Global Forum seeks to reach missing billion

[Dave Roberts]

SUMMARY REPORT

The opportunity to engage every child in every generation with Jesus through God’s word is a huge one, especially considering that there are approximately 2 billion children in the world today and that approximately half of these have never even heard the Good News. Motivated by the desire to address this strategic challenge in partnership together and under Christ’s headship, a group of 57 people met in July for the very first ‘Global Children’s Forum’. The steering group for the Forum, itself a partnership, was made up of representatives from Scripture Union International, International Bible Society, Hi Kidz International, Book of Hope, Mailbox Club and Logosdor. The intention was to bring together Christian children’s ministry organisations that operate with a global or major regional focus and to explore what could be done together which could not be done alone. The Forum was held at Wheaton College Illinois, immediately prior to the Viva Network’s International Cutting Edge Conference, in order to emphasise our partnership with the network of Christian organisations working specifically with children at risk.

The Forum also provided opportunities for agencies to meet, interact and discover more about how each one fitted together in ‘the body’. Participants were enthusiastic about the potential for strategic collaboration beyond individual agencies and the need for our agendas to be informed by Kingdom priorities. Presentations were made concerning current missiological challenges, research, child theology, partnership and the multi-layered challenge of engaging every child with Jesus.
The steering group had not determined the future direction of the Forum, intending to be guided by the participants and the Holy Spirit. A number of priorities emerged and issue groups formed to give further consideration to resources and open sourcing, partnership and communication, best practice, advocacy, research, training and local church engagement. As these groups move ahead with the action steps they envisaged, it is intended that our collective efforts do more than simply generate additional meetings. It is our prayer that the result of our partnership might be some paradigm shifts in the landscape of church and mission priorities with regards to children’s ministry.

There are many challenges yet to address, and it is intended that the Forum become more truly ‘global’, by broadening its representation to include more leaders from regions which contain the largest populations of children, but this gathering was an encouraging start to this process. There was a renewed vision of the magnitude of the task and a sense of the timeliness of meeting and strategising together.

Please pray with us that future activities of the Global Children’s Forum will be strategic, inclusive, efficient, grace-filled and Kingdom-directed, so that all the glory may be given to our Lord Jesus Christ, who wants all children to come to Him.

We have included, for your encouragement, the summary comments received from participants to date.


Tom Chilton (Director of International Training, Awana International): ‘The Global Children's Forum was a breath of fresh air! I am so energized by the potential of our ministries to collectively do much, much more together to reach the children of the world for Christ. The networking was fabulous, and I have already told many in my ministry about the potential partnerships as well as the significance of the Pattaya scale. Thank you. I cannot wait to see how the Lord will bless our unity.’
Norv Brown (Vice President, Kidzana Ministries): ‘I came away with new vision for the world and sustained hope that quality visionaries are yoked with us to reach kids for Christ. We shared a common vision. And I believe we can successfully reach those children for Christ.’

Travis Critcher (Assistant Director/Field Resource Manager, Samaritan’s Purse/Operation Christmas Child): ‘The Global Children's Forum provided me the opportunity to dream beyond the vision of our own individual organization to accomplish that which is only possible through collaborative work.’

Rob Hoskins (President, Book of Hope International): ‘I believe with all my heart that this will become a world shaking vision that can truly allow the Church to be transported towards the Lords heart of effective ministry to the world's children.’

Brian O’Connell (President, REACT Services): ‘It was an absolute privilege to be a part of what happened during GCF. Rarely have I found the relational ground so solid and the willingness to press forward in partnering so strong. The work now begins in earnest as we look to see what God will do with what was started.’

Sylvia Foth (President, Kidzana Ministries): ‘It was a joy to gather with like-minded people to consider the enormous, complicated task of reaching our world's children for Christ. An even greater joy was that we not only met new friends, but found true partners to walk with in the months and years ahead. God is opening amazing doors to bring the people of our planet – including kids – to himself. What a joy to be facing these opportunities together as a result of this forum.’

Esther Zimmerman (International Children’s Ministry Director, Bible Centred Ministries International): ‘With 2.2 billion children in the world today, I believe that we must get serious about multiplication and partnership. The recent Global Children's Forum provided a platform for both to happen through invaluable networking opportunities, strategic discussions and corporate goal setting. Thanks for facilitating such a key event! Looking forward to what God will do!’

Alan Charter (Associate Director, Scripture Union & Director, Children Matter!): ‘The GCF was a stretching and stimulating time that brought together many of us with a shared heart and passion for children. The scale of the challenge ahead is massive huge, but then we serve an even greater God, who calls us to work as one church. GCF is a step in that direction. Thanks to all for making it possible.’

Lynn Murdoch (International Executive Committee, Hi Kidz International): ‘It was a privilege to be part of a Forum where there was evidence of God's work amongst us giving a new openness and desire to work together for the sake of the 2.1 billion children in the world. This could be the beginning of some exciting new initiatives.’

Kurt Jarvis (Board Member, International Network of Children’s Ministry): ‘What can I say?....the Forum was fantastic, especially for the first major attempt. I was "thrilled" to be able to connect with world leaders and hear their heart and passion for children. I LOVE the team building activities, especially the last day. I was horrified at the thought of trying to pass a person along over our heads and NEVER thought this really could be done without looming catastrophe. What a terrific method to teach team work and accomplishing the seemingly impossible. I cannot say enough thank yous to all of you for the incredible effort and work you put into this event. This has been a major personal encouragement to me. As I go forward with my volunteer worldwide training through INCM I look forward to the next time we can gather again to see what has been accomplished. God bless each of you, especially for your sacrificial giving of time, talent and energy to this very large task.’

Judy Comstock (Executive Director, International Network of Children’s Ministry): ‘I was honored to be invited to this vital first gathering of strategic leaders from around the world. While our goal to reach 2 billion children is a bit overwhelming, the "can-do" attitude that was evident in Chicago gives me hope that by joining our experiences, resources, and connections we can make giant strides for the Kingdom.’

Becky Douglas (Training Coordinator, Kids Around the World): ‘Thank you to all the steering committee for helping to make the Forum such a wonderfully encouraging, challenging and God-focused time. It was a blessing to my heart in too many ways to explain. It was a blessing to step out of the narrow focus of my own ministry and take in the big picture of what God is doing to reach the children of the world and what still needs to be done. I was challenged to look at new possibilities and to not be afraid to step out of "what we've always done" in order to follow God's leading.’

Rudi Mans (Vice Principal of Training Services, Petra College): ‘My response to the GCF is very positive. The event was professionally organized and the right selection of role players invited for this particular venue. I was, as you can remember, sceptical in the beginning and asked a number of questions on the purpose. To me the selection of role players and the level of their commitments to accommodate each other as practitioners were very encouraging. We did miss the voice of Africa's children ministry leaders but understand the practical reasons for choosing this group. It was also well explained in the Welcome word in the booklet. I will remember this meeting as one of the most fruitful engagements in an International gathering. The participation and outcomes from the workgroups had one leaving with the sense of achievement. I know that there will still be a number of issues to be discussed further as time restrictions made certain topics difficult to work through. I do think that the different groups will take matters forward. I was also happy to see that this group understood and value the important role of training within the field of ministry. Petra College was in need of such a forum for a long time.’

Jon Melin (President, By Design Ministries International): ‘Thank you so much for including me in the Global Children's Forum. It was well run and yet flexible enough for effectiveness. Thank you once again to you and the rest of the team for such an eye opening, heart stretching time.’

Dave Roberts (Web Master, Children Matter!): ‘The forum enabled us to establish the relationships and discern the issues we must grasp as we seek to make it possible for every child to hear the good news of Jesus life.’

Tom Meiner (Partnership Director, Jesus Film Project): ‘Thanks for all your efforts and those of the Steering Committee in organizing the GCF. Here are my general thoughts and reaction to the conference. It was a great opportunity for a number of agencies to connect, see what each other is doing, and to recognize that we must do this together. I was very encouraged to see the working groups forming already with ideas of things that could benefit the whole group. While not the main purpose, I expect there will be several side partnerships that result from this as well.’
Hannelore Zimmerman (International Coordinator of Children’s Ministries, Serving in Mission): ‘It was a great opportunity to learn about other organizations and to start partnerships in order to join forces and reach out to the 2.1 Billion children in this world more effectively.’

Keith White (Director, Child Theology Movement): ‘(1) There was during the GCF a brief encounter with the emerging perspective, "Child Theology": none of the strategy groups has this as its focus, hopefully because it underpins, informs and challenges everything we do. The CTM has assured GCF that it is willing to serve the whole process, but no decision has yet been taken on how this might work out in practice. Perhaps each group should make it a primary question as they embark on their tasks. (2) A new Bible was presented to GCF. It is radical in that it is intended for people of all ages and cultures worldwide. In all that GCF does it is vital not to overlook the pivotal role of the Bible in every aspect of mission. Given the nature and aspirations of GCF, this Bible may be an important new resource, and WTL is willing to engage with partners to make it more widely available. Meanwhile see www.wtlbiblepublications.com’

Lori Koch (Manager of International Programs, Faith Comes by Hearing): ‘ While Faith Comes By Hearing is not solely focused on children, we seek out opportunities to present Bible listening programs to children and youth in cooperation with our partners. At this conference I gained a new appreciation for the urgency and unique nature of ministry to children which I intend to incorporate into our international strategy to an even greater degree.’

Dr Kevin E. Lawson (Chair, Society for Children’s Spirituality: Christian Perspectives, Inc.) ‘The launching of the Global Children's Forum provides an opportunity for leaders of Christian children's ministry organizations who share a common concern for the lives of children to learn from each other, complement each others' efforts, and develop collaborative initiatives around the world. We don't yet know the scope of what we can do together, but we do know that God calls us to support each other and look for ways to cooperate in furthering the church's ministry with children. We're just beginning.’