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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION George Krebs | 717.795.5921 | george@penndel.org
PLANTING THE 5-Fold Seeds
IN THE LIVES OF CHILDREN
I remember when my parents
moved out to the country. The
following spring as I began third grade,
my parents cultivated a large plot on their
one-acre property into a garden; I remember
thinking, “This is going to be one huge
garden!” They planted everything...corn,
tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, green
beans, potatoes and more. There were
evenings spent weeding, watering and
cultivating.
Throughout the summer the deer, ground
hogs, squirrels and pheasants would eat the
plants and most of the produce. When fall
came, there was no harvest to be shown
for all that effort. The following year my
parents did not plant a single seed in that
garden, and the huge plot of land became a
wasteland of weeds.
As church leaders we need to learn a
lesson: we only get what we plant, water
and cultivate. Many times we’re not planting
the seed, but we’re expecting a harvest.
This happens with adults, but it is especially
true in the lives of children.
We tend to think of the five-fold ministry of
apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors
and teachers (Ephesians 4:11-12) as offices
and gifts for adults. All too often, children
are not taught about these gifts. Children
are just in the beginning stages of trying to
figure out who they are and how God wants
to use them. We need to spend more time
introducing children to the five-fold gifts.
Many children have the heart of a pastor,
but not the calling into full time pastorate
work. Even as a child they care for others,
and their shepherding gift begins to bloom.
Children need to know there is a place of
service in the body for those who have
pastoral gifts.
We don’t see many children holding the
office of the evangelist, but many kids are
very willing to share their faith and even
develop strategies to win other children to
Jesus. They have the gift of evangelism.
I remember a sixth grade girl who asked
me to help her win her classmate to Jesus.
She wanted help to convince her Jewish
friend to believe in Jesus. She had the gift of
evangelism.
I’ve had children who wanted to help
teach a Sunday school class or lesson in
kids’ church. I’m amazed how children
can take a concept and break it down so
other children can understand. They have
the gift of teaching. As church leaders, we
need to plant these seeds and cultivate
the growth in children’s lives. How effective
their ministry gifts will be when they become
adults!
I learned as a child you only reap a great
harvest if you plant the right seeds and then
cultivate and protect the crops until maturity.
Don’t be afraid to help children find the gifts
within themselves. Imagine what they will
become at harvest time.
WEEKEND 1: FEB. 21-23 • WEEKEND 2: FEB. 28 - MARCH 1
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