In the years that I've led children's, youth, and family ministry in the context of the church, I found that the beginning of the new school year was a time to bring people together, clarify and reinforce our vision and mission, and remind ourselves why we're doing what we're doing.
One helpful way we accomplished this was to identify a theme verse—what we call a “banner verse.” A banner verse is like a flag flying over the year. It shows up in various places and activities, reminds us of who we are, reinforces our mission, and helps unify us for the task at hand. It answers the question: Why are we doing what we're doing?
Typically, at a new ministry year launch, we would gather people—nursery workers, teachers, volunteers serving in various children's ministries—and introduce the banner verse. We would also include parents and grandparents, to inspire them to partner with us in a shared vision and mission as we begin the new year together.
While I’m no longer leading next generation ministry in my local church, I now lead an organization committed to the discipleship of the next generation. As we start our new ministry and fiscal year, we’ve chosen a banner verse to rally our team and partners. If you’re trying to think of a banner verse, you're welcome to join us in embracing this one. We’ll be offering tools along the way to help reinforce it throughout the year.
Key Truths from John 15:5
The verse we’ve chosen is John 15:5:
"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit—for apart from me you can do nothing."
We could unpack a lot from this text, but let me give you a sense of why it matters and how it can apply to anyone starting a new year of ministry.
First, the text establishes that Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. Second, if we, the branches, abide in Christ, the vine, we will bear fruit—much fruit. And third, apart from the vine, we can do nothing. While this verse clearly states the importance of abiding to bear fruit, it doesn’t immediately explain why bearing fruit matters. But the verses surrounding John 15:5 make it clear that it absolutely matters.
In verse 8, Jesus says, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” So, bearing fruit glorifies God and proves we are followers of Christ. That’s incredibly important.
In verse 2, Jesus says, “Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Fruitfulness matters—it glorifies God, and those who are fruitful are pruned so they can become even more fruitful. God is committed to our growth and fruitfulness, even if it means painful or refining seasons. In verse 2, He also says: “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away." Then, in verse 6, we see the outcome of that: “If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” This is a serious warning. Fruitfulness is literally a matter of eternal life and death. If we abide in Christ, we will bear fruit—and enjoy Him forever.
Implications for the Next Generation
So what are the implications for the next generation?
First, this verse defines the vision for every Christian parent, grandparent, teacher, family member, or neighbor who has children in their lives. Vision is what you see when you look to the future—10, 20, even 75 years from now. What do you want to be true for your children?
We want them to be abiding in Christ. And if they are, this passage assures us that they will be fruitful. That’s our vision: Children who are abiding in Christ and abounding in fruit. I assume this vision reflects the desire in the heart of every Christian for the children in their lives that matter to them. We would all say, “Yes, this is what I want. I want my children abiding in Christ more than anything. I want them bearing fruit.” I’m certain that none of us is dreaming that our children would wither away, be gathered up like dead branches, and burned. No Christian parent in the world wants that. In fact, I doubt any well-intentioned parent would want this for their children.
Second, by God’s design and grace, abiding and fruitful children are often the fruit of abiding and fruitful adults—parents, grandparents, teachers, family members, neighbors—anyone with children in their lives.
As we approach this ministry year, we want everything we do to contribute to this goal—that our children would abide in Christ and be fruitful. The bad news? We can’t make that happen. There’s nothing we can do ourselves to produce abiding, fruitful children. Jesus said, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” But if we abide in Christ, we will bear fruit—and, by God’s grace, we will lead our children to the vine that they might embrace Him by faith so that they too might bear fruit.
One of my favorite words in this banner verse is “whoever.” “Whoever abides in me… bears much fruit.” It doesn’t matter who you are, how weak you feel, or how untalented you think you are when it comes to ministering to children. If you are abiding in Christ, you will bear fruit—even much fruit. This is a promise to cling to even when the ministry year isn’t as smooth as we would hope, or when we don’t see evidence of fruitfulness right away. We can still trust that God is at work.
And whoever among our children abides in Christ—no matter who they are, and no matter what their circumstances are, they will bear fruit too. Jesus says, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” But as we abide in Him, we can accomplish whatever He’s called us to do.
So let’s draw near to Christ and abide with him in prayerful dependence and trust Him to do the transforming work in the hearts and lives of all those in our ministry, and especially those in the next generation we seek to disciple.
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- If you would like to use John 15:5b as a banner verse for the year, you are welcome to use graphics from this page in your communication and materials.
- You can find more resources for preparing for a new year of ministry here.
- And, if are interested in a curriculum for youth inspired by John 15, go here to learn about the Abiding in Jesus curriculum.
