It's only fair that speakers and writers own up to their biases. Otherwise, you can be drawn in by someone who weaves a convincing argument but never details the full implications of their thinking, nor sheds light on what has shaped their thinking to this point. Writers who claim not to have biases are fooling themselves, and you.
So here is one of mine: I don't think we're doing all right in Children's Ministry (nationwide) when it comes to passing on our faith. Status quo is decidedly not ok.
How can we claim success when the statistics say that around 70% of kids raised in the evangelical church will leave the church once they reach college? And that although 80% of American adults identify themselves as Christians, only 3%, according to George Barna, hold a Biblical worldview? And no, it's not good enough that some of those who wander eventually come back, which has become a convenient excuse for some in the world of Christian Ed to do nothing ("We're laying the groundwork…" they say, an argument that betrays a bias: real spiritual maturity can only happen in adults. This fails to take kids seriously spiritually and sells them short.)
No, we - and by this I mean the Church at large - are failing. And ironically, one of the reasons we've failed is that we've tried too hard! Let me explain: In our zeal and determination to successfully pass on a body of faith, we have measured and quantified and systematized and programmed the delivery of Christian Education to the point that the heart of Christianity, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, gets lost. When did loving Jesus ever become the product of having systematic knowledge?
I see this all the time in browsing Christian websites and reading ministry magazines, curricula that promise "Your kids will grow!" and "Kids will be excited about their faith" and "Kids will develop a firm foundation." Yet any prepackaged curriculum - any pre-written lesson, for that matter - is inherently limited by the assumptions that it is built upon, namely, that the questions it is answering are the ones kids are asking.
We are facing that this Fall in our 4th-6th grade room. We've just launched into a series on God and school, touching on things like cheating, being a good sport, and handling school stress. How do we teach this in such a way as to not be handing down yet another version of THE LAW? The answer is to frame the series around the theme of spiritual growth - what it is, why someone would want it, and how walking in faith (at home and at school) will produce it. But - what if a kid doesn't desire spiritual growth? Will he hear anything in this series except what he's grown accustomed to hearing in the church - all the dos and don'ts? Probably not, and that's the limit of what education can accomplish. We can teach people's minds; we can influence them toward action; but we cannot capture their will.
I am convinced that the strongest force in the world to be tamed is the human will. It is truly renegade. Humility compels us to concede that whenever a person bends their stubborn will toward the Cross, there's more in play than just the apprehension of facts. God is at work in authentic churches; by contrast, there are seminaries and religious studies programs where knowledge is abundant but God is not at work.
What, then, is the role of education, especially for kids and especially in a group setting, where some are saved and on the path of discipleship, but many are not? What can be taught that is beneficial to both groups? What exactly are we trying to do, and what do kids need to possess here in order to be spiritually advantaged? I believe the best thing we can do in an educational setting, especially one that reaches a broad audience of kids, is to pass along a Biblical worldview. To an unbeliever, such a program demonstrates how a Christian thinks; to a believer, it not only demonstrates Christian thought, but trains believers on the way thoughts and ideas interface with actions. A solid Christian Ed program doesn't rest having just presented content, but goes a step further in challenging students - through projects, discussions, role plays, simulations - to envision applying that knowledge in a real-world context. And further, it brings accountability to past actions: did you act as Jesus would have acted?
When Christian Ed does its job, a Biblical worldview becomes so pervasive that it begins to "spill over" into thoughts, goals, aspirations, values, and judgments. This is the litmus test: not whether kids are acquiring knowledge and understanding, but is that understanding making any appreciable difference in the way they think, feel, and behave? Admittedly, what education alone can accomplish is limited. You can educate someone in the way of salvation, and you can show them models of how to live by faith, but all the knowledge in the world won't carry the ball across the goal line. Faith without works is dead, and so Christian teaching - even solid, comprehensive teaching - can only do so much to fortify and nourish a believer. You cannot ignore the importance of modeling, community, discipline, and the other elements I'll be writing about in coming weeks that are necessary for spiritual growth.
But, insofar as churches have been entrusted with the spiritual care of children and adults, we have to accept our share of responsibility for the exodus of young people from our ranks. It's time for us to shake our addiction to the appearance of success - right-sounding answers and memory verse ribbons - and ask the harder question of ourselves: is our teaching actually transforming the way these kids view their world?
Factor #3: The cultivation of a Biblical Worldview
Key Question: Are the goals and values my child articulates in line with godly purposes?
Info, articles, and thoughts for parents of kids at North Coast Calvary Chapel.
