Ministries

Fresh thinking fuels 15-year goal for Kids Friendly scheme

A CWM-backed scheme that’s helped dozens of New Zealand churches transform their youth ministry is facing its latest challenge thanks to some fresh new thinking.

Kids Friendly has taken off across the country – but coach Jill Kayser is preparing to step up the programme by developing a revolutionary blueprint for childrens’ learning in churches over a 15 year period.

Jill, who has been working on children’s ministry through the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand for the last five years, said the move comes following an inspirational meeting with renowned children’s minister Sue Miller.

“Sue shared some of her immense experience in developing a strategy for children’s ministry,” she said. “She suggested that if a parent interviewed the principal of a prospective school about what her child would learn over the next 12 years, that parent would be given a detailed curriculum and expected outcomes.

The old saying “children should be seen and not heard” is turned around as churches work on how to intentionally welcome, celebrate and nurture children
“This got me reflecting on my own church, but also on the churches I work with. I am not aware of any churches that has sat down and worked out what children will learn over a 15 year period. It’s an interesting concept and one I would like to explore.”

Under the Kids Friendly scheme, Jill works with a number of different churches to radically review how they cater for children and families. The old saying “children should be seen and not heard” is turned around as churches work on how to intentionally welcome, celebrate and nurture children.

As part of the scheme she offers two-hour coaching sessions with churches’ ministry teams to introduce Kids Friendly and start the self-review process. Additional one on one coaching is also available for children’s ministry workers to offer advice and resources to help churches meet the "kids friendly ideals".

Since the scheme was first launched, 120 Presbyterian and Uniting churches have signed up to the network. Forty of these have completed the self-review and are now branded Kids Friendly and a further 50 are currently working with Jill to achieve their status.

Jill is hoping this next step will move the project on and provide even further benefit for children in New Zealand’s churches. She’s also inviting feedback on what other people think should be included in the 15-year Christian education.

“It’s been great brainstorming our respective strategies with Carlton Johnstone, our new youth development leader, and this will form the topic of our next session together in July. We would love to hear from you on this one - I look forward to input from the coalface.

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