Research has shown that a whopping 52% of under-4s in England attend a church-led toddler group. For many mums, a local church-based toddler group provides vital relational and practical support. How can we go on to harness the huge gospel potential of these groups?
The challenges
The key to effective toddler group ministry is relationships—but these can be hard to develop! There is often a high ratio of non-church to church parents at toddler groups—as well as lots of practical tasks that threaten to take over.
Toddler group veteran Mary Winter says: “It’s easy to get mums along to these groups, but it’s much more difficult to integrate them into the church family. The few church members involved are often outnumbered by those who come along—and are tied up with making drinks and organising activities—we don’t get to spend as much time with them as we would like.”
And even where there is time to chat, it can be difficult to move beyond small talk. “During the session I make a point of going round the room and chatting to everyone” says Isabel, who runs a group in Lancashire, “but the hardest thing is actually finding opportunities for spiritual conversations. It’s easy to talk about everyday stuff, but harder to find time to speak about anything deeper.”
It’s a dilemma that prompted Mary to develop Wonderfully Made: a course which encourages parents to discuss the highs and lows of parenting, while introducing them to some of the foundational truths of the Christian faith.
“If we can make space for spiritual conversations, it often reveals a sense of spiritual hunger. Having children plunges people into a world of questions they never had to consider before. From: ‘What should I be feeding them?’ to, ‘What should I be doing now to give them the best start in life?’
Having children plunges people into a world of questions they never had to consider before.
“But having children also raises other—bigger—questions. ‘What should I teach them about right and wrong?’ ‘How can I help them reach their potential?’ And many new parents staring at the amazing miracle of a beautiful baby ask the question: ‘Is there a God out there who has given me this gift, and who loves me?’ This spiritual openness makes toddler groups a quietly fruitful ministry for so many churches.”
The quiet fruit
Isabel explains how she used her toddler group to reach out with the good news:
“Several years ago there was a group of six Mums that had really gelled as a group. I invited them round to my house for Christmas dinner together first to get to know them a bit better. Then in the new year I took the plunge and just asked them if they wanted to look at the Bible together—and they did! We met at church once a week, and a retired member of our congregation offered to run a crèche for the children. We did a course that very simply went through the basics of the gospel.
“Of those six mums, one quickly decided that she didn’t believe any of it, and another moved away from the area soon after. But one of them, Jane, obviously wanted to know more after the course had finished so we kept studying the Bible together and she started coming to church. Over time God’s Spirit worked in her life through his word. And as she started growing, she started serving too; helping with our Holiday Bible Club, and teaching Sunday School.
“Her daughter is a teenager now, and is a regular at our church youth group—she’s showing signs of a real living faith of her own. So an initial contact at toddler group has grown into a decade of God at work in a whole family—it’s been amazing to see.”
Keep going
Those serving in some way at a church toddler group need support, encouragement and recognition from the church leadership. Toddler groups are not just a wonderful service to the community, but are involved in what is potentially the biggest evangelistic opportunity in your church. If you are a church leader, perhaps you could think with them about what resources they need to make their ministry more effective.
Toddler groups are not just a wonderful service to the community, but are involved in what is potentially the biggest evangelistic opportunity in your church.
If you are involved in a toddler group yourself, you may find the idea of being more pro-active evangelistically a bit intimidating. Wonderfully Made is designed to be the perfect bridge between everyday conversation and a fuller evangelistic course such as Christianity Explored. It’s a gentle introduction to some foundational Christian truths, showing how they connect with issues faced as a parent of small children, such as tiredness, isolation and relationship strain.
And for church members, it’s good to think how we can be an encouragement to this important, but often overlooked, ministry. Some may be able to offer their time to practical service—but everyone can pray. Make a point of asking those involved how the group is going, and how you can pray for them. Your toddler group will be greatly enriched by the support and prayers of the whole church family.
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Rachel Jones is the author of A Brief Theology of Periods (Yes, really), Is This It?, and several books in the award-winning Five Things to Pray series, and serves as Vice President (Editorial) at The Good Book Company. She helps teach kids and serves on the mission core team at her church, King's Church Chessington, in Surrey, UK.
