5 Ways to Instill Faith in Your Children (and Why it Matters)
- Noelle Kirchner Contributing Writer
- Updated Jul 19, 2024
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.”
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Step 1: Teach about Jesus
Slide 1 of 6In order to have a relationship with Jesus, children need to know who he is. There are so many names for Jesus in Scripture! It can be fun to mine the Bible for particular names that might especially resonate with the child or children you have in mind. If you’re looking for resources to help you, I have included some amazing faith-building ones at the end of this article.
At Vacation Bible School, I talked about how Jesus is our PROVIDER through the story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand with only five loaves and two fish—the fish were a great SCUBA-themed connection! Another bonus is that it was a child who provided the bread and fish to Jesus. I also talked about how Jesus is a MIRACLE WORKER when he calms the storm and walks on water—another SCUBA tie in! In addition, I taught about how Jesus is KING, our PROTECTOR, and GOD. Jesus was both fully human and fully GOD. He came to Earth to teach us more about God and show us God’s love as our SAVIOR. GOD and SAVIOR are essential names to communicate!
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Step 2: Share the Four Steps of Salvation
Slide 2 of 6Next, I shared these steps with children who were going into second through sixth grade. The four steps of salvation, or knowing Jesus personally and living with him forever in heaven, are:
#1 Admit that you’re not perfect—no one is! This is easy for even a child to understand. We all make mistakes. The Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
#2 Confess your mistakes to Jesus—he can wash you clean and make you stronger in him!
#3 Believe that Jesus loves you and died for you on the cross. The most famous Christian scripture, John 3:16, communicates this truth: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Children have often heard this verse before.
#4 Pray a prayer that asks Jesus to be the Lord of your life!
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Step 3: Make it Personal
Slide 3 of 6This is when you have the opportunity to share your story. Tell the child or children why you decided to pray the prayer in step number four yourself. What difference has faith made in your life? How have you experienced God’s love? Where would you be today without it?
I remember the day I gave my life to Christ. I was elementary-school age, and I told my Mom I was ready. She called my grandmother to come over; she drove over forty minutes to pray with me that day. My grandmother was a beacon of faith in my life. She had experienced a miracle cure from cancer through faith. She had told me the story, and it had really impacted me.
As a girl playing in her living room, I had often noticed a picture of Jesus that my grandmother kept by the sofa. It was a picture of Jesus knocking at a door (Revelation 3:20). There was something strange about the door, however; it was missing a doorknob! My grandmother told me that picture was a representation of Jesus knocking on the door of my heart. He could not come in and have a relationship with me unless I opened the door and invited him in. This simple tool of evangelism was there for anyone who visited her house to see. She had been healed, and she was unashamed for Jesus! When I did Vacation Bible School, I shared a picture of this art, Christ at Heart’s Door by Warner Sallman. The children had so much fun guessing what was strange about the picture!
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/PeopleImages
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Step 4: Ask to Pray
Slide 4 of 6Deciding to ask Jesus into their hearts is a momentous one for children. When I showed the picture of Jesus knocking at the door to the children at camp, I explained why there wasn’t a doorknob. Jesus wants us to invite him in. He loves us so much and wants us to love him, too, and get to know him better. When we choose to invite him in, it is the start of a new relationship and exciting adventure with Jesus!
Children will know if they are ready to pray this prayer or not. It is an invitation, not a demand. That’s why Jesus doesn’t push open the door or command it to open as LORD! For those who are ready, you can pray something like this:
Almighty and most loving God, thank you for creating us special and calling us by name. Thank you especially for calling (name) to you today. I rejoice with (name) in their decision. We pray that through the power of the Holy Spirit, you would come into their heart and make it your home. Help it to be the start of a new and exciting relationship with you! Wash them clean and cover them with your love, now and always. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
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Step 5: Offer a Gift
Slide 5 of 6When my grandmother came over the day I accepted Christ, she brought me two gifts. One was a small replica of Christ at Heart’s Door. The other was a chest of Scripture passages. It felt like a treasure trove! Before I went to bed or got out of bed in the morning, I could pull out a Scripture that encouraged my faith. God started to speak to me through those simple verses, and I wanted more.
When I evangelized at camp, I gave the children a necklace or craft to remember Jesus’ invitation. Having a resource that children can use to nurture their faith is important too. Of course, you can give them an adult Bible, but that might be intimidating depending upon their age. Through my work as a pastor, blogger, and TV host, I have been blessed to come across a number of resources and authors whom I can recommend that are particularly geared to youth. Some favorites are:
Picture Books:
*When I Pray for You by Matthew Paul Turner
*The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado
*How High is Heaven? by Linsey Davis
*What Is God Like? by Kathleen Long Bostrom
*If Jesus Came to My House by Joan G. Thomas
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More Resources for Children:
Slide 6 of 6*The Beginner’s Bible
*Snuggle Time Bible Stories and Snuggle Time Psalms by Glenys Nellist
*My Tender Heart Devotions by Laura Sassi (The title is coming this fall, and I have previewed it! It is part of the My Tender Heart Series.)
*The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones (There is also a non-illustrated version of this text for older children and adults called The Story of God’s Love for You. Both are excellent!)
Resources for Tweens and Teens:
*The Action Bible (This is the Bible as a graphic novel, which is great for boys.)
*Loved and Cherished: 100 Devotions for Girls by Lynn Cowell and Michelle Nietert
*The Life Application Study Bible (This is great for teenagers—there are different ones for girls and boys.)
Jesus says in Matthew 18:5, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Welcoming a child into relationship with Christ is a privilege and our duty if we want the church to thrive. It’s a timely and essential way for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus! There are blessings attached to this invitation as well. I shared Isaiah 43:2 with the children at the end of our Vacation Bible School time together. God says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.” This verse not only paired with the SCUBA theme, but also with the abundant promises available to us through Jesus!
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Jacob Wackerhausen
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