Little Ones

Will our children have faith?   This is a question I have been asking ever since I read John H. Westerhoff III's classic book with that same title:  Will Our Children Have Faith?   This question is even more weighty than when Westerhoff first penned it in 1976.  According to today's statistics, if you had 100 youth in your church – 9 of them will become resilient disciples of Jesus;  28 will be church goers – but not real followers of Jesus;  26 will leave the church – might still believe, but no longer connected;  38 will leave the faith altogether.  These statistics underscore how critical it is for church leaders and churches to address the question:  will our children have faith?   And more importantly, what can we do to reverse these current trends?

The gospel writer Matthew tells us the story of a time when parents brought their children to Jesus.   Jesus' disciples told the people to stop bothering him.  "But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them!  People who are like these children belong to God’s kingdom.” (Matthew 19:14)  On another occasion Jesus called a little child and had this child stand among his followers.   He then said, "Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."  (Matthew 18:5)   And again, Jesus said:  "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones." (Matthew 18:10)  These accounts in the life of Jesus highlight the importance we ought to place on helping children come to faith and become part of God's kingdom in this world.

As churches we are committed to ensuring that the next generation in our churches will become resilient disciples of Jesus.   By resilient disciples we are referring to those who attend church regularly and engage with their church more than just attending worship services.  In addition, these people of faith trust firmly in the authority of the Bible, are committed to Jesus personally and affirm he was crucified and raised from the dead to conquer sin and death, and they express desire to transform the broader society as an outcome of their faith.  This commitment is summed up in our TRAIN strategy like this:  "Equip all members to be disciples of Christ and multiply the number of well-trained leaders who are actively engaged with God’s mission."  Equip ALL members.  Not just adults, but also the little ones.  The children.  The youth.   Yes, we deeply desire to see our children and youth actively engaged with God's mission.  Resilent disciples.

So what can we do to help our children become resilient disciples of Jesus?   Of first importance, we need to help our children experience Jesus!  They should not just learn about Jesus, but experience him.  Far too often most of our Sunday School programs, and even what parents do at home, is focused on learning facts.  Learnings the stories of the Bible.  Memorizing Bible verses.  Understanding Biblical truths.   But it has to be more, if we want our children to have faith.   As Westerhoff writes in his book, "Experience is foundational to faith.  A person first learns Christ not as a theological affirmation but as an affective experience."   Ponder on those words.   Let them sink deep into your mind and heart.  It is one thing to give a definition of the word "grace" - but a person only comes to experience grace when they see it in action.  You can say that God changes lives, but let children experience someone whose life has been radically changed.   God is love?  Let your church youth experience that love in the midst of church relationships.  The same applies to every other Biblical fact or truth.  Our children need to experience that what we talk about is real!  The Bible puts it this way:  "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.... Faith without deeds is dead." (James 2:18)   Our children and youth need to see that God is real, that faith is real, that love is real, that everything we talk about is real!   Without experience, faith remains dead.

Perhaps now you know why Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."  (Matthew 18:5)   Jesus' disciples saw children as only a bother.   Jesus welcomed them.   When we provide a welcoming environment in our churches for children and youth, we welcome Jesus as well into our midst.  The children and youth experience Jesus through us.  They experience that Jesus is real -- for they see Jesus among us.  Last Sunday I saw Jesus in action in our worship service.   A young child, who typically is very disruptive, and self-absorbed, was befriended by an elderly member.  She had never met him before, but just sat beside him.  They sang together.  Prayed together.  Listened together.  Laughed together.  This went on for the entire service.  This elderly woman was Christ to this child.  That child learned about love by being loved.   Acceptance by being accepted.   Grace by experiencing grace.  He experienced Jesus.  And so did we!   We saw that God was real.  

Let the children come to Jesus.   Let them see Jesus in you.   Be Christian to your church's children and youth.   The little ones.