There’s a group of people in our churches who rarely get the recognition they deserve. They don’t stand in pulpits or get their names on big boards outside churches. They aren’t usually the ones the congregation thanks at the door after a Sunday service.
But week after week, they show up.
They pour their energy, creativity, and compassion into discipling the next generation. They listen, teach, pray, and encourage. They lead games, answer tough theological questions, and sometimes even clean up after spilled glitter and runaway toilet rolls.
They are the volunteer leaders in children’s and youth ministry.
And they are doing some of the most eternally significant work in the church today.
This is How the Gospel is Passed On
The calling to disciple the next generation is not optional—it is at the very heart of God’s design for His people. Psalm 78:1-8 paints a vivid picture of why this work matters so deeply:
“We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might,
and the wonders that He has done.” (Psalm 78:4)
God commands His people to teach the next generation, recounting His mighty acts so that children would not forget but would set their hope in Him (v.7).
This is a generational relay race of faithfulness—one in which volunteer children’s and youth leaders are a significant part of the team.
- They are not just helpers—they are entrusted with the sacred task of telling of God’s mighty works.
- They are not just entertainers—they are spiritual guides, leading young souls towards Christ.
- They are not just filling time—they are planting seeds of eternal significance.
It’s time to celebrate them. It’s time to recognise that what they do is not childcare or crowd control—it is soul-shaping kingdom work.
Faithfulness in the Ordinary
The beauty of children’s and youth ministry is that it’s full of moments that don’t feel significant—until they are.
- A leader listens to a child’s worries about school.
- A teenager asks an unexpected question about the gospel.
- A memory verse gets tucked into a young heart, ready for the day they’ll need it most.
- A leader prays for a struggling young person, and no one sees the spiritual battle being fought in that moment—except the Lord.
Much of this work is unseen. But God sees. He sees every moment of patient listening, every Friday night youth group, every whispered prayer for a young soul. And He tells us plainly: “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people” (Hebrews 6:10).
Faithfulness in the Small Things Leads to Eternal Fruit
One of the greatest challenges in children’s and youth ministry is that progress can feel slow and invisible. Teaching small children can seem like scattering seeds on hard ground, wondering if they will take root. Discipling teenagers can feel like speaking into the silence, unsure if anything is truly sinking in.
But Psalm 78 reminds us that our calling is to sow faithfully—and to trust that, in God’s timing, those seeds will bear fruit:
“So that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep His commandments.” (Psalm 78:7)
The goal of children’s and youth ministry isn’t just behaviour management or moral instruction—it is to cultivate a generation of young men and women who put their trust in the living God.
- Every Bible story told is building a foundation.
- Every prayer prayed is a plea for God’s Spirit to be at work.
- Every relationship formed is a means of showing Christ’s love.
Even if you don’t see the impact today, eternity will reveal the fruit.
Why This Work Matters for Eternity
If you serve in children’s or youth ministry, you are shaping souls for eternity.
Think about that for a moment.
The Sunday School lessons you teach may be the truths these young people stand on when they are adults. The way you model faith may be what helps them persevere through doubt. The verses they memorise may come flooding back in a crisis.
Some of the children in your group today will one day be leading churches, discipling their own families, or taking the gospel to places you will never go.
And your faithfulness will have been part of that story.
One day—maybe years from now, maybe even in glory—you may hear, “You helped me know Jesus.”
That’s why this matters.
To Those Who Serve: Thank You
To every leader who turns up even when they’re exhausted…
To every Sunday school teacher who prays over their class by name…
To every youth leader who keeps investing in that one teen who barely speaks…
To every volunteer who wonders if what they do really makes a difference…
Thank you.
Your work is precious in God’s sight. Your labour is not in vain.
The seeds you plant today will bear fruit for generations to come.
A Call to More
And if you’re reading this and you’re not yet serving—why not?
Children’s and youth ministry is not just for the ‘gifted’ or the ‘young’ or the ‘experts’.
It’s for people who love Jesus and are willing to show up and invest in the next generation.
- You don’t have to be a Bible scholar—just someone who wants to see children and young people know and love Christ.
- You don’t have to be a professional teacher—just someone willing to share the truth of God’s Word.
- You don’t have to be perfect—just faithful.
The next generation needs you.
And the joy of seeing young lives transformed by Jesus?
It’s worth everything.
So, whether you’re serving, considering it, or just praying for those who do—let’s commit together to valuing, supporting, and celebrating those who disciple the young.
Because this is kingdom work.
And it matters for eternity.
