"Where's their tent?!?" was the question asked by one of our Catalyst preschoolers when she visited her grandmother's church.  Another child gates off hallways in her home and plays "nursery."  Given that we set up and tear down every week in a high school, our kids' ministry environment is DEFINITELY structured differently than most other churches!!! But the faith & knowledge of our children, as well as the community that has been build between our kids, is equally EXTRAORDINARY! 

SO what do I mean about our structure?...Our Nursery is constructed each week in a hallway--playmats and gates come in to keep the crawlers safe.  Swings, changing table, toys, music, bubbles, you name it--everything is taken off a trailer, arranged like a "classroom," and loaded back on the trailer after service.  Our preschool classroom has a giant canopy tent where the kids watch their worship videos and learn lessons (which, I might add, they LOVE!). The elementary kids meet in the large cafeteria space--plenty of room for silly games, worship, and small group activities. We set up a full sound system and video projector so the kids have a multi-media lesson: interactive worship & entertaining video lesson starters.  

We begin set-up at 7:30 each Sunday morning, and YES it is unusual.  But let me tell you what's more unsual: The way our kids (and their families, for that matter) have bonded.  Because of our common mission, and because we are forced to meet in each other's homes during the week, rather than a church "building," our kids consider one another FAMILY.  The fifth grade boys invite my kindergarten daughter to their birthdays (what fifth grade boy wants a little girl at his party?!?)  One child consistently prays for several of the other kids in his class.  The older ones take the younger ones by hand and guide them out of the way while we're loading the trailer...it's nice.    

It's funny to see kids' perspectives on "What church SHOULD look like."  I'm sure a tent, gated hallways, and cafeteria tables wouldn't come to MOST kids' minds!  But that's perfect evidence that there is no RIGHT WAY to structure your church ENVIRONMENT...but there is definitely a right way to structure your church RELATIONSHIPS--and these kids have it down!!!