Helping Kids Carry Jesus Beyond Children’s Church.

Turning ten — “double figures” — felt monumental when I was a girl. In my family, the occasion was marked with the gifting of a wristwatch. Reaching a whole decade of life meant you were now mature enough to look after something delicate and remember to wind it. I’m really showing my age now.

I was thinking about all this when my granddaughter turned double figures, a phrase all of us oldies repeated to her throughout her party. It must be a hangover from Victorian days, when surviving long enough to leave single digits behind was genuinely something to celebrate. I remembered my own watch and briefly considered getting her one — until I remembered she was already wearing a Fitbit.

That’s when it struck me: watches for children aren’t a big deal anymore. A cheap watch can be picked up in a department store and swapped out almost as often as fast fashion. Like so many things now, they’ve become kind of disposable.

The Danger of Disposable Christianity

Children’s Church is a beautiful place. It’s colourful, noisy, full of craft glue, memory verses, and leaders who pour their hearts into helping kids know Jesus. But it’s also temporary. Children grow. They move up. They move on.

And here’s the quiet risk: If we’re not intentional, children may outgrow Children’s Church… and accidentally outgrow following Jesus.

Not because they reject Him, but because faith was packaged as something that belonged to childhood — like sticker charts, juice boxes, and Sunday morning craft.

If faith feels like a “kid thing,” then when they leave the kids’ program, they may leave their faith behind with it.

Christianity is not disposable. It is not seasonal. It is not something to be swapped out when life changes. It is meant to grow with them — deeper, stronger, and more personal.

Faith Must Mature as Children Mature

Just as watches once marked a new level of responsibility, faith should mark a new level of relationship.

Children need to see that:

• Jesus is not just for colouring sheets and puppet shows.
• Prayer is not just something leaders do for them.
• The Bible is not just a storybook — it’s a guide for real life.
• Church is not just a place where they are entertained — it’s a place where they belong.

When children step out of Children’s Church, they should step into something, not away from something.  Faith should expand, not evaporate.

How We Help Kids Carry Faith Forward

1. Give them a faith that grows, not a faith that stays small

Teach truths that scale with age:

• God speaks to you
• You can pray about real problems
• Jesus is with you at school, at home, online, everywhere

Faith should feel relevant, not childish.

2. Connect them to the wider church family

Let them see:

• Teens worshipping
• Adults serving
• Elders praying
• Real people living out real faith

Children need to know they’re part of something bigger than their classroom.

3. Celebrate spiritual milestones

Just as turning ten once meant receiving a watch, we can mark spiritual growth:

• First Bible they choose themselves
• First time serving
• First time praying aloud
• First time joining youth group

Milestones make faith memorable.

4. Equip parents to model faith at home

Children will outgrow Children’s Church. They will not outgrow their family.  When faith is lived at home, it becomes lifelong.

5. Speak identity that lasts

Tell them:

• “Jesus will walk with you your whole life.”
• “Your faith is strong and growing.”
• “You are made to follow Him into every season.”

Faith Is Not a Fitbit

A Fitbit can be replaced. A cheap watch can be tossed. Childhood trends come and go.  But following Jesus is not disposable. It is not something they “grow out of.” It is something they grow into.

Our calling — as parents, grandparents, leaders, and church family — is to help children carry their faith beyond the craft table, beyond the puppet stage, beyond the kids’ wing of the church… and into the rest of their lives.

Because Christianity isn’t a childhood accessory. It’s a lifelong relationship.

Free Bible Lessons about calling and commitment, and learning to live like Jesus:

God’s Got An Army! https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Gods-Got-An-Army.pdf

Set Your Mindset: Live for God! https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Set-Your-Mind-Mindset2.pdf

I Know Who I Am! https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/I-Know-Who-I-Am.pdf

Plugged In: How Prayer Works https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Plugged-In.pdf

The Promise: The Promised Holy Spirit https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Promise.pdf

You Belong to the Day! (Thessalonians 5:1-11) https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/You-Belong-to-the-Day-Paul-and-the-Thessalonians2.pdf

God Rocks! God’s Characteristics https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/God-Rocks.pdf

The Best Big Brother! https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/The-Best-Big-Brother.pdf

Jesus is the Captain of Our Salvation https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Captain-of-Our-Salvation.pdf

Jesus Rocks: The House on the Rock https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Jesus-Rocks.pdf

You’ll find many, many more free Bible Lessons, Super Sundays and Short Stories on our website!