The Buzz Driven Children's Minsitry

I try to stay current in the field of Children's Ministry. It's part of my job description. But more importantly, I know I have a lot to learn. This is one area that blogs have been a big help for me.

One thing that bothers me is how obsessed many 'leading children's ministries' are with building buzz into their programs. It seems like every other day I read about a new way to get kids 'buzzing' about my ministry. To be fair - I do want kids to get excited about our church. But I think the Gospel gets lost in this ministry paradigm. If we condition our kids to look for fancy new decorations at church won't they be disappointed when the buzz wears off?

Too much of what we do is a distraction. Suppose you are preaching about Jesus Christ as the all satisfying Treasure of the universe. You pour your soul into every phrase. Silently you heart is crying to God to open the eyes of these children to see His glory. Then you look over at little Johnny who is too mesmerized with the latest animated decoration to hear anything you just said. I don't think that is a deal worth making.