I am a big fan of the amazing people who serve in nursery and preschool ministry.

Notice I used the word "ministry." Why? Because that's what it is. In fact, I believe it is one of the most important ministries in the local church.

There is no other time in a person's life where they are learning more than in the first three years of their life.

When you hear the words "child care," you think of someone who is just "babysitting." But for those who work in nursery and preschool ministry, you know it goes so much deeper than that.

Nursery and preschool volunteers have a big part when a young couple comes to Christ. Because the volunteers are there and help the young couple feel comfortable enough to leave their child and go to the service, they have a part in the couple's decision to begin a relationship with Jesus.

They also have the opportunity to lay a foundation in children's spiritual lives as they read God's Word to them and pray over them. Just as Timothy's mother and grandmother helped him "know the Word of God" that would lead to his salvation in later years, so these precious volunteers have a part in planting and watering the gospel seeds they place into the hearts and minds of the little ones they minister to.

For those who call it "child care," please stop. It's so much more than just that.

For those who serve in the nursery and preschool ministry, be encouraged. Your heart for children is so evident. Thank you for being there at the most crucial time in the children's lives. You are planting the seeds of God's Word into their heart. And those seeds will bear fruit now and for the rest of the children's lives.

Babysitters watch kids for the income. Nursery and preschool volunteers invest in kids for the outcome.

Babysitters tend to the physical needs of children. Nursery and preschool volunteers tend to the physical and spiritual needs of children.

Babysitters work for a job. Nursery and preschool volunteers work for a calling.

Babysitters are entrusted with the safety of the child. Nursery and preschool volunteers are entrusted not only with the safety of children, but with their spiritual care as well.

A babysitter changes diapers. Nursery and preschool volunteers change lives.

I believe in nursery and preschool ministry. What happens inside that room is just as important as what happens in the adult service.

For nursery and preschool volunteers, I pray you will understand just how crucial your ministry is. May God pour a fresh anointing and passion into your life for the calling He has placed you in.

Dale Hudson is a ministry builder. As a children's pastor, he has helped build some of the largest and fastest-growing children's ministries in the country. At Cross Church, he led the children's ministry to double in size. At Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, he helped the church grow from 8,000 to 16,000 in four years, with the majority of the growth coming from reaching unchurched families.

For the original article, visit releveantchildrensministry.com.

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