{"id":4859,"date":"2019-06-10T12:46:42","date_gmt":"2019-06-10T17:46:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/?p=4859"},"modified":"2019-06-10T12:46:42","modified_gmt":"2019-06-10T17:46:42","slug":"are-boys-and-girls-programs-a-thing-of-the-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/2019\/06\/10\/are-boys-and-girls-programs-a-thing-of-the-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Boys\u2019 and Girls\u2019 Programs a Thing of the Past?"},"content":{"rendered":"

For almost 20 years, I was a children\u2019s pastor. My most difficult hurdle was having enough leaders to assist in the classroom or a room large enough to hold everyone. Usually, the only solution was to corral all the children in one large room where, with the help of very few adults, you could still have a wonderful program with minimal disruptions. That continues to be the dilemma in most churches today, however, several very important opportunities for ministry are lost in those settings. Boys\u2019 and girls\u2019 programs can be the small group solution designed to meet those needs.<\/p>\n

Boys and girls are different. We all know that and so do children. Their gender identity flows to every cell of their bodies, and how they perceive and interact in their world is very different.\u00a0 They learn, play, and think differently because that is how God made them, but we miss opportunities to mentor and encourage those differences when ministry only happens in mixed company.<\/p>\n

Here are my five reasons why gender-specific programs are so vital in a church setting:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. There are greater opportunities for mentoring and modeling by adult leaders<\/em><\/strong>. Just because children attend church does not mean they have godly examples at home. With divorce so prevalent, even in our churches, many children do not have a father in the home, and in the case of young boys, a godly male figure is fundamental for their spiritual development. Boys\u2019 and girls\u2019 programs are the perfect setting for the mentoring and modeling process.<\/li>\n
  2. Gender-specific groups allow instruction about the wonderful way God created men and women.<\/em><\/strong> Current culture has taken a new twist with gender identity. It is not what gender your genetics say, but with what gender people associate. These are strange ideas that today\u2019s culture is using to bombard the minds of our children. Without a core understanding that God has designed us male and female, children can quickly be sucked into the black hole of today\u2019s gender identity and LGBT movements that are contrary to God\u2019s Word.<\/li>\n
  3. Small groups allow for gender-specific questions<\/em><\/strong>. From the ages of 6-13, children develop physically and spiritually at a rapid rate. Often, children might bring up questions that they wouldn\u2019t ask their parents and would never ask in the company of the opposite sex. Parents should be the primary people to answer those questions, but gender-specific small groups are the perfect setting to teach children biblically based answers for developing minds and bodies.<\/li>\n
  4. Children are more secure in expressing problems or revealing issues at home.<\/em><\/strong> If you\u2019ve been around kids for a while, you know that they can tell you information about their home life that would make their parents cringe. Often, those stories are a source of immense humor, but on occasions church leadership can hear a cry for help from one of their students. Small, gender-specific groups are the ideal setting for those problems to surface, and trusted leaders can get them the help they need or notify authorities if necessary.<\/li>\n
  5. Gender-specific programs can be an open invitation to win your community.<\/em><\/strong> Not all boys love football, and not all girls love makeup. However, usually boys and girls enjoy very different types of activities. Providing activities that appeal to specific genders will have kids bringing their friends. Activities can be a specific method to drive home the weekly lesson or just be a source of enjoyment for busy kids. Either way, small group gender-specific activities develop lifelong memories of fun at church. This can never be accomplished in Sunday morning attire with 200 kids to corral.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Almost any day, you can browse the posts on Facebook and find another \u201cgender reveal\u201d from some very excited parents. They wait with anticipation for the arrival of a boy or girl and begin preparing for their arrival. We too should celebrate the distinct differences we have between boys and girls in our local churches. Like never before those distinctions are being attacked. As a children\u2019s pastor, I would have never believed that such distortion would be accepted in society, but we know that it is a sign of the Lord\u2019s soon return. As churches and children\u2019s leaders, we must take an offensive approach and begin now, securing the minds of our boys and girls. One of the best places to see our children flourish is through gender-specific programs.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Rachel King serves as the Discipleship Ministries director for Sonshine Network Ministries. She also serves on the IPHC Discipleship Ministries Council. Rachel\u2019s experience in children\u2019s ministry has served her well in both of these capacities. She is a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She and her husband, Mark, reside in Orlando, Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":4915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1,27],"tags":[704,729,1082,251,22,759],"class_list":{"0":"post-4859","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-discipleship-ministries","8":"category-general","9":"category-girls-ministries-childrens-ministries","10":"tag-all-generations","11":"tag-girl-talk","12":"tag-boys-ministries","13":"tag-girls-ministries","14":"tag-kids-ministries","15":"tag-rachel-king","16":"entry"},"title_es":"\u00bfSon los programas de ni\u00f1os y ni\u00f1as una cosa del pasado?","content_es":"Durante casi 20 a\u00f1os, fui pastor de ni\u00f1os. Mi obst\u00e1culo m\u00e1s dif\u00edcil fue tener suficientes l\u00edderes para ayudar en el aula o en una sala lo suficientemente grande como para albergar a todos. Por lo general, la \u00fanica soluci\u00f3n era acorralar a todos los ni\u00f1os en una habitaci\u00f3n grande donde, con la ayuda de muy pocos adultos, a\u00fan podr\u00eda tener un programa maravilloso con m\u00ednimas interrupciones. Ese sigue siendo el dilema en la mayor\u00eda de las iglesias de hoy, sin embargo, se pierden varias oportunidades importantes para el ministerio en esos entornos. Los programas para ni\u00f1os y ni\u00f1as pueden ser la soluci\u00f3n para grupos peque\u00f1os dise\u00f1ada para satisfacer esas necesidades. Los ni\u00f1os y las ni\u00f1as son diferentes. Todos lo sabemos y los ni\u00f1os tambi\u00e9n. Su identidad de g\u00e9nero fluye a cada c\u00e9lula de sus cuerpos, y la forma en que perciben e interact\u00faan en su mundo es muy diferente. Ellos aprenden, juegan y piensan de manera diferente porque as\u00ed es como Dios los cre\u00f3, pero perdemos oportunidades de ser mentores y alentar esas diferencias cuando el ministerio solo ocurre en compa\u00f1\u00eda mixta. Aqu\u00ed est\u00e1n mis cinco razones por las que los programas espec\u00edficos de g\u00e9nero son tan vitales en el entorno de una iglesia:\r\n

      \r\n \t
    1. Hay mayores oportunidades de tutor\u00eda y modelado por parte de l\u00edderes adultos<\/em><\/strong> . El hecho de que los ni\u00f1os asistan a la iglesia no significa que tengan ejemplos piadosos en el hogar. Con el divorcio tan extendido, incluso en nuestras iglesias, muchos ni\u00f1os no tienen un padre en el hogar, y en el caso de los ni\u00f1os peque\u00f1os, una figura piadosa es fundamental para su desarrollo espiritual. Los programas para ni\u00f1os y ni\u00f1as son el escenario perfecto para el proceso de tutor\u00eda y modelado.<\/li>\r\n \t
    2. Los grupos espec\u00edficos de g\u00e9nero permiten instrucci\u00f3n acerca de la maravillosa manera en que Dios cre\u00f3 a los hombres y mujeres.<\/em><\/strong> La cultura actual ha dado un nuevo giro con la identidad de g\u00e9nero. No es el g\u00e9nero que dice tu gen\u00e9tica, sino con qu\u00e9 g\u00e9nero se asocia la gente. Estas son ideas extra\u00f1as que la cultura de hoy est\u00e1 usando para bombardear las mentes de nuestros hijos. Sin un entendimiento b\u00e1sico de que Dios nos ha dise\u00f1ado hombres y mujeres, los ni\u00f1os pueden ser r\u00e1pidamente absorbidos por el agujero negro de la identidad de g\u00e9nero de hoy y los movimientos LGBT que son contrarios a la Palabra de Dios.<\/li>\r\n \t
    3. Los grupos peque\u00f1os permiten preguntas espec\u00edficas de g\u00e9nero<\/em><\/strong> . Desde las edades de 6-13, los ni\u00f1os se desarrollan f\u00edsica y espiritualmente a un ritmo r\u00e1pido. A menudo, los ni\u00f1os pueden plantear preguntas que no les har\u00edan a sus padres y nunca har\u00edan en compa\u00f1\u00eda del sexo opuesto. Los padres deben ser las personas principales para responder a estas preguntas, pero los grupos peque\u00f1os espec\u00edficos de g\u00e9nero son el escenario perfecto para ense\u00f1ar a los ni\u00f1os respuestas basadas en la Biblia para desarrollar mentes y cuerpos.<\/li>\r\n \t
    4. Los ni\u00f1os est\u00e1n m\u00e1s seguros al expresar problemas o revelar problemas en el hogar.<\/em><\/strong> Si ha estado rodeado de ni\u00f1os por un tiempo, sabe que pueden proporcionarle informaci\u00f3n sobre su vida familiar que har\u00eda que sus padres se avergonzaran. A menudo, esas historias son una fuente de inmenso humor, pero en ocasiones el liderazgo de la iglesia puede escuchar un grito de ayuda de uno de sus estudiantes. Los grupos peque\u00f1os, espec\u00edficos de g\u00e9nero, son el entorno ideal para que surjan esos problemas, y los l\u00edderes de confianza pueden obtener la ayuda que necesitan o notificar a las autoridades si es necesario.<\/li>\r\n \t
    5. Los programas espec\u00edficos de g\u00e9nero pueden ser una invitaci\u00f3n abierta para ganar su comunidad.<\/em><\/strong> No a todos los ni\u00f1os les encanta el f\u00fatbol, y no a todas las chicas les encanta el maquillaje. Sin embargo, generalmente los ni\u00f1os y las ni\u00f1as disfrutan de diferentes tipos de actividades. Proporcionar actividades que atraigan a g\u00e9neros espec\u00edficos har\u00e1 que los ni\u00f1os traigan a sus amigos. Las actividades pueden ser un m\u00e9todo espec\u00edfico para llevar a casa la lecci\u00f3n semanal o simplemente ser una fuente de entretenimiento para los ni\u00f1os ocupados. De cualquier manera, las actividades espec\u00edficas de g\u00e9nero en grupos peque\u00f1os desarrollan recuerdos de diversi\u00f3n en la iglesia para toda la vida. Esto nunca se puede lograr en la vestimenta del domingo por la ma\u00f1ana con 200 ni\u00f1os por corral.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nCasi cualquier d\u00eda, puede navegar por las publicaciones en Facebook y encontrar otra \"revelaci\u00f3n de g\u00e9nero\" de algunos padres muy entusiasmados. Esperan con anticipaci\u00f3n la llegada de un ni\u00f1o o ni\u00f1a y comienzan a prepararse para su llegada. Nosotros tambi\u00e9n debemos celebrar las diferencias distintivas que tenemos entre ni\u00f1os y ni\u00f1as en nuestras iglesias locales. Como nunca antes, esas distinciones son atacadas. Como pastor de ni\u00f1os, nunca hubiera cre\u00eddo que tal distorsi\u00f3n ser\u00eda aceptada en la sociedad, pero sabemos que es una se\u00f1al del pronto regreso del Se\u00f1or. Como iglesias y l\u00edderes de ni\u00f1os, debemos tomar un enfoque ofensivo y comenzar ahora, asegurando las mentes de nuestros ni\u00f1os y ni\u00f1as. Uno de los mejores lugares para ver florecer a nuestros hijos es a trav\u00e9s de programas espec\u00edficos de g\u00e9nero. \"\"<\/a> Rachel King se desempe\u00f1a como directora de Ministerios de Discipulado para los Ministerios de la Red Sonshine. Ella tambi\u00e9n es miembro del Consejo de Ministerios de Discipulado de la IPHC. La experiencia de Rachel en el ministerio de ni\u00f1os le ha servido bien en estas dos capacidades. Ella es una esposa amorosa, madre y abuela. Ella y su esposo, Mark, residen en Orlando, Florida.","author_name":"Rachel King","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/Are-Boys-and-Girls-Programs-a-Thing-of-the-Past.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4T9u2-1gn","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/discipleship\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}