Depending on the interests among the teens, we may host game nights, pool parties, cookouts, bonfires, and more. And while our church’s leadership team will occasionally organize things like this, for the most part all these things are initiated by families who have a heart to love our teens together.
Teamwork with Parents
Parents (and surrogate parents) are the first and most important ministers in a teen’s life. Therefore we at Roots Church prioritize equipping families with strategies for raising spiritually, emotionally, and socially healthy teens. This is done through solicited personal advice, resources, and occasionally focused teaching events that are open to the community (covering topics like managing teenage rebellion, helping teens with drug addictions, teens and social media, communicating with your kids about sex, and more).
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Campus Outreach and Evangelism
Roots Church strongly emphasizes obedience to Jesus in fulfilling the Great Commission. Students—especially those in the public school system—are encouraged and equipped to take the gospel to their peers and make disciples. This is more than merely teaching them evangelism techniques. Instead, we help anyone interested to start and grow a movement of small groups on their campus if one does not already exist. Any teens reached will be invited, along with their families, to Roots Church events, hopefully introducing them to our church family and leading their parents to salvation as well.
The Family of God
We also believe one of the best ways to raise spiritually well-rounded kids is to give them opportunities to interact with godly people in their wider church family. Some of this happens at the house church level, but we also welcome and encourage multigenerational outings where people from throughout our churches can interact and have fun together.
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Security and Safety​
Anyone who wants to organize a church-sponsored event is required to first pass a background check to ensure they are safe to be with minors. If Roots Church is promoting an event, rest assured that the main people in charge have been checked and trained by our team.
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Outside of church-sponsored events, when families decide to get together for a fun outing, the families themselves are responsible for making a judgment call about whether or not they feel their children will be safe. That sort of social discretion is normal and encouraged.
Camps
As an Assembly of God church in the Michigan Ministry Network, we have the privilege of participating in State-wide camps with other AG churches, such as Jr. High Camp and Sr. High Camp. These week-long camps happen each summer at Fa-Ho-Lo Campground in Grass Lake, Michigan.
Students have fun all day with peers, building lasting friendships; and then the evening services provide powerful opportunities for worshipping God, hearing relevant messages from His Word, and experiencing His presence together.