Do you seperate Bus kids from others?

[Dale-c]

Excuse me? Most of the people I know got saved in church!

We should be thankful for that.
I don't see any reason to turn away visitors unless they are disruptive.
But evangelism is NOT the Biblical pattern and purpose for church, for the worship service.

But experience is not what makes something proper or improper.

Do you believe a lost person should be allowed to be a church member?

 

[I Am Blessed 24]

Do you believe a lost person should be allowed to be a church member?

If I was a betting person, I would bet that we have a lot of those on the church roll already...

 

[jajordan]

I'll assume that those few who did stick by the stuff are sure grateful today, huh? On that basis, wasn't it worth it?

One could justify a lot of things on that basis.

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

How does bringing kids to church need justified?

I am not real big on bus ministry, but one would be hard pressed to find a Bible reason to criticise it.

 

[mcdirector]

We can get in lots of debates about whether the purpose of the church is discipleship or evangelism. IMHO it is both. When we are teaching we are leading folks to deeper understanding and sometimes that is to the place of salvation.

AND as Sue said, there are most likely tons of folks on the roles thinking they are saved who in reality aren't. It's hard to tell sometimes. If getting kids in the door means we can tell them about Christ, when we have a hard time telling them outside the doors, then lets get them inside.

 

[jajordan]

How does bringing kids to church need justified?

I am not real big on bus ministry, but one would be hard pressed to find a Bible reason to criticise it.

Not criticizing bus ministry (although I'm not a fan of them), I was suggesting that perhaps we be careful about saying something is worth it simply because a few people came to God because of it. Lots of things are done that aren't necessarily the best thing to do, or even the right thing to do, that can still result in a few grateful people.

(To be clear, not criticizing the writer I was quoting. Their heart was in the right place.)

 

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

Not criticizing bus ministry (although I'm not a fan of them), I was suggesting that perhaps we be careful about saying something is worth it simply because a few people came to God because of it. Lots of things are done that aren't necessarily the best thing to do, or even the right thing to do, that can still result in a few grateful people.

(To be clear, not criticizing the writer I was quoting. Their heart was in the right place.)

Fair point, thanks for clarifying

 

[mcdirector]

The fact is, if we are going to DO a ministry, we need to make sure we DO it right and in good order -- that it is properly funded, has enough workers, is prayed over, under, during, before and after. We do not need to start it and realize it is inconvenient or a bother which seemed to be the message in the OP. We certainly don't want those we bring in to feel like they are second class in anyway or unwanted. We want them to feel apart and loved.

 

[David Lamb]

Sometimes, yes. But generally speaking, this thread is discussing kids who come from bad homes where respect and decency are as foreign as Chinese and symbolic logic. Not only do they present unique challenges to the teaching task and classroom discipline, but their culture of vulgarity and violence can make the situation unfit for attendance by children who are being reared differently.

That sounds a lot like many of the children who attend, or have attended our Bible Club for children, though none of them come by bus.

 

[James_Newman]

Your pastor preaches for an hour?? How long is your average service?? An hour and a half to two hours?? My body wouldn't like sitting still that long, either. But I assume you're are 'joking' about a usual 'sermon' being an hour on one verse in Proverbs. At least I hope you are. There are 66 books in "the whole counsel of God." I hope the other 65 get some attention, as well.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with multiple and/or separate services. Let's just hope that the motives are right, and not tied to some perceived idea that bus-kids somehow 'interrupt' a 'real' worship service, or that they make other attendees uncomfortable, as was the implication by one poster. Jesus never said, "I will leave you comfortable." He said, "I will not leave you comfortless." Let's not confute the two, is my point.

And have any considered that maybe the worship service, itself, could stand a bit of 'tweaking' and perhaps make it a bit shorter, so some, like me, might not get so 'antsy'? And lots of churches now have some snacks, and something to drink, if someone wants them, and a children's message during the regular service. I do seem to recall Jesus feeding a group when he preached a couple of times, and preaching to children, as well. Just wonderin' on all of this.

Ed

Well, my pastor preaches expositionally. He just recently finished preaching through the book of Luke and has taken a break to preach some topical sermons. That series through Luke took almost 10 years. He doesn't spend an hour expounding on one verse, I was being a little facetious. He will touch on many verses. But he does rarely preach less than 45 minutes, his record is probably around an hour and a half.

I'm sure that if you were to go back through historical records, you would find that long sermons were the norm in times past, even longer than what we have at my church. Once you get used to it, it really isn't a big deal. But it is difficult to get a child who is raised on a diet of refined sugar and television to see it that way.