Kids In Discipleship
Children are routinely taught Biblical doctrine, baptized, and then left to themselves. Many are not being discipled to Jesus Christ. The Kids in Discipleship Program's purpose is to lead children to be faithful, fruitful disciples of Jesus Christ. We want them to:
- Begin a lifelong, personal relationship with Jesus by establishing a daily devotional life of prayer and study of God's Word.
- Discover individual gifts and passion for ministry.
- Become equipped to share gifts NOW in the home, school, and church.
- Be trained to lead peers to the Savior.
- Become a Spirit led leader NOW for Jesus.
Leaders from our local church have been trained by leaders from the Collegedale Seventh-day Adventist Church in Collegedale, Tennessee. Collegedale launched the original ministry program in March 2002.
Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18 KJV
What dreams does God have for your child and the children of your church? When God saw that tiny life growing safe and snug within her mother's womb, He had already created a unique destiny with her in mind. When the Creator of children looked deep into that microscopic heart, beating, pulsing like that of a hummingbird, He loved her and thrilled with the thought of an eternity to love and be loved by her. What have you dreamed for the children in your church? Have you dared to hope for all that is on God’s heart? Would you dare hope for any less?
What is the most frequently quoted text in the Bible? Most would say John 3:16 “For God so loved the world….” or maybe, Proverbs 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go….”
Good guesses! But not the right answers. The most often quoted text is found in Deuteronomy.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Shocked? The reason this text is most frequently quoted is because in the Jewish community, this passage is recited every morning and evening. It literally is written in the doorframes of an Orthodox Jewish home. It is the mantra on the lips of every Jewish child and is considered a summary of the whole will of God. When Christ was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” He quoted Deuteronomy 6. When Jesus asked the scribe to sum up the essence of Scripture he quoted Deuteronomy 6.
In this passage God unveils the process by which children and youth are to be taught. Parents are to be the primary spiritual directors/mentors of children. While the larger community plays a significant role, parents shoulder the major responsibility. The extended family and church reinforces what the parents are already doing.
In the Jewish family when a child comes of age (13) they have a celebration called a bar mitzvah (for boys) or bat mitzvah (for girls). During this worship service, the child is surrounded by family and friends who reinforce what the parents say and do by quoting back to the child the Shema, which is Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
Studies confirm the primacy of parents in the mentoring and discipling of their children. Among Christian young people 80% are not seen in church the week after graduation from high school. (That is, 5 out of 6 young people who grew up in the church are not in the church after graduation. Fortunately, the statistic among Adventists is a little better, we only lose 50%.) However, in families where parents actively mentor their children, the statistic is the opposite; the retention rate is at 80%.
The Deuteronomy model and current statistics confirm that discipleship requires a personal relationship with parents. Disciples hip happens best in the home in the context of a daily, loving relationship with a parent. Who else understands the temperaments of each child, and can take advantage of teachable moments throughout the day. Who else is there when the child awakens or goes to sleep at night? Who else can provide the direction for the day and anchor them under the Lordship of Jesus? Who else can comfort them or help them to learn from their day and give them guidance?
God’s plan for leaving a legacy that will transfer from generation to generation is for parents to be the primary mentors of their children. In Joel 2:28 we capture another picture of God’s dream for His children.
“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
God’s dream is that the outpouring of His spirit will be experienced by all of His people and children are the center of that dream. Notice how God emphasizes the youth in the words—“sons”, “daughters”, and “young men.”
Joel’s challenge speaks of the young and old having dreams and visions together. God longs for an intergenerational movement where every age group, including children, has a definite niche in spreading the gospel to the world. His call features our sons and daughters “prophesying.” Our kids are to be in the heart and soul of mission, actively sharing the great news about Jesus. All over the world God’s plan includes children and youth as leaders NOW in lifting up Jesus to the world.
History is replete with stories of how God has used children and youth to advance His purposes. Our Adventist story grows out of the heart of a child with a third grade education, but filled with the Spirit, Ellen G. White and a group of teenagers started a movement. In the early 1900’s children in Sweden preached the gospel on the street corners and many converted. At the General Conference session in Toronto, a five year old preached a powerful and well-articulated sermon on the coming of Christ. Adults in Columbia are being converted as the result of child preachers.
God closes the Old Testament with the Elijah Message, a passionate cry for fathers to turn their hearts to their children, and children to turn their hearts to their fathers.
“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” Malachi 4:5,6.
George Barna, founder and Director of the Barna Group sites the following studies:
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According to a 1997 study conducted by Barna Research, 78 percent of youth indicated that their parents had more influence on their decision-making than anyone else.
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A May 6, 2003 study “found that close to nine out of ten parents of children under age 13 (85%) believe they have the primary responsibility for teaching their children about religious beliefs and spiritual matters…. Related research, however, revealed that a majority of parents do not spend any time during a typical week discussing religious matters or studying religious materials with their children.”
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An October 11, 2004 study reveals that “among Christians who embraced Christ before their teen years, half were led to Christ by their parents….”
God sees clearly what we sometimes miss: parental influence is essential for the healthy development of our children and our society. The above passage of Scripture predicts a curse will fall on the land if this vital connection is not restored. All around us we see evidence of the lack of mentoring by parents. Let us rise up as a “holy nation” and claim back our children for the kingdom.
The last Scripture model we will consider is that of Jesus, the greatest discipler of all time. Jesus Christ became a spiritual coach for twelve ordinary men during the first century. For over three years He walked with them, talked with them and camped with them under the bright stars of Judea. This motley group of seekers followed His every move. They observed how He interacted with people. They listened to His stories. They had opportunities to talk with Him about what He meant and the implications of that for life and ministry. He then sent them out to try it on their own. Later He brought them back together to see what they had learned, and to coach them on approaches that might be more effective. He ministered to them individually. He caringly confronted them on their mistaken ideologies and their character foibles. He loved them intensely. He walked with them through difficult crises. In the end eleven of these men turned the ancient world upside down—preaching, teaching and healing as Christ had done.
Before I leave this topic, I cannot resist focusing on Jesus’ own teaching and example about children. Parents are bringing their children to Jesus to have Him touch them. The disciples, having not yet learned all that they were to learn ministering to people, are rebuking the parents for bothering Jesus. When Jesus hears them, the Scriptures say He was “indignant.” In other words, He was very displeased. In that teachable moment for the disciples, Jesus outlines three important principles in regard to children.
The first is “Let the little children come” (Mark 10:14). Here Jesus uplifts the importance of allowing children to be considered important. Don’t keep the children at a distance. Don’t be so concerned about “greater things” that you push them aside or marginalize them. He says, draw them in. Let them be with you. Don’t put roadblocks in their path. Encourage. Support. They will come if not prevented.
The second is, “He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them” (Mark 10:16). He brought them in close. They sat on His knee. They touched His beard. They snuggled against His chest. And He touched them with gentle touches and words. He made them feel important, because they were important.
And the third is, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the One who sent me” (Mark 9: 37). This work is central to the kingdom of God. The condemnation of people who do not welcome children is very strong: “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6).
With this solid Biblical base, the Deuteromony model and Jesus’ model of discipleship, we hold firmly that especially parents are called to disciple their children. And in the words of Ed Cole: “The role of the Church is to mentor parents…to mentor their children.”
It is our prayer that you will discover the power of one-on-one discipleship, that you will learn to trust Jesus more fully to shape your life and ministry to children, and that you will be effective in discipling the children and youth entrusted to your care to the greatest discipler of all, Jesus Christ.
