TORONTO, ON—Significant strides were made toward advancing the cause of children’s ministries in Canada, following a two-day event held in Toronto last month.

The 4-14 Forum, sponsored by Awana Clubs Canada, was held May 17 and 18 at the Days Inn and Conference Centre.

Intended to be “a highly interactive exchange of ideas and insights for transforming children into spiritual champions,” the 4-14 Forum took its name from a theoretical window of opportunity that exists “between the ages of four and 14 to reach children when they are most open to the gospel,” according to conference documents.

Pastors, missionaries, Sunday school superintendants and ministry leaders were among those who registered to hear presentations by well-known U.S. author and pollster George Barna, and to participate in plenary sessions and multi-discipline break-out groups.

During Barna’s opening presentation, he told his listeners that churches that want more effective children’s ministries must make those ministries more of a priority.

They also need to start measuring spiritual transformation. “You get what you measure,” Barna said when asked what churches can do to improve the results of their efforts at reaching kids with the gospel message. Explaining that the goal of ministry to young people should not be children’s happiness but their spiritual transformation, Barna added, “Jesus’ teaching was, ‘show me the fruit.’”

“In our churches, we really don’t take children seriously,” Barna told ChristianWeek following his opening address, citing as proof the size of his listening audience.

Fewer than four dozen people registered for the event according to organizers, despite the fact that Awana marketed the forum through a direct mail campaign to some 350 churches and parachurch organizations across the country.

However, Shelley Campagnola, pastor and chair of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada Children’s Ministry Forum (CMF), says significant steps were taken as a result of the event.

“It was agreed that we want to have a national perspective on children’s ministries, and that the [CMF] would provide the best umbrella to bring partnerships together,” she explains.

Several of the 4-14 Forum participants agreed to form a leadership team to work together to advance children’s ministries throughout the nation. Campagnola says people from British Columbia to New Brunswick have committed to participate.

They plan to solidify the leadership team, articulate a mission and vision and then plan strategic events to support children’s ministries in the near future.

“It’s a huge thing that has happened and it’s really exciting,” Campagnola says.

Reached on his cell phone during the final hours of the forum, Awana Clubs Canada executive director Phil Whitehead was enthusiastic about all that had been accomplished. “I’m just thrilled,” he said. “It’s gone beyond anything I could have imagined. The response of the [participants] has been overwhelming to me. They’ve said, ‘This is exactly what we’ve needed.’”