Kids and Small Groups

At Gateway we believe that children belong to and are an integral part of our church body, we want to commit to coming alongside parents in the raising of them. God never intended parents to raise their children in isolation and the church has the potential to be a wonderful extended family.

This means that as a church we have the responsibility to not only teach our kids about God, but to exemplify His loving nature in our interactions with our children and with one another. One of the primary environments where this can take place, is in our small groups.

At Gateway we believe that incorporating kids into the life of a small group is key for many reasons: 1) this can be a beautiful piece in passing on our faith to the next generation; 2) kids have an entirely different perspective on things that can bring a freshness to our own perspectives and can challenge us to view the world in ways which we never have before; and 3) kids will feel valued and important if they are intentionally included in some of the activities occurring in small groups.

Here are some ideas for incorporating kids into your small groups:

• Intersperse creative activities throughout the discussion (drawing, music, Play-Doh, etc.)
• Include kids in the large group prayer time. This will help kids to understand the importance and purpose of prayer, and conversely our faith will most likely be strengthened as we listen to kids pray child-like prayers of faith.
• Have parents talk with their kids throughout the week about the topic that is being discussed in the group. Parents can have their child draw a picture that shows what they think about that particular topic or simply talk with their child about the concepts being discussed. Open the small group time up with a brief discussion in which the child or the child’s parent gets the opportunity to share what thoughts, drawings, etc their kids shared.

If the kids are old enough, they may want to participate fully in all of the small group discussions and components. In the event that kids are toddler through early elementary age, they most likely will not be interested in hanging out with the adults for the entire span of time. In this case, it may be good to have the kids hang out for a little bit during a prayer time, etc, and then have the kids all go to another room to play.

Integrating kids into small group settings will look different in each group and will need to be tailored as such. While it is certainly not as convenient as simply hiring a babysitter - I believe the long-term benefits more than outweigh the short-term costs.