If I could speak to the congregation of every church, I would put out a rallying cry for the soldiers in God’s army. This is bigger than a single church! We are the body of Christ, united across all denominations. As such, we need to bring our A-game consistently and continuously. Understandably, we can become so bogged down with life that we forget we’re in a spiritual war. We go into battle with prayer, but there are many other ways we fight the enemy. One of the best ways to achieve victory is through discipleship. Just as a soldier must exhibit discipline in his tasks, we will look at three disciplines that I believe will strengthen our discipleship—and our personal church armies.

Availability

Just as an army needs those who are willing to serve, so does the church. A common issue in kids’ ministries is that volunteers are often few and far between. How can we call ourselves disciples if we aren’t making ourselves available to be discipled or, consequently, not preparing ourselves to train up the disciples coming after us? We don’t have to be a finished product to begin leading others to the Father, nor does discipleship have an age requirement. You may be discipling your parents, other elders in your life, your peers or co-workers, or your children, grandchildren, or kids in your community. Kids’ ministry can impact an entire family, but not if we aren’t making ourselves available to serve and grow.

Training

Here is the “grow” part, or being armored and rooted, as I like to say (Ephesians 3:16-17). Hebrews 10:24-25 says that meeting together is important—and not just attending service together, but also “spurring each other on to do good works.” Training times open up more conversations about what volunteers are struggling with and give them opportunities to share feedback and suggestions, therefore building a stronger team. Training volunteers doesn’t have to be long or involve a meal. Simply find out what style of training works best for your church. We train for our driver’s license, for tests in school, and for new jobs, so training the disciples responsible for making other disciples shouldn’t be optional. It might be tough love in some instances, but we must relay the importance of having a properly trained army. A platoon of inadequately trained soldiers will not be permitted to march, or the operation must be scaled back to fit the capabilities of those recruits. We must not fear having to scale down our plans and events if the help is just not there or if the available help is not committed enough to attend the proper training first. It is my hope that when the congregation sees that things are scaled down, they will realize the impact each of us has on the health of the church. We are not meant to be in this alone. Sometimes we need to be reminded how important the role of a disciple actually is, and that is where our next discipline comes into play.

Communication

Communication through the ranks is essential to military success, and so too among God’s soldiers. Many of the volunteers’ stresses and concerns can be managed with regular and clear communication from the top down. If you are a volunteer, you must communicate with your leader if the schedule or program isn’t working for you. If you are unsure about something or struggling, reach out to your leader. They can help you overcome any feelings of inadequacy. As a leader, I have found it useful to talk with volunteers one-on-one to discuss their strengths and weaknesses. This can feel like more work, especially if you find various teaching styles among your crew, but leaning into each volunteer’s strengths will make for more satisfied volunteers who stay for the long haul, actually lightening the load overall.

Rally Cry

We are one family under God, and just as I don’t assign all the household chores to one child (nor is there an army of one), one or two volunteers can’t carry the load for everyone. Let’s put out the call to arms in our churches, relaying the critical importance of having willing hearts to serve the Lord and calling them out of their boats. The enemy is coming after our kids younger and harder than ever, but we can do great things together. Discipling children isn’t only for parents but for the church as a whole. Children are the leaders of tomorrow, and we must lead by example in our service to them.​

Samantha Moser is a disciple of Jesus who has served in various ministries, often simultaneously, over the last 12 years, most consistently in KidMin. She and her husband, Dallas, homeschool their four children with an emphasis on biblical foundations, world history, and life skills. The couple volunteers as Sunday School teachers for nursery through kindergarten, and Samantha has been a leader in various areas and ages within KidMin for the last six years. This year, she served as VBS director for the first time and can now say she has done every role within VBS. Samantha believes having two sons and two daughters gives her a thorough perspective on what boys and girls are facing today. The Moser family is passionate about serving Jesus and filling needs in all areas of their lives. When they aren’t at church, they enjoy camping and managing their cat, two dogs, and nine chickens.