Transitions

There are many transition points in an our lives: learning how to walk, start school, move up groups in sports, move homes, graduate from primary school to intermediates. And while each milestone is often a wonderful achievement and marker for celebration, there can also be an element of grief that goes with it. 

There has also been research looking at how churches can improve how they transition children to older youth ministries, as many kids 'fall through the gaps' and do not  move smoothly into a new season of ministry. 

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.
Luke 15:4-5 (NIV)

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Pass on the baton well 

You may have a group of children moving onto different ministries, and it's important to focus on the individual. Here are some tips for passing on the baton to youth leaders. 

• Introduce them to their new youth leaders early.
• Consider transitioning children to youth groups in the last term of year 6 or year 8, so they have time to settle in before the big changes of going to intermediate/high school. 
• Invite kids to a youth group social to make friends. They are more likely to come along if they know someone else. 
• Make your children and youth ministry visible - communicate, signs, talk, share

Celebration and grief

In the Old Testament, building cairns (heaps of stones) served as physical memorials, boundary markers, or witness monuments to mark sacred encounters, covenants, or graves. They were built so that future generations would ask their meaning and remember God's actions. Marking these periods of transition in the life of a child helps them create a memory marker, that they can reflect on in years to come and remember God's faithfulness in that period of change. 

These times of transition can also expected triggers of grief. Seasons end, friendships change, and goodbyes are hard. There are opportunities to seek God and model healthy grieving to young people in these moments. 

Resources

• ​Back to School Blessing - a great kete of ideas and resources for marking the start of a new academic year, and praying for students and teachers in your church congregation. 
• Leaving services (Prayer spaces in schools)
• Smooth Transitions (Children's Ministry)
• It's your Move (SUNZ book, $5)
• Our Farewell Song (worship for everyone)