CM: Children Matter

Opening Chapter 14 of Children Matter: "In the Gospels we see that Jesus pays special attention to people on the margins. He notices people whom others would rather avoid*." (CM p. 311)

"This chapter [chapter 14] will focus on some concerns related to ministry to hurting children and will explore ways to make sure that the church is a sanctuary and a place of welcome for all children." (CM p. 311)

They look at physical, attitude, program, and other barriers that leaders face as they try to draw marginalized children into the faith community. They mention physical, emotional, and learning challenges. They talk about classroom management. They talk about children with special needs, refugees, children at risk. They remind us [and this is important] that every child comes with gifts to share. This chapter is full of inspirational examples and ideas but I see it less a how-to and more a wonderful and inspiring tool for attitude adjustment. Their wise deep-hearted caring is contagious. And as usual, I love their stories.

At the end of the chapter they say, "...we need to be intentional about offering sanctuary to them [children], about providing a place that not only is safe but feels safe to all children- a place where each child can grow to be the person God created him or her to be." [CM p. 329] Their emphasis on the child him/herself feeling safe requires that we see all that we do through a child's eyes. This is far more important than most of us think. I'm not talking about coddling that disables or tolerating hurtful behavior/lack of self-control or catering to self-centeredness.

When a child has a problem, have we taken the time to see it through their eyes? Will we take the time to lead them away from the ideas that keep them prisoner and lead them to higher ground? It isn't enough for us to stand convinced that we have a state of the art facility or a fool-proof policy or a crackerjack program. It isn't enough unless every child feels safe, loved, and cared for when they walk through the door. Not from our perspective but from theirs.

It isn't enough unless every child is enabled and equipped to become all that God created him/her to be. Not for our perspective, but from theirs. They won't put it in those terms. They'll just be happy!!

The authors are focusing on very special needs in this chapter but what they're saying applies to any child who feels out of place or marginalized. It's hard to be so attuned to individual children when your numbers increase but as your numbers increase the discreet attention to individuals that they're talking about is probably even more important.


*Resource: The authors reference a book by Stewart D. Govig, Strong at the Broken Places published by John Knox Press. Thinking my husband might enjoy a book like that, I looked for it on Amazon.com. I ended up scrolling down this list of books by other people about pastoral care for special situations - interesting titles if you scroll through all the pages, books that you professionals are probably already aware of. The first page includes alot of books about mental illness. Keep going and you'll find some books specifically about children in special situations.