Min’s Dream: The Child-Friendly Church
In a small village in East Halmahera Regency, Min, a pastor and a mother to her children, holds a big dream: that one day, all churches will share the same understanding that children must be protected and valued as full members of the congregation.
For her, the church shouldn't be just a place for adults. According to Min, a congregation begins the moment a child is born and continues as they grow into adulthood. But the reality around her is different. She sees many churches still ignoring the presence of children, viewing them as disturbances during worship, and not providing a safe space for their small voices.
The first step she took wasn't to build infrastructure or specific facilities, but to awaken the hearts and minds of the community, showing them that children also deserve protection, a sense of safety, and respect for their existence. Together with the community, Min began to build a Rumah Baca (reading house), a simple place that symbolises the importance of children. In this place, children are free to be themselves and feel that their presence is valued, even more so than the adults who usually dominate the space.
In her own church, Min instilled the value that children should not be restricted. If they wander around during worship, it isn't a disturbance—it's life. Adults must remain focused on their worship while still appreciating the world of children. It is precisely in this freedom that the church learns to become a place that is welcoming to all.
Min's greatest motivation comes from two things: her calling as a pastor and her belief that children are the assets of the future. She believes that Jesus himself was a teacher who paid attention to children. Therefore, if the church wants to remain alive and offer hope, it must start with children—not by waiting for them to grow up, but by nurturing them from now.
For her, protecting children is not just a duty, but a sacred calling. Because the nation, the church, and the future all rest on the small generation who today need a safe embrace from a world that can sometimes be too harsh. "For the community out there, there is no other choice; it is a moral obligation that children must be protected from anything, and everyone is called to do that," she concluded.
Author: Sisilya Tobing (Field Facilitator for East Halmahera Area Programme)
Editor: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)
