Searching for the One: Investing in Children's Ministry

Devotional

Day 1: The Shepherd Leaves the 99 for the One

A child sits alone at a campfire, unsure if they belong. Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep isn’t about efficiency or majority rule. It’s about love that refuses to abandon the vulnerable, even when the search seems impractical. Camp ministry embodies this relentless pursuit: counselors spend hours planning, praying, and problem-solving for campers who feel unseen. The kingdom prioritizes the one over the crowd, the whispered need over the visible success. This work is sacred not because it’s easy, but because it mirrors Christ’s heart. [38:21]

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.” (Matthew 18:12-13, ESV)

Reflection: When have you felt like the “one” sheep being sought? How might God be calling you to leave familiar spaces to pursue someone who feels forgotten?

Day 2: Do Not Stop Them

A disciple’s hand blocks a child’s path; Jesus’ voice cuts through: “Let them come.” Children’s ministries often get sidelined as optional extras, but Christ’s command leaves no room for conditional hospitality. The kingdom belongs to those who trust like children—not because they’re innocent, but because they know their dependence. Camp Grafton creates spaces where kids aren’t interruptions to holiness but vessels of it. To prioritize children is to align with divine urgency. [39:55]

“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’ And he laid his hands on them and went away.” (Matthew 19:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: Where does your community subtly “stop” children from full belonging? What practical step could you take to center their voices this week?

Day 3: Unseen Seeds in Unlikely Soil

A camper’s laughter echoes decades later in a memory they’ll never share with their counselor. Ministry to the young is farming, not engineering—planting seeds in soil we may never see bloom. The parable of the lost sheep never promises the found sheep will behave better or thank the shepherd. Faithfulness, not measurable outcomes, defines gospel work. Camp stories live in quiet corners: a shared joke, a tear wiped, a question honored. [43:09]

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7, ESV)

Reflection: What “unseen” act of love from your past still shapes you? How can you embrace small, hidden faithfulness today?

Day 4: Love That Searches Without Guarantees

A counselor stays up late with a homesick camper who won’t return next summer. Searching for the one is exhausting work with no promise of success. The shepherd doesn’t negotiate with the 99 about resource allocation or demand a productivity report from the rescued sheep. Camp ministry accepts this tension: loving fiercely despite knowing some kids will vanish into broken systems. Yet for that one week, they were found. [44:31]

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.” (Luke 15:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life feels “too messy” to invest in? How might you practice love without demanding results this week?

Day 5: The Lasting Imprint of a Sacred Week

A thirty-year-old still hears their counselor’s voice saying, “You matter.” Camp moments etch themselves into souls: firelight on tear-streaked faces, a counselor’s patience with endless questions, the safety to be awkward. These aren’t programs but sacraments—ordinary moments made holy by love. The kingdom grows through such fragments: a child who felt God’s nearness in dodgeball and stargazing, then carries that certainty into adulthood. [47:22]

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God.” (2 Timothy 1:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: Who “fanned into flame” your faith when you were young? How can you create space for a child’s holy ordinary moments this month?

Sermon Summary

Jesus places children at the very center of the kingdom and sets the shepherd’s search for the one as the gospel’s pattern. The parable presses the claim that every single person matters, even the one who is wandering, overlooked, or forgotten. The command, Do not stop them, refuses the notion that children are an add-on to church life; Jesus does not condition their welcome on time, budget, or attendance. The kingdom names children not as the church’s future, but as the church right now.

The temptation to treat first-third ministry as a problem to solve is real, especially when demographics and finances look tight. Yet the call of the shepherd interrupts a deficit mindset. The gospel does not wait for perfect metrics before it moves. Love goes, love searches, and love refuses to abandon the vulnerable. The search itself bears witness to the heart of Christ.

Camp ministry embodies that search. Camp does not just gather the 99 who already know the hymns and hallways. Camp meets children who feel awkward, unseen, grieving, or out of place, and it creates one safe week where laughter, songs, cabin talks, and a counselor’s steady attention become holy ground. The fruit is rarely immediate or easily reported. A teenager may not come home speaking theology, and the 99 may not approve the resource allocation, but the story of the shepherd never asked them to.

The week at camp does not fix everything. It does something truer. Children are found for a time and told with their whole bodies that they are beloved. Sometimes they come back. Sometimes they do not, and their lives remain hard. Still, gospel work refuses to define value by visibility. The better question the kingdom keeps pressing is, Who is missing, and will anyone go looking?

Camp ministry names this going as core discipleship. It is not charity on the edges. It is evangelism, hospitality, justice, pastoral care, and seed planting, often without the planter seeing the harvest. Many can point to a Sunday school teacher, a counselor, a grandparent whose quiet consistency became a turning point. A small conversation can change a life. A child who felt invisible realizes they are loved by God.

The charge to the church is clear. Make room for children. Prioritize, invest, protect, believe, and do not stop them. A commitment to fund what cannot be counted is a commitment to the way of Christ, who still goes searching and calls his people to go too.

Key Takeaways

1. Children are central to the kingdom Children are not an afterthought to be included if time and money remain; they are the core constituency Jesus names. Their belonging is not contingent on polish, productivity, or payback. The church honors Jesus by honoring children first, not last. Do not stop them is a command, not a suggestion. [39:55]
2. Love searches beyond measurable results Gospel love does not ask for efficiency reports before it moves. The shepherd’s calculus is love itself, which bears cost, risk, and misunderstanding for the sake of the one. Faithful ministry accepts hidden fruit and delayed knowing. Love goes, love searches, and love refuses to abandon the vulnerable. [43:33]
3. Camp ministry goes after the one Camp Grafton refuses to serve only the comfortable 99. It makes room for the awkward, grieving, or unseen child to taste safety, joy, and belonging. One week can become holy ground, even if no chart captures it. The search for the one is the shape of its calling. [41:26]
4. Invest where fruit is unseen Some seeds sprout years later and out of sight. The church that waits for immediate outcomes will miss the very people Jesus centered. Fidelity looks like planting, watering, and trusting God with the hidden work. The lack of quick metrics is not the lack of real impact. [42:42]
5. Ask the harder kingdom questions Comfort easily funds the visible 99 and forgets to look up. The kingdom keeps interrupting with Who is missing, who has not heard they belong, and will anyone go search. Those questions reorient budgets, calendars, and attention toward the margins. That reorientation is the shape of discipleship. [46:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[26:36] - Why Camp Grafton matters
[38:21] - The lost sheep named
[38:53] - Children at the center
[39:55] - Do not stop them
[40:17] - Beyond a deficit mindset
[41:26] - Camp searches for the one
[42:23] - Holy moments at camp
[42:42] - When impact is unseen
[43:33] - Love goes and searches
[44:31] - Friday joy with the found
[46:02] - Funding what cannot be counted
[47:04] - Not charity, but gospel work
[49:23] - Small conversations, lifelong turns
[51:30] - Christ still searches; so go

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 18:12-14 (ESV)
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

Matthew 19:14 (ESV)
“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’”

Observation Questions

In the parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18:12-14), what does the shepherd prioritize over measurable outcomes like efficiency or approval from the 99?
How does Jesus’ command “do not stop them” (Matthew 19:14) challenge common assumptions about children’s role in the church?
According to the sermon, what specific kinds of children does camp ministry seek out, and what holy moments might they experience there? [41:26]
What does the parable not say about the sheep’s behavior or productivity after being found?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus use a child as the example of who the kingdom belongs to, rather than someone with social or religious status?
The sermon argues that camp ministry is “core discipleship, not charity.” How does the parable of the lost sheep redefine what “success” looks like in ministry? [47:04]
The transcript says, “A week at camp doesn’t fix everything. It does something truer.” What might “truer” mean in light of Jesus’ teaching about the one sheep? [45:44]
How does prioritizing the “one” disrupt a church’s tendency to focus on budgets, metrics, or visible growth?

Application Questions

When have you experienced or witnessed a “small conversation” or moment that unexpectedly made someone feel seen and loved? How could you create space for such moments in your own life? [49:23]
Children’s belonging is “not contingent on polish, productivity, or payback.” Where do you struggle to value people (not just children) without expecting them to “earn” their place?
The sermon challenges churches to ask, “Who is missing?” In your community, who might be the “one” that feels awkward, grieving, or overlooked? What’s one practical way to “go searching” for them? [46:21]
Camp ministry invests in “seed planting, often without the planter seeing the harvest.” What ministry, relationship, or habit have you avoided because the results felt invisible? How might you recommit to it?
Think of a time someone’s quiet consistency (a teacher, mentor, etc.) shaped your faith. Who in your life needs that kind of steady, patient love right now?
The church is called to “fund what cannot be counted.” What’s one area in your personal giving or service where you could prioritize faithfulness over visible outcomes? [46:02]

Sermon Clips

21s

“Let the little children come to me. That's not just welcome, that is a command to the church. Make room for them, prioritize them, invest in them, protect them, believe them, and go searching for them. And most importantly, do not stop them.”

27s

“Do not stop them, Jesus says. He doesn't say if there's enough time, if it fits in the budget, if attendance numbers justify it. Do not stop them because the kingdom belongs to such as these. Children are not simply the future of the church. They are a part of the church right now.”

33s

“Who has not yet heard they belong? Who has not yet heard they are beloved? Who is wandering unseen, uncertain, lonely, and hungry? And are we willing to go look for them? Camp ministry is one way the church does exactly that. Not because it's easy and not because it generates immediate growth, but because it reflects the heart of Christ.”

29s

“When the shepherd goes after one sheep, the story does not tell us that the search was efficient. It does not tell us that the sheep became especially productive afterwards. It does not say that the 99 approved of the resource allocation. It simply says the shepherd went because love goes, love searches, and love refuses to abandon the vulnerable.”

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