From Toddlers to Teens and Beyond
Counties’ ministry with young people continues to be a major strength.
Why Young Children’s Ministry Matters.
John Hardwick, Counties Evangelist, shares his passion for sowing seeds in young hearts. He works predominantly in children’s ministry in Cambridge.
Tell us what you’ve been up to lately.
I returned from a week at Oswestry Showground's Christian Camping and Caravan Conference. I led the Family Celebration and the children's programme. One dad thanked me, saying that his children were so enthusiastic. They talked about it all the way home last year, then found my YouTube Channel and watched all the videos. They follow me online. He also said they had nagged him to book their place this year, as they didn't want to miss out on seeing Charlie (puppet monkey) and John again.
I mix fast, upfront storytelling, drama, quizzes, games, crafts, and circus skills. You must try to make the programme exciting; otherwise, why would they want to give up climbing trees or swinging on ropes? So, the fact that the children queue up early is a real testament to the programme.
How did you get into children’s ministry?
My dad was really into drama, and I performed as a teenager. I followed my father into the construction industry but decided to join the Saltmine Trust drama group for five years. I always loved music and drama; as a child, I learned to juggle. I always had a ‘funny face’. One day, I was asked by a head teacher in my church if I wanted to take a school assembly, and I did because I realised that I could use all these skills I’d developed over the years. I discovered I had a gift, meaning I could perform in front of 400 children and make them laugh while talking about Jesus.
Your ministry is much broader than this, though.
I take RE days in schools. I teach about Christianity around the world and its influence. I focus on a Bible story in a creative way. I also go through the Gospel and God’s master plan—it’s very interactive, with a question-and-answer period at the end.
I also tour with a Trust called GenR8. We visit around five schools daily and do a half-hour presentation using drama, puppetry, and music. Oh, and I take ‘Messy Churches,’ family events, all-age services, and training events.
A lot of what you do is online – is it proving popular?
My videos are approaching almost one million views. I regularly get 15,000 views a month on my channel. Some songs don’t get many views, and others get thousands. I wrote one called ‘The Colours of Easter,’ which had 25,000 views. They are not just worship songs, but songs schools can use to explain events like Easter.
Why does children’s ministry matter?
Because it mattered to Jesus, when His disciples were squabbling over who was the greatest, he didn’t say “Moses” or “Elijah”, he said: “Unless you change and become like children, you’ll never enter Heaven, or he said: “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me”. And somehow, the church doesn’t always seem to focus on the fact that these children, at the very beginning of their lives, should be the key focal point of our ministry, and sometimes they get overlooked.
If you ever ask questions of adults in church about when they first started to go to church, the vast majority will say “as children”. Today, you present these stories to children who have never heard them before – they don’t know the end of David and Goliath. A lot of what I do is about planting seeds, which the Holy Spirit can use at any time. It’s not my job to convert them, although ultimately, I’d love to; my job is to show them God’s way. I teach them Bible stories and songs, and engage them, so that as they move on in life, that firm foundation is there for them. That’s a real privilege.
John is also available to work in your church with children focused events such as holiday clubs, mini-missions, all-age services, special outreach events. You can contact John directly through his website johnhardwick.org.
“I still remember how you could hold a tent of 500 children spellbound in an assembly. Us tent leaders were in awe of you; we only had a mere 50 kids to deal with. They were wonderful times.“ - Judith, Saffron Waldon VBS Summer Camp
“John came to work with us in 2013 for our first holiday club. This led on to the Monday club, some all-age worship services, Messy Church and since then we’ve had so many more young people and families joining in our services. It’s just been great fun getting to see them learning more about God.“ - Gill, Roston Methodist Church
“John, I personally know how great the message you bring is from attending Histon Holiday Club as a child who wasn’t brought up in a church, and my first experience of hearing the Bible came from your songs.“ - Katie Campbell, Pastor at C3 Community Church, Cambridge
“John’s holiday club books are written with so much care. The children absolutely love their week here with you. We hear them talking about it for weeks and weeks afterwards, especially Charlie the monkey.“ - Katharyne, St. andrews, Cheam