5 Ways to Instill Faith in Your Children (and Why it Matters)

July means a lot of things as a mom of three boys: camp rotations, golf tournaments, swimming, and even some summer studying (though not with enthusiasm), for instance. But it also means Vacation Bible School. This past week, I had the privilege of talking to 200 children about Jesus. The camp theme was “SCUBA: Diving into Relationship with God.” As the evangelism leader, I taught the children how to dive into relationship with Jesus.

While I have served as an evangelism leader before, I feel a greater sense of urgency about the role. In another article I wrote for Crosswalk recently, I talk about how we are currently living through the fastest and most significant religious shift in American history—but instead of adding numbers to the church like in previous shifts, people are leaving it. Over 40 million people have left the church in largely the last twenty-five years, according to the book The Great Dechurching. No doubt, the ripple effects of this shift are wide—it’s affecting how churches do ministry, the solvency of your local congregation, the future of the church in general, and even our kids.

This generation of children is the first largely unchurched in American history. This is also at a time when bullying, anxiety, depression, and even suicide are at alarming levels. The two are certainly connected. The church has historically been a stabilizing force in society and in our personal lives as well. Without mooring, children are more subject to society’s pressures, which often do not safeguard their best interests. Further, not only are children denied a spiritual lifeline, but their ability to hear what Christ has done for them and how he wants to be in their lives is compromised if they’re not showing up to church.

That means your witness matters. Your willingness to share why faith matters to you and what God has done in your life, i.e. your testimony, with a child is an especially valuable spiritual lifeline. This opportunity might come at church, like it did for me, or it might not. Instead, it might come as you’re coaching a team, gathering with family, mentoring a child, or interacting at your job. Parent-child remains the most effective witness.

I remember how intimidating it felt when I was first asked to share my testimony. It still feels vulnerable. But the statistics say that our willingness to speak from the heart is the most effective faith invitation. And in our politicized, divisive time, peeling back the layers to speak openly, honestly, and kindly about something that really matters to us with another person is a gift. Frankly, it’s how we embody the change we’d like to see.

Before I pass along some steps to make faith invitations less intimidating, I want to share more important research. According to David Staal’s Leading Kids to Jesus, children between the ages of 5-12 are the most receptive to faith invitations. They are almost 35% receptive versus only about 5% between the ages of 13-18. This receptivity barely increases at the age of 19 years and older. This is not to discourage evangelism at any age, but these statistics are convicting that there is a definite window of opportunity to plant seeds of faith when children are little. Jesus underlines the faith receptivity of children when he states in Matthew 18:3, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Continue reading on Crosswalk.com. You'll discover 5 steps to make faith invitations effective and less intimidating! I include suggested resources to help you that kids will love!