Every weekend, you step into our Elementary environments. It’s loud, it’s chaotic; yet, it’s arguably the most important real estate in our church. 

Why? Because over 80% of people who decide to follow Jesus make that choice before they turn 18. The stakes are incredibly high, and the potential is eternal. 

But there is a tension we have to face. A massive challenge. 

Studies consistently show us that over 50% of kids who grow up in the church will walk away from their faith shortly after high school. They hit college, they hit the real world, and their childhood beliefs crumble. 

Why does this happen? Because a borrowed faith won’t survive the real world. Kids often come to faith in Jesus, but if that faith remains immature, untested, and strictly programmatic, it won’t endure. 

At Flatirons, we don’t just want kids to make a one-time decision. We want them to develop an authentic faith. A faith of their own. 

At the beginning of 2026, we unpacked the idea that personal ministry through the interaction of Jesus + Zaccheaus. We anchored ourselves to one driving heartbeat: Every child needs somebody to see them the way that Jesus sees them. That is our why. But as we look ahead to where we are going as a ministry, we are going to focus intensely on our how. 

How do we build an authentic faith that lasts? We Lead Small. 

The premise of Lead Small is simple but completely paradigm-shifting: What you do for a few will always have more potential than what you do for many. When we Lead Small, we make a deliberate choice to invest strategically in the lives of a few kids over time. We realize that life change doesn’t happen in rows; it happens in circles. 

Now, you might be thinking, “But I’m a Host on stage,” or “I’m a Connector helping with check-in and check-out. Does this apply to me?” Absolutely. Please don’t check out on this. 

Whether you hold a microphone, assist with stickers at check-in, or sit on the floor in a small group, your ultimate role is to champion this exact vision. Your roles are the critical framework that makes Leading Small possible. You create the wildly engaging environments and the warm, seamless entryways that set up those small group circles for absolute success. We are all moving together to support this one goal. nd for someone else.