What about the faith of our children?

Written by Linus Koe

What about it? The church is there. We’ll always have a Sunday school. We have lots of children and youth discipleship leaders and teacher ready to share the Bible and teach from a selected curriculum. It’s easy to drop them off at class and go off to my own every Sunday. The church will always be there with something. Won’t they?

Right up until COVID-19 happened.

We’ve been, at best, on “survival mode” for the last six months. Not just the Sunday in-person services, but even more so for our Children and Youth Discipleship classes. Going online is the least we could do to keep up with what we have had for years. But let’s be honest. It’s been hard, not just on our kids, but on our teachers too. Attendance and attention is lacking. It’s been a quick-fix to keep this model of Children’s and Youth Discipleship that we’re so used to. 

I think we’ve grown very comfortable letting the church take care of the spiritual education of our children and youth. We could easily say “Isn’t it their job?” So did COVID-19 just upset our plans for nurturing the faith of the next generation?

Deuteronomy 6:7 tells us that God wants parents to impress His command to our children. Psalm 78:5 says that God commands fathers to teach their children His law. Proverbs 22:6 exhorts us to train a child so that he will not depart from God’s ways.

When it comes to the faith of the next generation, God is very interested. Jesus told his disciples to let the little children come to him when they thought they would be a bother. God always had a model for the discipleship of our children. It is through the home, and through the parents. It is through intentional and day-to-day activities that children will learn faith from their parents. Parents have been God’s primary means children learn about Him and His Word.

With restrictions easing, and with allowances for more activities at church, should we go back to how we used to do things? Church still faces many limitations, but we definitely look forward to making the best use of the 1 hour we have with the children each week. But, more importantly, parents, you have so much more time and influence to show your children who Jesus Christ is and how He has saved you from your sin and theirs.

We desire to see the next generation rise up strong in their faith and relationship with Christ. Parents, you play a crucial role in this. The church, and this includes every member, must come alongside with our parents to partner them in this important, God-given, responsibility of nurturing the faith of our children and youth.

If you wish to talk to someone about faith practices for your family, please contact  linus@zionbishan.org.sg and keep a look out for our next Faith at Home session!