In the iconic film The Karate Kid, troubled teen Daniel LaRusso finds a father figure and mentor in Mr. Miyagi, a martial artist who ultimately teaches LaRusso the art and philosophy of karate. Mr. Miyagi also teaches LaRusso about life, stepping in to guide the young man toward maturity. Not only does Mr. Miyagi give of his knowledge, he also extends material and financial help to LaRusso and his mother.
Early on in LaRusso’s karate training, he sees Mr. Miyagi perform the film’s signature crane kick. Excitedly, he asks Mr. Miyagi to teach him the kick—to which his mentor replies, “First learn stand, then learn fly. Nature rule, Daniel-san, not mine.”
In martial arts as in life, we must start everything from the very beginning. The same is true in our spiritual lives. When we have excellent mentors who provide resources to help us learn, we’re that much more likely to succeed. This is also true in the church.
A Deeper Connection
The church has a unique opportunity to allocate its precious resources to teaching our children the spiritual disciplines they need to grow in faith and service. Kids’ ministry programs can provide the foundation for the teaching, mentorship and preparation kids need to stand, crawl, walk, run and finally fly from childhood, through their youth, to become spiritually mature adults. There are many ways to do this well, and one of those ways is by creating dedicated spaces to help kids truly absorb and experience God’s love.
I believe the places where we gather to worship should reflect the relationship God wants to build with his creations. This philosophy extends to dedicated children’s spaces, where kids get the chance to learn about God and meet Christ. Churches can create kids’ spaces that use their unique stories to tell God’s ultimate story. My team and I call this a Design Intervention.
Church leaders who embrace the idea of a Design Intervention understand that, as the Creator of all intricate life on Earth, God cares deeply about detail. In the book of Leviticus, God gave the Israelites complete and detailed instructions for designing and building his tabernacle. Every detail, from the specific dimensions of each altar to the colors of linen, was included.
Today, we have a responsibility to utilize the details of our physical worship spaces to solidify our connection to God. And since our kids are the future, there’s no better place to begin than with children’s ministries. My team at PlainJoe: A Storyland Studio has worked to imagine and design a number of inspiring kids’ spaces at churches across the country, and I’d love to share a few of them with you here.
Airship Genesis
The kids’ ministry space station at Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California, is a fantastic spiritual launch pad. My team partnered with Turning Point Ministries’ David Jeremiah—also the pastor at Shadow Mountain—to create this immersive ministry, patterned after their Airship Genesis™ IP (AirshipGenesis.com).
At Shadow Mountain, we created AIM: Academy of Intergalactic Missions, which fell in line with Airship Genesis’ galactic aesthetic. AIM’s story centers around intergalactic missionaries who take the gospel to space explorers, who in turn can spread the good news across the galaxy. The underlying idea behind AIM is that becoming disciples of Christ should be our aim.
Phase 1 of AIM involved outfitting the interior kids’ space with a retro NASA aesthetic. We designed a Mission Control area for voyage launches, themed workspaces for our galactic missionaries, and a basement bay for ship repair. Outside, visitors will find a playground fashioned after an astronaut’s training facility.
An exterior view of AIM reveals that Mission Control is located inside a mountainside inspired by the church’s name. When Shadow Mountain’s space explorers blast off, they can feel the ship rumbling, see flashing lights on the craft, and even hear a launch countdown. The experience is truly immersive and futuristic, while keeping children grounded in their purpose: to honor the Creator of the universe.
Silo Playground/ StoneBridge Hollow
StoneBridge Christian Church is a thriving multisite church serving Nebraska. Their primary campus in Omaha has become well-known locally as “The Silo Church” because of the large silo attached to their Commons building, which houses a four-story playground. StoneBridge makes the silo playground open to families from the community, offering them a chance to enjoy time together while familiarizing them with the church and its mission.
Families who attend worship services at StoneBridge can send their children to Sunday school classes in StoneBridge Hollow, also located in the Commons building. This immersive kids’ space is inspired by a lively, storybook forest aesthetic. It’s a place where children can get to know God and begin their faith journey.
As a metaphor, StoneBridge aims to act as a bridge between God and the community. Likewise, there are two proverbial bridges for kids who encounter the Omaha campus. The silo playground serves as a bridge between young families and the church, while StoneBridge Hollow is a bridge between children and God.
Kid’s District Mining Co.
District Church in El Dorado Hills, California, brought a slice of its own regional heritage into its kids’ ministry through its immersive Kid’s District Mining Co. environment. My team dreamed up creative concepts inspired by the rich gold mining history of the region. El Dorado Hills was central to the California Gold Rush and prominent Pony Express routes.
The idea behind Kid’s District Mining Co. is “Digging into God’s Word to uncover the treasures of the truth, not to be buried but to be taken out into the world.” The area would be the place where families could bring their children to find their true treasures. Then, we went to work designing a space that truly took kids on an adventure.
Kid’s District was crafted to feel like stepping into an actual mine, complete with realistic rock facades. Each hand-carved piece of rock was painted and finished to evoke the look and feel of a 100-year-old mineshaft. We topped off the look with realistic-looking synthetic moss and lichen textures.
We also included real mining equipment and props in the environment, such as picks, a real mine cart, steel buckets with large chains and much more. My team created a natural-looking slide, accessible by rock steps. The addition of running water allowed the children at District Church to go on their own gold mining adventures.
Allocating Resources
Today’s children are the future of the church, both in America and worldwide. Investing more resources into children’s programs and ministry spaces is truly investing in the global church’s future. While the examples above represent larger congregations with significant financial investments, your resources don’t necessarily have to be monetary; investing more time in planning for children’s programs could make a major impact on its own.
Your kids’ ministry doesn’t have to be elaborate like the examples given here or outside your budget, but it should be backed up by plenty of heart and creativity. Churches with less resources and numbers can get ideas from larger churches that fit their context and resources. Building a child’s faith means they must learn to stand before they fly. Children of all ages benefit greatly when church leaders pour their efforts into building intentional, kid-centric programs.