Should HSM dance its way into your Kid's Church?

One of the biggest events in kid culture happened this past weekend.

Did you catch it?

In 2006 Disney aired its biggest Original Movie ever – High School Musical. During its preview week this fresh, new, preteen hip hop musical garnered over 7.7 million viewers!

It took the kid world by storm!

What started out as a low budget, made for TV movie, has turned into a multi-billion dollar franchise that covers everything from movies, t-shirts, posters, toys, Broadway spinoffs, Disney on Ice show, concerts, etc.

It is huge!

In 2007 Disney released HSM’s sequel which drew over twice as many viewers as its predecessor – $17.3 Million on the first night! Kids were hosting “High School Musical Parties” and inviting friends over to spend the night and sing along with Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan and the rest of the East High Wildcats.

Last Friday Disney released High School Musical 3. This time the show wasn’t launched on TV, but made its way to the big screen raking in more than $82 Million dollars in its opening weekend. That’s a lot of dough.

So, what makes High School Musical so popular?

Kids love the catchy songs, the fresh look, the high energy, and the pure fun of the films. Parents like them because they are relatively clean movies that reinforce core values such as friendship, hard work, loyalty, humility, team work, kindness, equality, and treating everyone as equals – regardless of popularity or perceived abilities.

Paul Asay, writer for Focus on the Family’s “Plugged In” movie reviews states, “HSM3 salutes friendship, family, responsibility and opportunity. It embraces the idea of dreaming big?”

Whether you agree with movies or not, we must recognize that the High School Musical franchise is big. So big in fact, that it has made tremendous ripples on the sea of Kid culture that affects every elementary to high school age kid.

I guarantee, even in apostolic churches, that the majority of our kids have seen HSM 1 & 2, and will most likely see 3 some time in the near future.

Knowing this, what are your thoughts concerning the use of movies to illustrate Biblical principles of friendship, loyalty, accepting people despite their differences, hard work, maturity, selfishness, etc?

I’ve heard of churches using clips of High School Musical in Bible Studies and Kid’s Church lessons in order to illustrate a point with something the kids know and relate to.

Is there value in such a tactic?

I’m not promoting this idea, just opening the door for discussion. Whichever side you fall on, we must all recognize the major impact HSM has made in the world of Kids. If we let it go unanalyzed, we could potentially miss something that could give us a clue into the minds and interests of this generation of kids.

So please, comment below and let me know your thoughts. Would you use clips from HSM in your Kid’s Church or Bible Study? Would you use the popularity of this phenomenon to help convey Biblical truths? Is there value in it? Or does it take away from spirituality and Biblical teaching?

Praying with children at the altar - PART TWO

As a Children’s Evangelist, one of the things I wrestle with the most is the desire to give kids the Holy Ghost. I wish that every child, in every service, would receive the baptism of God’s Spirit.

I would often take this request to God, and before each service I would pray for God to fill kids with the Holy Ghost during the altar call. While I don’t believe there is anything inherently wrong with such a request, I realized one day that I was working to convince God to fill a child with his Spirit.

That is ridiculous!

God – in his own gentle way – reminded me one day in prayer that it was HE who had died for those children, NOT me. I realized at that moment what I was doing in prayer, and that I didn’t have to try and convince God to give someone the Holy Ghost…

He wants them to receive it more than I do!

HE died to give it to them!

When this simple revelation hit me, it created a paradigm shift in my thinking. I now understood that my purpose as a Children’s Minister was to get kids into the presence of God so that HE could do what he has purposed to do.

That is the goal of an altar service, to bring the children to a place where they can have an encounter with God and he is able to do in their hearts what he has purposed to do during that service.

Now, I said all that to say this – the steps that I am laying out in this post are those that my wife and I use when praying with a child to receive the Holy Ghost. Do they always receive the Holy Ghost? No. Not always.

There is no sure fire formula for getting kids to speak in tongues. There is no process, no procedure except to lead them through the Biblical plan of repentance and help them get to a place where God can do his thing.

That is your main goal as an altar worker. Lead them the Biblical way, and get them to God – he’ll do the rest.

So, how do you pray with a child at the altar?

If they want Jesus to give them the Holy Ghost

Ask them if they know what the Holy Ghost is: This may seem like a simple question, but the truth of the matter is that a lot of kids – even those raised in church - do not know exactly what the Holy Ghost is. When they hear Ghost, they think of Halloween or Casper, or the standard image that is associated with “Ghost.”

Explain to the child that the Holy Ghost is God coming to live in their hearts and that it is nothing to be afraid of. God loves them so much that he wants to live inside their hearts and he does that through the Holy Ghost.

Ask them if they know how to get the Holy Ghost: By the time a child gets to the altar, all they may know is that they need the Holy Ghost – after all, they have heard about it all service long.

But, they may not know how to receive it. Take the time to explain it to them. It is ok to stop a kid who is praying in order to make sure they have understanding. This will not quench the Spirit; instead it will focus the prayer.

Have the child raise their hands: Again, this step isn’t a necessity, but it teaches the child to be comfortable praying with raised hands, and encourages them to open up in prayer.

Ask if you can lay your hands on their head: Remember. It is very important that we mind where we touch a child during an altar service. Unless you are the parent of the child praying, I would recommend reserving your touching to their elbows – in order to support their arms – and their foreheads.

Always ask them if they mind you laying your hand on their forehead. We are not always privy to the history of each child and can inadvertently create uncomfortable feelings, even when our intentions are pure.

Lead them in repentance: Tell them that the Bible says that in order to receive the Holy Ghost we must first repent which means to ask God to forgive us for all the bad things we have done. Ask them if they have ever done things they knew they weren’t supposed to do; then tell them that is what sin is and we need to ask God to forgive us.

At this point I usually encourage the child to starting telling God about the things they have done wrong. If the child is praying, then I usually pray for them and ask God to give them a heart of repentance and Godly sorrow; if they are not praying, I usually lead them and give them direction on what to say.

Bro. Lloyd Squires, the Don of Children’s Ministry in our movement, suggests that we wait for tears. I agree. Tears are a good indicator that the child is getting in touch with God and is truly repenting. In all my experience I have only known one girl to receive the Holy Ghost without tears, and she was a unique case. Children are tender, and when we see the tears we know they are connecting.

Lead them in prayer: With kids it is often a necessity that those who are praying with them at the altar lead them in prayer. Many adults who come to the altar to pray do not have a clue on what to say or how to pray successfully. This is much more the case with kids.

It is ok to tell a child what to say during prayer. This shouldn’t be confused with teaching someone how to speak in tongues. The Holy Ghost can’t be taught – it is spirit directed, not man directed. However, we can give the child direction and give them words to speak. For example, I will often tell a child “talk to Jesus just like he is your best friend, because that is what he is. Tell him, ‘I love you Jesus,’ ‘I worship you,’ etc.” I’ve found that many times a child will take the direction and before long get into the groove of prayer and start praying themselves. Don’t be afraid to lead a kid in prayer, if they are left to try and figure it out on their own they won’t get it.

Additional Tips

Tell the kids what to expect: Kids don’t always know what to expect when the Holy Ghost begins to move on them. I often let them know that it is ok to say words that do not seem to make sense. I often see kids who will stop praying because they are trying to articulate their prayers when the Holy Ghost is taking control of their tongue and they feel like what they are about to say doesn’t make sense. Remind kids that when they start speaking in tongues, they won’t understand what they are saying and that they shouldn’t try to make their words sound like English.

Get them talking: Kids often have the tendency to come to the altar and just stand there with their head down and mouth closed. This is because they don’t know what they are supposed to do when at the altar. When praying for a child, make sure they are praying as well. God can’t cause them to speak in tongues if they aren’t talking. Admonish them not to just stand there, but to talk to God.

To illustrate this I often ask the kids if they have a best friend and what that best friend’s name is. I then ask if their friend has ever spent the night with them. When they say “yes,” I ask them if they just sit there and stare at their friend all night and never talk to them? This usually provokes a smile and a “no.” I inform them that praying is the same thing, Jesus wants to give them the Holy Ghost, but he can’t if they aren’t talking.

By leading a child in prayer we can help them learn what to say and how to pray. This is also true of kids who just cry when praying. I want these kids to feel the Spirit of God, so I try not to stop them from crying, but at the same time they can’t get the Holy Ghost without talking so I try to get them to talk and pray while they are feeling the moving of the Holy Ghost.

In conclusion

I want to remind you that a children’s altar call can vary drastically from an adult altar call. A lot of times, during an adult crusade, the altar call is given with high energy, emotionalism, and is filled with adults whose heart strings were pulled and conviction had set in during the preaching. While this is the case, at times, with kids as well, a lot of times it is not.

Kids have the unique ability to go from 0 to 60 in about 5 seconds when it comes to praying at the altar; they are sensitive and pure enough to do that. Often times when a child’s altar call is given, it may start off by looking like nothing is going to happen. I’ve felt this way before and God reminded me that he still has the power to create something, when nothing seems to exist. He reminded me that my job was to get the kids into his presence and that HE would do the rest.

If the altar call starts off and doesn’t look powerful, don’t let that fool or discourage you. Get in front of the kids and aggressively work the altar knowing that God WILL move. Once you get the kids to start responding to the Spirit of God, you will discover that what seemed to be a dry and powerless altar call is in actuality a powerful demonstration of God’s Spirit.

It may start off slow, but if you have faith and don’t give up then I guarantee that 45 minutes later, when the altar call winds to a close, you will have kids all across the altar weeping, praying, and full of the Holy Ghost.

I’ve seen it many, many times.

Now go pray those kids through, and may the Lord’s anointing be on you in Jesus’ Name! :)

If you have any questions, comments, or topics you would like to see discussed on Culture Watch please post a comment or send me an email at jcastorina@castorinaministries.com

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Praying with children at the altar - PART ONE

Traveling to various churches and events we are often asked the question, “How do you pray with kids at the altar?”

For a lot of people altar working is a confusing time during the service; especially when the altar is filled with kids. I’ve been told more than once by a well meaning adult that they really want to pray with the kids when they go to the front, but they just don’t know how.

When you consider the fact that a lot of Christians are stumped when praying for another adult during an altar call, it is pretty easy to understand why their trepidation increases when a child is the one seeking a spiritual encounter.

When I first started praying with children I know many of the thoughts I had to battle before I was confident in my altar working abilities. “What do you do if the kid won’t talk?” “Do they even understand what is going on?” “Do kids really know how to pray?” “How do I lead them in prayer in a way that they’ll understand?”

In this post I have outlined the process my wife and I use when praying with children. Hopefully the steps posted here will help others learn how to effectively work with children who are praying at the altar.

Before the Altar Call:

Psych yourself up: Before each service – whether I am preaching it or not – I begin by psyching myself up for the altar call. Remind yourself that there will be an altar call. Kids will respond, they will get the Holy Ghost, and you will be there to pray them through.

By psyching yourself up for the altar call you build your expectations of what is going to happen. When you expect the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, and when you expect children to pray through, then your mind and heart will be ready when the outpouring starts.

Get into the service: It is easy for an adult to allow themselves to become disconnected in a service geared toward children. Fight that tendency! Just like in any service, if you are disconnected during the service it is extremely difficult to become connected during the altar call.

Get into the service. Sing the songs, do the motions, get into the preaching. If you are connected during the service, you will be connected during the altar call.

Get full of the Holy Ghost yourself: It is hard to transfer water from an empty vessel. It is also difficult to follow the spirit if the spirit is not in you. Season the period before the service with prayer.

Don’t walk into a children’s service dry and expect something to happen. Spend time in prayer before you walk into service and get full of the Holy Ghost yourself. When you are full of the Holy Ghost you will be successful in helping others become full of the Holy Ghost.

During the Altar Call:

Ask the child their name: Kid’s love hearing the sound of their own name. Use it often throughout the time you are praying with them. Using their name also helps focus the child on your voice and lets them know you aren’t just talking, but that you are talking specifically to them and that they should listen.

Ask the child what they want Jesus to do for them: It is easy to assume that a child, who is at the altar and seriously praying, is seeking the Holy Ghost. This isn’t necessarily true. Ask the child what they want Jesus to do for them and then listen to their answer. It will tell you where they’re at, and give you direction on how to lead them in prayer.

If they want prayer for something other than the Holy Ghost:

Have the child raise their hands: This step isn’t a necessity, but it teaches the child to be comfortable praying with raised hands, and encourages them to open up in prayer.

Ask the child if it is ok to lay your hand on their head: It is very important that we mind where we touch a child during an altar service. Unless you are the parent of the child praying, I would recommend reserving your touching to their elbows – in order to support their arms – and their foreheads.

Always ask them if they mind you laying your hand on their forehead. We are not always privy to the history of each child and can inadvertently create uncomfortable feelings, even when our intentions are pure.

Seriously pray for the request – even if it is funny: It is fine if a child wants Christ to do something for them other than give them the Holy Ghost. I’ve prayed with kids who were sad because their uncle had died. They didn’t want the Holy Ghost specifically, they wanted comfort. I’ve also prayed with kids who requested prayer for their “sick” pets. While it can be hard for an adult to take such a request seriously, we must remember that this need is very serious to the child and by filling their request we teach them that no need is too small for our great God to hear.

There is one thing I want to note about these “Non-Holy Ghost” requests. They often become door openers to kids getting the Holy Ghost. When you start praying for that uncle, or that pet, the kids will feel the moving of the spirit and they will respond.

ALWAYS pray a blessing over the child: After you have prayed for the child’s request, pray a blessing over the child. Ask God to cultivate a love for him in their heart. Plead the blood of Jesus over the child, and ask for God’s divine protection as they walk through this sin filled world. Ask God to plant a love for the word, and a love for prayer in their heart. Ask him to alleviate their fears, and fill them with peace and joy.

Let the Holy Ghost lead you in praying a blessing over a child. There have been many times when God has used this time to minister to a need the child has been dealing with.

Encourage them to keep praying and not stop: They may not have started off by seeking the Holy Ghost, but I have seen the “Non-Holy Ghost” prayers lead there. Once you are done praying a blessing over the child encourage them to continue praying. Ask them if they want Jesus to do something else for them and then start the process over.

The main goal is to bring the child into an encounter with God. Keep them praying at the altar as long as they want, they will stop if they think they’re done. Encourage them to keep praying. The longer they stay in the presence of God, the more likely they are to respond to that presence.


To be continued……….