First, the Bible says it is good that a man not touch a woman. I would be disappointed if my teen or adult children decided to ignore this bit of wisdom from the Bible and put themselves in a situation of sexual stimulation. I disagree with the idea that kissing before marriage was such a wonderful thing based on that verse.

Second, at no point does the Bible say we are to over come temptation. The Bible says to flee temptation. Huge difference. Chaperoned “dating’ goes a long way in helping people who are attracted to each other to keep their hands and lips off each other. There are ways that adults can date chaperoned that isn’t suffocating and oppressive. Many parents DO go too far but there can very well be a middle ground which supports holiness yet allows the couple emotional intimacy.

With all that said, I’m not going to butt into my grown children’s lives unless they are still living under my roof. If so, you will respect my rules. If not, chaperoned dating will be their choice, not something I would impose upon them but I do hope they would be wise enough to choose it.

First, just because you had a bad experience with a Sunday school teacher doesn’t mean that all are unqualified. I was a children’s minister for ten years. I loved it! I paid thousands of dollars of my own money to obtain training from professionals all over the United States. I attended conferences in states as far away as CA and PA. I went to puppetry conferences, children’s pastor conferences, curriculum conferences… I read everything I could find online about children’s ministry and how to minister to the 21st century child. I did all of this because I love working with children. I want them to know Jesus. I have this calling deeply ingrained in my very being! I was not a professional teacher. I was a social worker by trade. Because of my years in ministry, I even went back to university in order to obtain a teaching certificate so that I would be a better children’s minister. I was not paid for my work in the church. I was a volunteer. For 10 years, I showed up every Sunday and Wednesday to teach my kiddos. I was dependable and reliable. It was not easy. I dealt with kids who had problems. I had kids who were in abusive homes. I had poverty level inner city kids and middle class suburban kids. At times, I even had multiple grades together because a teacher didn’t come that morning for whatever reason.

Our other teachers were qualified as well. I was very picky about who I allowed to teach in the program. Many people were upset with me because they didn’t meet the standards that I had set. I didn’t allow anyone to teach who had a bad background with child welfare (I was a social worker, so I could check for free). If someone had a negative attitude, they were passed over. Anyone who was new to the church or young in their faith did not get a lead teacher role. If they were unwilling to study the material and know it well, they did not stay in the position. I held regular once a month training times on Saturdays. Anyone who missed training had to have a good reason. I did make up training individually. I know that sounds harsh, but people trusted their children to us for that time every week. And God commands us to diligently teach His word to the next generation.

I and many others like me work very hard to make sure the next generation is strong in faith. We spend our own money. We give of our time. We pray for your children every day. Some of us even attend events that your child is in outside of church. I regularly went to school plays, soccer games, and community events that “my” kids were in. It is not uncommon to find your child’s teacher at Walmart at 11:00 P.M. on Saturday because they are still working on tomorrow’s lesson and needed a craft item or an object lesson.

Perhaps there are a few churches out there that don’t care, but most churches hire professional staff now because they understand that children need the best chance possible to grow up in faith. If it is a volunteer position like mine was, they don’t just stick anyone in there. Most churches look for people with integrity, dependability, and some common sense as well as knowledge of the Bible.

I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but times have changed and churches realize the tremendous need for highly qualified children’s ministry teams.