This weekend, listen to your ministry.

The cackle of laughter means fun abounds. The stillness of a room indicates captured interest. And the sound of a sniffle can signal pain—maybe emotional, maybe physical—or simply a common cold. Listening to kids tells us plenty.

Even life change becomes apparent based on what's heard. This three-part series of articles helps us determine the effectiveness of ministry by concentrating on key spiritual maturity indicators that begin with G—Grace, Growth, Groups, Gifts, and Good stewardship. The last article examined Grace, so now let's turn to Growth and Groups.

Consider for a moment that while you can only see what you look toward, you receive sounds from 360 degrees. An important distinction, because auditory cues will clue us in on what's happening in ministry below the surface. And we must go deep to assess the spiritual Growth of children and the impact of small Groups on kids' lives.

So what do we listen for? One answer is the ...