We frequently hear about the percentage of kids who walk away from the faith when they get older. And yes, it is true. Many kids do walk away.
But there are also many, many kids who don't walk away and grow up to love and serve Jesus for a lifetime.
What makes the difference?
Here a few factors that are common for kids who become lifelong followers of Jesus.
Personal relationship with Jesus. Kids who walk away usually know about God, but many don't know God. There is a huge difference.
It's easy to walk away from someone you don't know personally.
But when you have a close, personal relationship with someone, it's hard to walk away from them.
We've got to introduce Jesus to kids and ask the Holy Spirit to draw them to Him. Jesus wants to be "closer than a brother" to them. He wants to see kids...trust Him with all their heart...lean on Him for understanding and wisdom...acknowledge Him in their life...and believe that He will guide their steps.
Our role is to faithfully share the Gospel with kids and help them build a solid foundation for their lives that is empowered by Jesus.
Parents. One of the top reasons why a kid grows up to love Jesus is because of the investment of his or her parents in their life. We know that parents are the biggest influence in a child's life. As we equip and partner with parents, we will see kids come to Christ and continue to follow Him.
Personal friendship with a caring leader. While parents are definitely the biggest influence in a child's life, God will also send a caring leader to reinforce what they are being taught and modeled at home. It may be a grandparent, a volunteer at church, a small group leader, a coach, a teacher or a friend. Whoever it is, they make a big impact in the child's life.
Preaching and teaching of God's Word. The Bible tells us that faith comes from hearing the Word of God. Kids who grow up to love Jesus, have consistently heard the Bible taught and shared. They have been grounded in their faith by reading, studying and applying the Bible to their life.
If we can get kids involved in the above from an early age, we will see a large percentage serve Jesus for a lifetime.
Here's an example. I recently connected with Chris (pictured below). Chris was a young kid in my ministry in Southern California over 30 years ago. He came to Jesus and I had the privilege of baptizing him. He had solid leaders who poured into him. He had parents that loved and followed Jesus.
So 30 years later, our paths cross again. Was great to catch up and hear about what God continues to do in and through his life. He serves at a great church and helps people get plugged into the ministry. Living proof that while many kids grow up and don't follow Jesus, there are many that do.
Keep investing in the next generation. Keep believing for the next generation. Keep fighting for the next generation. Kids grow up fast. Now is the time to reach and disciple them. Time moves so fast...before you can blink, they will be adults serving and making a difference because you pointed them to Jesus as a child.