I just finished reading churched by Matthew Paul Turner and it definitely could qualify as a "how NOT to do children's ministry" instruction manual. At times I was torn between laughing and crying as the author shared about his experiences growing up in church. From the senior pastor who takes him for a drive to scare him into getting baptized to the Sunday school teacher whose visual aide goes terribly wrong when he burns Barbie to show what hell is like.
I got the feeling that most of the adults in this child's life were more concerned about his following the rules than anything else. It reminded me of something that Perry Noble said this year at the Orange Conference. He said, "Children's ministry isn't about behavior modification, but about introducing them to Jesus."
I would definitely recommend this book for anyone in children's ministry. You see it gives us a raw glimpse into the mind of a child in their journey of faith and provides an opportunity to learn what NOT to do. I love that even through all of that, the author as an adult in a frank conversation with his pastor begins with, "I am passionate about Jesus" and wanting "to be a part of the solution, not the problem." By telling this story he becomes part of that solution for sure.
You can read more about Matthew Paul Turner on his blog here: http://www.matthewpaulturner.com/
You can follow him on Twitter here:
http://twitter.com/JesusNeedsNewPR
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