The following article was prepared for a seminar for our local church that was designed to equip children's workers with the knowledge and skills to evangelise children. We looked at (1) how we approach evangelism within the model of ministry that we are operating; (2) what we believe about children and salvation; and (3) practical guidelines for leading children to Jesus.
1. Children's Ministry and Evangelism
Our approach to child evangelism and the children's ministry model is dealt with in detail in the Children's Ministry section of the model.
2. Children and Salvation
In order to explore guidelines for the evangelism of children, we need to clarify what we believe about children and salvation. This will determine how we approach children within meetings. There are different views on the salvation of children: (1) They are “In” always (this view believes that there is no need for salvation - it could be called universalism). (2) They are “In until they opt Out” or confirm their in-ness (here because of their believing parents, children are included in the covenant that God hs created through the parents). (3) They are “Out until they opt In” (an age of accountability deals with the infant mortality objection - ie. what happens to childdren who die at a young age)
A closer look at the second and third views are warranted: are children of believing parents counted as members of the kingdom until they opt out or do they become members only when they consciously opt in by choosing Christ? (a) Out Until They Opt In - No child, even from a believing background, can be counted as a member of God’s kingdom until they make an open and conscious declaration of faith. Here the faith of the parents seems to count for nothing. So “Christian children” must be converted at some point in their development. This often leads children to think that they cannot please their parents until they go through a ‘conversion’ experience which makes them acceptable to their parents and God. (b) In Until They Opt Out - Children from Christian homes can be affirmed as members of the kingdom until they choose to reject their birthright. This view is based on the concepts of family solidarity and covenant found in the Bible. The faith of a believing parent counted as faith for the family as a whole. Whether or not individual members held the same beliefs as the parent they were counted by God as members of the covenant relationship established through the parent’s faith. For example, in Genesis 17, the covenant was based on God’s grace and it involved children as seen in the rite of circumcision - a sign from God showing inclusion in the covenant. This shows that the covenant relationship does not depend on faith, but on grace. It also shows that the faith of parents covers members of the household. Circumcision showed that children were to be treated as would-be believers rather than as unbelievers. The rights and privileges of the covenant relationship were theirs. They were counted as insiders until they excluded themselves from God’s blessing. This pattern of relationship was carried over into the new testament as seen in the conversion of the Philippian jailer and Crispus - which fit the notion of covenant solidarity. So it is more fitting to speak of nurture than evangelism for children of believing parents.
On closer evaluation, the difference between the second and third views are not that far apart as they first appear, especially when the age of accountability is used in added to view three. Here, although children are “out until they are in”, because of the age of accountability they are actually in first, before they are out.
Which view will guide the way we function? For the author, who comes from a Baptist background, I believe that while the Bible is not absolutely clear on the issue of the salvation of children, and that we must rely on the grace of God as judge, I tend towards the view that children need to come to a place where they make a firm decision to receive Christ as Lord and Saviour. This will most probably happen during childhood, but may only take place during adolescence. The Bible says that all are sinners - we fell in Adam - he was our representative. So clearly some response to Christ’s saving work on the cross must be made if people are to be saved.
A brief look at two theories of faith development and their implication for conversion is helpful. This section is a summary of material presented by Francis Bridger in a Scripture Union book entitled: Children Finding Faith.
John Westerhoff suggests four stages of faith development:
A. Experienced Faith (Infant and Junior)
The patterns of believing, trusting and doing are the product of what is learned from others (given faith).
B. Affiliative Faith (Adolescence)
Here teens identify with the faith of their friends, they are dominated by feelings and affections and they question authority. When a teenager makes a response to a gospel message they may be: (a) responding to a person they like and respect and want to please; (b) following the herd or the example of a friend, (c) seeking an answer to an identity crisis, (d) trying to discover a new affiliative group to belong to, or (e) seeking Christ as the Spirit leads them to repentance and faith.
C. Searching Faith (Late Teens)
Teenagers develop their sense of identity and become dissatisfied with previous answers to questions of meaning and purpose. They find that going along with the crowd is inadequate so they start to experiment with new philosophies and beliefs in a search for the truth. The search is intellectual and emotional as they need to commit to persons and causes. They are looking for someone or something to give themselves to, which in return will give them meaning and purpose. This is an act of surrender where they realise that meaning lies outside of themselves, and that it lays claim on their lives. This leads to stage 4.
D. Owned Faith (Early Adulthood)
The searcher has found faith for themselves. As Christians we refer to this as conversions. It is the culmination of a move from ‘faith given’, through nurture, to ‘faith owned’. Conversion is the bridge between stage 3 and 4 - the act of surrender. So, conversion is the outcome of both a movement and a process.
For John Westerhoff: (a) Conversion is the outcome of both a movement and a process. The act of surrender (stage 3 to 4) builds on the previous two stages. Conversion cannot be separated from what has gone before. The nurturing process is essential to saving faith. (b) Conversion is located in late adolescence or early adulthood. The act of surrender must come as the result of dissatisfaction with former affiliative faith and the desire to find something personally meaningful - this cannot happen until adolescence at the earliest.
The implications of Westerhoff’s view are: (a) We cannot speak of conversion before adolescence. (b) When we preach the gospel to children we are (i) sowing seeds for the future - truths they store away for later reflection; (ii) persuading children to switch affiliation - ie. join a new group or club (commitment to a group is the highest form of commitment a child can make outside their immediate family relationship); or (iii) triggering a child’s movement from one stage of faith to another - all through the process faith is at work - building on what has gone before.
This helps us understand the high drop out rate of children who have made a profession of faith. Their response must be seen in the light of their stage of faith development: either experience, affiliation or searching.
James Fowler suggests a six stage theory of faith development. For James Fowler: (a) Conversion has to do with changes in the content of faith - so it can take place at any stage after infancy. (b) Two other experiences are often thought to be conversion: (i) intensification experience - this is when an experience deepens or renews previously held faith, without affecting it’s contents - like when a person returns to Christ after backsliding. (ii) stage movement - where a person is catapulted from one faith stage to another by an event or an experience (a person at the affiliative stage may be brought to the searching phase by the death of a family member).
Fowler develops five ways in which conversion relates to stages of faith: (a) Stage change without conversion - a person in the affiliative stage moves to the reflective stage on the death of a loved one as they explore the Christian doctrine of resurrection. (b) Stage change that triggers conversion - a teen in the affiliative stage who begins to question and finds Christ at an evangelistic crusade. (c) Conversion without stage change - an eleven year old from a humanist background who embraces the Christian faith but stays at the affiliative stage. (d) Conversion that triggers stage change - a teen who changes the content of their faith, but remained at the affiliative stage, now begins to read the bible and discovers the need to commit his life to Christ fully. (e) Conversion followed by a blocked stage change - someone may be committed to Christ but never grows in maturity of faith as they grow older. When they have doubts or questions they may retreat or deny their faith.
For Fowler, conversion does not refer so much to a sudden dramatic experience as to a change in the meanings by which we order our lives. This may or may not involve a single, powerful experience.
Which model do we follow? Fowler who seems to rule child conversion in, or Westerhoff who seems to rule it out? Westerhoff stresses the attitude of conversion which Fowler stresses the content. The content of Christian conversion must be faith in Christ. The person who seeks Jesus must come to a point of giving themselves into his hands and ask him to rule their life. Westerhoff is uneasy about this happening among children as he feels that the searching stage lies beyond childhood. Fowler does not put so much emphasis on surrender, so he can incorporate conversion within early stages of faith.
One solution is broaden the concept of surrender to take into account the characteristics of childhood. While children may not have the capacity to go through the reflection and doubt at the heart of the searching phase, they are capable of giving themselves to Jesus within the limits set by affiliative faith.
Conversion must be understood in terms of developmental models and analysed theologically. In the New Testament conversion involves: (a) a turning of the human will to God - it includes a determination to change; (b) a change in Lordship (allegiance) - from Satan (Eph 2:1-2) to God; and (c) a complete transformation of life in all respects.
The development of faith through stages over time and the immediate crisis of conversion arise from the same source - the living God.
In five examples of conversion in the New Testament a pattern for conversion emerges: Paul (Acts 9:3-20); Eunuch (Acts 8:26f); Cornelius (Acts 10); Lydia (Acts 16:13-15); Jailer (Acts 16:23-24). Three things are involved: (a) The Role of Scripture - in preparing a convert or evoking a sense of need. (b) The Work of the Spirit - it is not just an act of the human will, but under the impulse of the Holy Spirit. (c) The Period of Searching - conversion was preceded by a period of searching, inquiry or doubt.
The Spirit, Scripture and Searching all play a part in conversion to Christ. Then the new convert was incorporated into the Christian community. There are four lesson here: (a) Conversion from beginning to end is the work of God. (b) God works through processes that he has ordained - ie. the Spirit with the convert and the messenger who proclaims the gospel. (c) God spoke to each convert as a person with a personal faith history - each came to a point where their previous beliefs were no longer adequate - they had passed through a series of faith stages before they were ripe for conversion. (d) We must be cautious about applying adult modes of conversion to children - the accounts in the book of acts are with adults. While the lessons or principles may apply, we do not have a blue print for converting children as they are not mini-adults.
Eddie Prest, a Scrpture Union worker from Cape Town, mentioned the following principles to guide the evangelism of Children in a locally published manual:
A. Children are Loved by God
The immense love and concern of our Heavenly Father is directed to children. Jesus showed this concern when he urged the children to come to him. If God reaches out to children in this way then we must conclude that children are able to respond to Him.
B. Children are Responsive to God
They have an inbuilt ‘responsiveness to God’ that is implanted by the creator. They are made in His image - with a natural capacity to respond to God. As with Jesus (Luke 2:52) each child has the possibility of a growing and appropriate relationship with God.
C. Children Inherit a Fallen Nature
As a member of the human race they possess a sinful nature, inherited originally from Adam - and they will sooner or later show signs of rebellion against God. They have a bias towards evil - which they cannot overcome by their own resources. Their sinful nature and the sinful acts that spring from it are totally abhorrent to God and demand his condemnation. The questions of God’s attitude to the very young child must be left in his hands - but he does not demand of people that which is beyond their ability, he requires that people make a response to Christ that they are capable of - so it is our responsibility to present the gospel to every person so they can become disciples.
D. Children are Developing in Accountability and Responsibility to God
When an adult acknowledges that they are responsible before God for their sin, and they repent, the benefits of Christ’s redemption are applied to them personally and they have eternal life. If they do not repent they remain under God’s judgment. But a child is not fully accountable or responsible to God and are incapable of making independent decisions about their relationship with God - this capacity gradually develops during childhood. So which we conclude that a child is developing in accountability and responsibility before God, we do not excuse them from needing to make some response to God, but we realise that it may differ from an adult concept of committal. It seems widely agreed among Christians that children who die before reaching an age when they can make a valid choice between good and evil are covered by the redeeming work of Christ. This age probably differs for each person. An age of accountability or responsibility is not mentioned in the Bible - it is a logical inference.
E. Children are Capable of Real Spiritual Experience
Children are capable of deep spiritual insights and experiences before the age of accountability. A small child, for example, will express confidence in God’s ability to answer a prayer or save a situation.
Eddie Prests’ handling of the views of children and salvation may be helful: Maybe the solution is to neither regard the child as being settled in the kingdom and therefore requiring no response to Jesus Christ, nor regard the child as outside the kingdom requiring a drastic ‘decisionistic’ type of evangelism for them to gain entrance. He refers to the two views: (a) In Until they Opt Out - here no response is required; and (b) Out until they Opt In - here drastic conversion required. He goes on to say that there are two errors: (a) expecting too much - a level of understanding and a response more appropriate for adults; and (b) expecting too little - putting off any challenge to respond to Christ until they are much older. His conclusion is that child evangelism is a sensitive process of forging the next link in the chain of the child’s journey towards a dependent, trusting and growing relationship and friendship with God. It is the meeting of the child’s badnews situation with an appropriate statement of the goodnews for the particular stage they are at on the spiral of their development.
3. Children and Conversion
Where children’s ministry emphases a personal, one-on-one evangelism approach for leading childre to Christ for salvation, children’s workers need to be trained to recognise when children are ready to receive Christ; know how to encourage readiness, and how to present the gospel to children.
A. How to Recognise Readiness
There are signs that leaders can look for to determine whether Children are ready to receive Jesus as Saviour: (1) The child asks questions about Jesus’ work of salvation. (2) The child expresses remorse about sin in their life. (3) The child ask to receive Jesus into their life. (4) The child has a change in disposition - seious thoughts, expression of convern over sin, etc. (5) The child shows a development of understanding concepts, such as faith, repentance, confession, etc.
B. How to Encourage Readiness
There are things that teachers can do that will help: (1) Pray that God will draw them to himself. (2) Introduce them to the love and goodness of God. (3) Let them see you living the Christian life - Model
C. How to Lead a Child to Jesus
General Guidelines: (1) Pray for them - and for an opportunity to share the gospel with them. (2) Find out where they are at by asking questions. (3) Present the gospel and watch their response. (4) Get them to read the Bible. (5) Ask probing questions to see whether they understand the gospel. (6) Lead them in a prayer of salvation: Admission of sin, belief in Jesus’ death and resurrection, a request for salvation, an offering of thanks for salvation, and a request for help from God to live a righteous life. (7) Rejoice with them, review their commitment and reaffirm what has happened.
Specific Principles: (1) Clearly explain everything so the child can appreciate the significance of Christ’s death. Key concepts: God loves you, you have sinned, Christ died to pay for your sin, you must admit to Him that you are a sinner and ask Him for forgiveness. You are in God’s family and have everlasting life. (2) Use a few scripture passages in your presentation, get children to read a passage if they are able to, and personalise the message by putting their names in the verse. Examples: John 3:16; 3:36; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; John 1:14; 1 John 1:9. (3) Depend on the Holy Spirit for a response. (4) Ask questions and encourage the child to ask questions. (5) Give them an opportunity to respond to the gospel. (a) Ask children to respond “inside” before asking for outward response. A teacher might say, “If you want Jesus to be your Saviour, say to yourself, ‘Yes, Jesus, I want You to be my Saviour.’” (b) Make the invitation clear. A child’s mind wanders easily. Ask the child, “Can you tell me why you came to talk to me?” (c) Use natural situations to talk to children about receiving Christ. When a child asks, “Can I accept the Lord?” that is the time to stop and lead the child to Christ. Another simple and effective way is to invite children to remain after class if they desire to accept Christ. (d) Avoid making the invitation so easy that acceptance is not genuine. Some human response is necessary. Open “confession,” or acknowledgment that they desire to accept Christ, often fixes the decision in the mind of a child. (e) Avoid group decisions with the young. Better results are obtained at the time of decision if the tear-her deals with the child individually and personally. Dealing with children one-on-one avoids the dangers of: (a) manipulation - children are easily manipulated; (b) hero worship; (c) emotionalism; (d) externalism - they may confuse raising a hand with the inward reality of conversion; and (e) gang response - they will respond in a group to please they friends.
Each children’s worker should develop a gospel presentation that is appropriate to the children. The following two examples are suggested. They are the Wordless Book and the Wordless Bracelet:
A. The Wordless Book
You can tell the message of salvation to a child with your Bible and a copy of the Wordless Book. Allow the child to interact with you. Scripture references in parenthesis are for your study. A few verses are quoted for use with the child. Begin your conversation by introducing yourself and finding out the child’s name so you may call him by name throughout your presentation. Be sure to tell this story enthusiastically.
THE STORY
Have you ever seen a book without words or pictures? (Fan the pages showing colours.) This book of coloured pages tells a wonderful story from the Bible about the true and living God who made the world. I call my book a Wordless Book. Each colour reminds me of part of the story. Would you like to hear it? (response) Have you ever peeked at the back page of a book to see if the ending is happy or sad? (response) I have! Let’s look at the last page first. It tells us about a very exciting place.
GOLD PAGE
(Experience has proved it is wise to begin with the gold page, stressing the love of God.) The gold page reminds me of Heaven. Do you know what Heaven is? (response) Heaven is God’s home. The Bible tells us that in Heaven, the street of the city is pure, clear gold-like glass (Rev. 21:21). God tells us many other things about His home. No one is ever sick there. No one ever dies. There is no night there. Every person in Heaven will be perfectly happy - always (Rev. 21:4-23). The most wonderful thing about Heaven is that God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus, are there. God made heaven and earth. Can you name some other things He made? (sun, moon, stars, trees and flowers) He made you, too, and He loves you very much. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world . . . (Jn. 3:16). This means He loves each person - including you and me. Because God made you and loves you, He wants you to be part of His family and be with Him in Heaven someday. What a special place Heaven is! It is perfect because God is perfect. But there is one thing that can never be in Heaven.
DARK PAGE
(Use this page to stress the spiritual need of the child. As you talk about sin, pray that the Holy Spirit will bring conviction.) That one thing is sin. This dark page reminds me of sin. Because you and I are sinners we want to have our own way instead of God’s way. Wanting our own way is sin. Doing, or saying, or thinking bad things is sin. Sin is disobeying the rules God has given in His book, the Bible. Sin causes sadness in our world. Can you think of some things that are sin? (response) Do you know that you are a sinner? God’s Word says. “For all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23). All means every one of us, including you and me. Sin separates you and me from God because He is perfectly right - without any sin at all. God cannot allow sin where He is. God has said sin must be punished. The punishment for sin is death - to be separated from God forever (Rom. 6:23). God knew there was nothing you could do to get rid of your sin. He knew you could not be good enough to please Him. But He loves you and wants you to be His child. So He made a way for you to be forgiven.
RED PAGE
(Use this page to stress the way of salvation through the death of Christ.) The red page shows the way. God loves you so much. He sent His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to earth from Heaven. He was born as a tiny baby. Do you know when we celebrate His birth? (response) He grew up and became a man. Jesus was different than any other person who lived on the earth. He never did even one wrong thing. He is perfect. But one day wicked men put a crown of thorns on His head and nailed the Lord Jesus to a cross. The Bible says while He hung there, God put all your sins on Him (Isa. 53:6). All your anger, all your lies and your meanness - all your sin was put on the Son of God. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, what came from His hands and His feet? (blood) The Bible says that without giving of blood, there is no forgiveness (Heb 9:22). Jesus took your punishment of death for sin. He suffered so much. Then He cried with a loud voice, “it is finished.” When you finish a job, how much is left to do? Nothing. The Lord Jesus came to earth to take our punishment for sin. And He finished the work when He died on that cross. The Bible says, “Christ died for our sins ... and was buried” (1 Cor. 15:3). But after three days the most wonderful thing happened. God gave Him life again. He raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus is a living Saviour (1 Cor. 15:4). He wants to be your Saviour - to save you from your sin.
CLEAN PAGE
(Use this page to stress the child’s part - to believe on the Lord Jesus as his personal Saviour.) This page reminds me that you can be made clean from sin (Ps. 51:7). God tells us about it in the Bible. (Let child read the whole verse with “For God so loved the world, that he gave only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Are you part of the world? (respond Yes, God loves you. God says if you believe in Jesus you will not perish - you will not be separated from God forever. He will forgive your sins. God says, “whosoever believeth.” We could put your name in the place “whosoever.” If you believe in Jesus as Saviour, what will He give you? (everlasting life) That’s the kind of life you need to live in Heaven with God. If you believe on the Jesus as your Saviour, He will forgive your sin. And He will be with you always and give you power to obey God. You can tell Jesus today that you have sinned and that you believe He died for you.
GREEN PAGE
(Stress spiritual growth on this page.) The colour green reminds me of things which are growing, like leaves, grass, flowers and trees. This page reminds me of the new life, the everlasting life, you have received from God. When you believe on the Lord Jesus as your Saviour from sin, you are like a newborn baby in God’s family. God wants you to grow in a special way. The Bible tells you to “grow in .. .the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). As you learn more about Jesus from the Bible you will learn how to keep from sinning (Ps. 119:11). Ask Him each day to help you obey Him, When you do sin, tell God you have sinned. He will forgive you right away. The Bible says, “if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). Ask Him to help you not to do that wrong thing again. (Lead the child in thanking God for His promise to help.) As time permits, talk with the child about those things which will help him grow as a member of God’s family. Explain you are not talking about growing taller or gaining weight, but learning to love and please the Lord Jesus more. (1) Talk to God - pray (l Thess. 5:17). (2) Listen to God - learn God’s Word by reading and memorizing it (Ps. 119:11). (3) Talk for God - witness or tell others about Him (Mk. 16:15). (4) Worship God - go to Sunday school and church (Heb. 10:25). Before the child leaves, (a) Give her a tract or correspondence course. (b) Have her say a thank-you prayer for what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for her. (c) Pray for her. (d) Request her name and address for follow-up.
B.The Wordless Bracelet
This GOLD bead reminds us of Heaven. The Bible tells us Heaven has a street of gold! But the best part about Heaven is that God, who created you and me, lives there. The Bible, God's Word, says: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Jesus, God the Son, is in Heaven preparing a place for all who put their trust in Him (John 14:2-3). God is holy and perfect. He cannot allow anything in Heaven that is less than perfect, so there's one thing that can never be in Heaven.Can you think of what that might be?
It is sin! That is what this DARK bead reminds us of. Sin is anything you think, say, or do that does not please God, like lying, cheating, being selfish, or hurting others. The Bible says: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). That means everyone, big or little, young or old! No matter where you live or who you are, you have sinned. Everyone is born with a "want to" to do wrong. God says that sin must be punished (Romans 6:23), and the punishment for sin is to be separated from God forever in a place of suffering....a place called Hell. But God has a wonderful plan so that you will not have to be punished for your sin!
God sent Jesus Christ, His perfect Son, to be born as a little baby. Jesus lived a perfect life....He never sinned. When He was grown, wicked men nailed Him to a cross. This bead is RED reminding us of Jesus' blood. The Bible says that without the giving of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). So Jesus Christ Willingly died to take your sin punishment. "...Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Now, because of what Jesus has done for you, you can have your sins forgiven.
The Bible says: "As many as recieved Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on His name" (John 1:12). The WHITE bead reminds us of a CLEAN heart. How can you have a clean heart? A = Admit to God you are a sinner and want to turn away from those sins. B = Believe in Jesus Christ, that He is God's perfect Son who died for your sin, was buried, and rose again. C = Call on Him to save you from your sin. Would you like to do that right now? He has promised to hear, and once you are His child, He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). Take a moment and talk to God right now. It will change your life forever. Only one more color! What can it mean?
GREEN stands for things that grow. When you ask God to forgive you and save you, you become His child. God wants you to get to know Him better and to grow to become more like Him. These four things will help you grow: (1) Pray (talk to God every day). (2) Read & Obey the Bible (to know what He says, then do it). (3) Tell Others About Jesus. (4) Go to a Bible-Believing Church (where you can learn more about pleasing Him). As a child of God, if you should sin again, stop and tell Him about it. He promises in His Word..."If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Ask God to help you live a life to please Him! Share the Good News of this bracelet with someone else.
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