RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

WHAT you teach kids matters.  The CONTENT of the discipleship tools you create for parents matters.

Why?  Because if kids do not understand the foundational doctrines of the faith, they will have a very difficult time defending the faith.

Recent research has revealed that 13% of Gen Z claim to be atheists.  This is over double the amount of adults who say they are atheists.

More than ever, kids need to know why they believe what they believe.  Their faith must be built on a solid foundation or it will crumble when they are challenged on a significant level.

Here are 6 key doctrines that are foundational.  As you look through these, I would encourage you to get the scope and sequence of the curriculum you are currently using and see if it is teaching these doctrines.   

The Bible is the Word of God - the Holy Spirit guided human authors so that what they wrote in Scripture is accurate and without error.

God - God is a Spirit, a person, life, self-existent, unchanging, unlimited by time and space, and a unity….God consistently works out His eternal plan by guiding and overseeing all things by His wise and holy purpose.

Christ - Jesus was in fact God incarnate in human form.  He is the second person in the Trinity who came to live among us, die for us, and resurrect that someday we might be able to live with Him forever.

Holy Spirit - the Holy Spirit is not merely a force, but has all the attributes of personality and is also God as the third person of the Trinity.  The Holy Spirit’s work brings us to Christ and salvation, equips us for ministry, empowers us for service and produces spiritual fruit in our life.

Salvation -  The single most significant experience in life is receiving the salvation provided by Christ on the cross. When we invite Jesus to be our Forgiver, Leader and Friend, our sins are forgiven and we have eternal life.

Church -  Jesus gave us the church as a means of Christians assembling together to encourage and help one another in the Christian life and to enable them to be more effective in reaching out to others. The church exists for worship, instruction, fellowship and evangelism.

If the curriculum you are using doesn't teach the kids these and other doctrines, then it's time to get a new curriculum. 

Some people hear the word "doctrine" and assume that means you have to teach the kids these doctrines in a boring, lecture-style lesson.  Not at all, this is not about how you teach, but about what you teach.  You can teach Bible doctrine to the kids in a fun, engaging and relevant way.  In fact, if you teach the doctrines in a fun, engaging, hands on, learner-based way, kids will actually be able to remember them better. 

Others might suggest that you can wait until kids are in middle school or high school to teach them doctrine.  But stats show us that the front lines for the next generation are now in elementary school.  I believe we must start teaching doctrine in age-appropriate ways beginning as early as preschool.

When we teach kids doctrine, I believe we must also take them on a deeper dive so they can defend their beliefs when they are challenged.  And trust me, they will be challenged.  We must equip them so they don't just survive these attacks, but thrive and win others to Christ.

We must lead kids in asking the type of questions like you see below about the doctrines and help them discover the answers so they are prepared to give a defense of what they believe.

The Bible is the Word of God:

• How do you know it's true?
• Wasn't it just written by men?
• The Bible contains errors, doesn't it?

God:

• How do you know God is real?
• Why would a good God allow bad things to happen?
• How do you know God created everything?

Christ:

• How do you know Jesus was the Son of God?
• How do you know Jesus rose from the dead?
• Why do you believe Jesus is the only way to heaven?

Holy Spirit:

• How can the Holy Spirit be everywhere at once?
• Why do you think the Holy Spirit is God?
• Why doesn't the Holy Spirit stop people from being hurt?

 Salvation:

• Why would God send people to hell?
• Don't all religions lead to heaven?
• Won't I go to heaven if I do good things?

Church:

• The church is full of hypocrites.
• All churches want is peoples' money.
• The church is judgmental. 

Questions like these are why we must teach kids Bible doctrine and equip them to defend their faith.  The next generation is at stake.  Every Sunday matters.  Every lesson matters.  Every person investing in the next generation matters.  You matter.  Your ministry matters.

I have developed a strategic, one-year elementary curriculum that helps kids learn solid Bible doctrine.  From salvation to spiritual leadership, they will discover 12 key truths that will give them a solid faith foundation.  You can get more info. at this link. 

America's spiritual slide has been happening for decades.  Each succeeding generation has seen more and more people who identify themselves as "nones."  "Nones" are people who say they have no religious affiliation.

The latest findings from Barna reveal that Gen Z is continuing this downward spiral.  (Gen Z is today's kids - born between 1999 and 2015).

Gen Z is the first truly "Post-Christian"  generation.  More than any previous generation, Gen Z does not associate with any religious identity.

The percentage of Gen Z that identifies as atheist is double that of the adult population.  The percentage of Gen Z kids who say they are atheist is 13%.  This is compared to 6% of all adults.

What is causing the next generation to turn to atheism?  Surveys among Gen Z reveals the big reasons.

• 29% - I have a hard time believing that a good God would allow so much evil and suffering in the world.

• 23% - Christians are hypocrites.

• 20% - I believe science refutes the Bible.

• 19% - I don't believe in fairy tales.

• 15% - There are too many injustices in the history of Christianity.

• 12% - I used to go to church, but it's just not that important anymore.

• 6% - I had a bad experience at church or with a Christian. 

 Here are some more eye-opening findings about Gen Z...

• 37% believe it is not possible to know for sure if God is real.

• 58% believe many religions can lead to eternal life.

• 46% say they need factual evidence to support their beliefs. 

• 49% says the church seems to reject much of what science tells us about the world.

• 27% say the church is not a safe place to express doubts.

• 24% say the teaching they are exposed to is shallow. 

Did you see the last few stats I listed?  We are failing the next generation.

While Gen Z kids are growing up in a post-Christian culture, we are giving them lessons that are shallow and lack the substance that will sustain their faith.

While Gen Z kids desperately need to know why the Bible is true, we are teaching them character traits.

While Gen Z kids are internally asking the hard questions about Christianity, we are not creating safe places where they can openly grapple to find the answers.

While Gen Z kids want to know why they should trust a God whose world is ravaged by war, violence, injustice, natural disasters, pain and suffering, we are giving them cute, Christianese responses that aren't sufficient.

While Gen Z kids need a discipleship pathway that will guide them to a solid faith foundation, we are taking them on fun trips to the local water park.

Our cute lessons won't enable kids' faith to survive the science class in their freshman year of college.

Our cute lessons won't empower kids to be a difference maker in their workplace one day.

Our cute lessons won't give kids the answers they need to the hard questions they are pondering.

Our cute lessons won't help them live for God in a world that says He doesn't exist.

If we are going to see Gen Z grow up to love Jesus, then we've got to...

Help kids discover the true nature and character of God.  When kids understand the heart of God and know Him personally, they will trust Him.

Be strategic in what we teach.  More than ever, we have to have a strategic plan that will take help kids develop a solid faith foundation.

Equip kids to be able to defend their faith.  If they are going to escape the doubts that will be pushed their way, they must be able to defend why they believe what they believe.

Walk kids through the hard questions now.  We must be proactive and help them find the right answers before they hear the wrong answers.  A great place to start is with the Pranksters series, where kids face the hard questions about the Bible and find out why we believe it is true.

Move beyond just having kids memorize verses to helping them understanding what the verses really mean.  It would be better to have kids memorize and understand 1 verse than to have them rapidly memorize 10 verses that they do not understand.

Not be afraid of letting science and the Bible intersect.  We must show kids how the Bible is backed up by science.  And if there appears to be a variance, how the Bible is true and reliable.

Behind the stats, are kids in your community and mine, in your church and mine, in your family and mine, who are in the process of deciding what they believe.

Kids who want to know if the Bible can be trusted.  Kids who are questioning if science and faith can be compatible.  Kids who are trying to figure out who Jesus is and why they should follow Him.  Kids who are looking for answers to the hard faith questions.

Are our cute lessons turning kids into atheists?  May this be a wake-up call for all of us.