I work primarily in university ministry, so I’m fairly flexible to do a range of things at church on Sundays. But there’s one way I serve people seem most surprised by and I don’t think that they should be: while I’m not on the creche roster, I fill in when someone on the team is unable to find a replacement.
I’m away from my own church around once month because I have churches that partner with my ministry and I want to keep them informed about what I’m up to. I also visit other churches to promote the work of Bush Church Aid (a mission organisation close to my heart). Along the way, I may or may not be preaching or leading a service because the pastor of the church I’m visiting is in need of a break. When I am at my church, I mostly want to just be a member of the congregation; but members of congregations serve. Hence, if you visit my church, you might see me leading a service or helping set up tables for lunch. You might even see me looking after the smallest members of our congregation in creche. Our congregation is very encouraging of all the different ways that people serve, but it’s my work looking after little kids for ninety minutes that seems to surprise people most.
An Opportunity to Serve Kids by Freeing up Their Parents
I don’t think it should be surprising that I want to help out with creche. Yes, my wife organises the creche roster. But we both really care about it because when our kids were young, other people helped us in the same way. My wife and I were freed up to be attentively present in more church services than would have otherwise been possible. Having reaped the spiritual benefits from others’ practical service to us, my wife and are really happy to repay the favour to the next group of parents coming through.
Creche isn’t trying to teach kids directly like Sunday school. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t serve the kids. Parents of babies and toddlers regularly miss church because of sickness. They often show up to church low on sleep. Creche serves the kids directly by making them part of the family of believers from the earliest age. They are welcome to come and find love and care from their older brothers and sisters. Creche serves kids indirectly by ensuring their parents (often especially mums) get uninterrupted spiritual nourishment in the service.
Low Expectations of Men?
I don’t quite know why people comment when I’m on creche. Perhaps they are surprised to see an ordained minister playing with little kids during church. Perhaps people have low expectations when it comes to men’s abilities to look after infants (it’s really not that hard, and you get better with practice!). Perhaps it’s because they think a person with up-front gifts is being humble by serving behind the scenes. Whatever the combination of reasons, I hope that they are as encouraging and supportive of the women who serve in creche.
I really don’t think it should be remarkable that a man would minister to little kids. Jesus welcomed the little children who were brought to him and said, “the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mk 10:14). It should be unsurprising for any adult who follows Jesus to sign up to welcome anyone, of any age, to whom the kingdom belongs. Who cares if we look silly? David was willing to make himself low in the eyes of others in praise of his God (2 Sam 6:1–5, 16, 20–22), surely we can play some peekaboo with an infant. David’s men crawled through a sewer to serve their messiah (2 Sam 5:8), we get off much easier and text parents when nappies need changing. We might feel lowly and look silly, but in Jesus’ kingdom those who want to be great should be slaves of all.
Most of Us Could Serve in This Way
Yes, there are people who should not be helping at creche. We all have different gifts and opportunities to serve. We all have different limitations and flaws. But I am surprised that it is perennially difficult to find people to serve Christ and his church on a creche team. After essential safe ministry training, creche is usually as simple as smiling, reading books, singing songs, playing with trucks, blowing bubbles, then packing up and wiping things down. Most people in church could do that, right?
Here is a great opportunity to show love, protection and warmth to God’s own children. Why aren’t more of us, particularly men, wanting to do it? Even if there is some cause (whether nurture or nature, personal preference or otherwise) that makes men less interested in engaging with infants, toddlers and preschoolers, I reckon we can get over it. When you hold in your arms a tiny human—unable to speak, or do much else, but loved by God, and for whom Christ has died—you gain a better understanding of how remarkable our loving Father truly is. He loves us not for anything we can do, but because of who he is.
I’d love to hear that in response to reading this article you’ve signed up to help out at your church’s creche or Sunday school. What a great way to be able to serve God’s people! I’d love to hear that in your church it is perfectly normal for men to joyfully serve in this ministry. Because I’d love for it to not be remarkable, but normal.
