Stepping Out to Put Kids First

“Pastor Ken, you have lived a Joseph’s life.”

 

The woman’s words caught Ken Owen by surprise. For more than 36 years Ken and his wife, Tammy, had served as kids pastors in Greenville, South Carolina. They loved their work and had taken their ministry outside the church walls and into the surrounding community. 

 

Yet in their spirits they were struggling. God had been nudging them to leave their position and expand their vision by serving as full-time missionaries to children. But the thought of stepping out in faith made them anxious. 

 

Now Ken was hearing a woman from his church compare his situation to Joseph’s life. Somehow the prospect of being betrayed by people he loved and unjustly imprisoned didn’t help them feel better!

 

“What do you mean?” Ken asked cautiously.

 

“You have spent your life helping our lead pastor fulfill the dream that God has given him, just as Joseph helped fulfill the dream of feeding the nation of Egypt in a time of famine,” the woman continued. “But God has seen your faithfulness. Now he wants to fulfill the dream he placed in your heart and launch you beyond your borders.”

 

Ken understood this to mean God’s assignment was taking them beyond their current ministry borders. Still, the idea of leaving a secure life and jumping into the unknown with no safety net caused him to hesitate.

 

Four months passed. While eating lunch one day with a U.S. missionary with Chi Alpha, Ken was startled when the missionary stopped and said, “Ken, I believe God has given me a word for you.” He then repeated the exact words the woman from Ken’s church had spoken.

 

The Owens knew it was time to act. In 2018 they sought appointment with U.S. Missions in U.S. Specialized in children’s ministries. Since then, God has opened doors of ministry beyond their expectations by using them to reach children in the United States and beyond. 

 

TRAINING BY EXAMPLE

 

Now directors of Kidsfirst Ministries, the Owens focus on reaching children through a two-pronged approach: harvesting and equipping.

 

“Kidsfirst is all about coming alongside local churches to help them reach the next generation for Jesus,” Ken says. “We do that by giving away tools and resources so kids pastors and KidMin leaders can more effectively reach kids and families both inside and outside the church.”

 

He asserts that, children are among the most overlooked and underrated people groups since culture tends to focus on who has the most money or influence. Unfortunately, this trend can sometimes be found in churches.

 

“Some churches today are what we call ‘aged out,’” Ken explains. “They ignored the red flags of fewer young families attending, which leads to fewer children in the church. That’s an early sign of death in a church, since the majority of people start their journey with Christ between the ages of 4 and 14. Most pastors want to reach all generations for Jesus, but they don’t know where to begin. We want to give them a starting point so they can take steps to be healthy again and impact their kids and communities.”

 

With years of experience serving in the local church, Ken and Tammy understand the unique challenges of children’s ministries. They spent 24 years overseeing a bus ministry First Assembly in Greenville and held a sidewalk kids church for two decades. They also emphasized missions, raising more than $150,000 for BGMC. Ken is eager to share materials and resources to help ignite a passion for children’s outreach in any church, no matter its size or spiritual health.

 

“Tammy and I want to use our experience to partner with local churches and ministries that want to impact their communities,” Ken says. “For instance, we are currently assisting Street Church Ministries, located in a distressed area of Greenville. Most of the people living there have severe struggles in life. We have been able to resource the ministry’s outdoor kids outreach with a tent, games, puppets, and curriculum. At an event called We Love Kids Day, we were invited to share the gospel with several hundred boys and girls. A large number of kids and several parents responded to the salvation call.”

 

Earlier this year an opportunity for Kidsfirst arose when a summer day camp asked the Owens to hold an African Safari devotional for six weeks. Ken spoke about second chances during one session. As he looked over the group, both children and staff were wiping tears from their eyes.

 

 “I told Tammy it shouldn't seem weird when the presence of God shows up in a secular venue, but our culture has removed God from the public square,” he recalls. “What an awesome opportunity that camp was!”

 

In addition to kids crusades, summer camps, and retreats across the United States, the Owens have been invited to hold training sessions and special events in the Caribbean and Southern Asia. In 2023 alone, more than 700 leaders have attended Kidsfirst events. 

 

“We love being able to share our tools, resources, and passion for the next generation,” Ken says. “In the last couple of years we have been privileged to lead several hundred kids and adults to Jesus. We have also seen ‘the light come on’ in the eyes of pastors, KidMin leaders, and volunteers as they see the possibilities of reaching children with the gospel. Each child won to Jesus represents a potential 70 years of service for Him. No other ministry has that kind of return on its investment.”

 

A JOURNEY OF FAITH

 

Ken’s continued investment in children involves writing more training materials to equip KidMin leaders. He and Tammy also hope to expand their work and form coaching and mentoring groups to connect children’s workers from local churches so they can share ideas and needs. A future goal is to outfit several 6- by 9-foot trailers with Bibles, curriculum, games, and concessions and make them available for community-wide outreaches to kids and families. 

 

“Our hope is that we will be part of seeing a great harvest of kids who, with their parents, turn to God and find their identity and purpose — who they are and why they are here,” says Ken.

 

As the Owens scramble to keep up with the opportunities and challenges of missionary ministry, he remembers the words spoken over him when he was hesitant to step out in faith. In every step of their journey, Ken and Tammy have found God more than faithful. 

 

“I tell others, ‘If you say yes to God, you will do things other people wish they could do and go places others wish they could go,” Ken says. “You will hear things from God that will be possible only from walking with Him in faith.”