It's God's Work

Ever been here? You've been put in charge of the details of an event or project. Shortly before it's due, the boss shows up and takes over. Your plan gets modified. Heavily. The whole thing, while in line with the boss' vision, looks quite different than what you'd laid you. Now, you feel A) annoyed (Why did I do all that work?), or B) relieved (This is gonna turn out great!).

By today's management standards, what I described above would not be a "best practice". It might just be a recipe for deflating morale! Good leadership means letting people take ownership of their work.

But who "owns" the work of kids' spiritual growth?

I think the Bible is really clear: it's God. (The answer is always "God" in church, right?) Consider what Paul said when the Christians in Corinth were fighting over their allegiance to Apollos, to Peter, and to Paul. Rather than lobbying for the "favorite pastor" award, Paul corrected them sharply - even going so far as to say that their quarrel revealed their worldliness. If they'd been seeing things as they actually were, they'd know that Paul, Apollos, Peter, and others were nothing but servants. Only God deserved the credit - because only God makes spiritual growth happen:

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

What implications are there for us? If we're seeing with spiritual eyes, we recognize clearly that you and I and programs and curriculum and amazing camps and kid devotionals are only messengers and servants...but only God makes things grow.

The work of kids' spiritual growth is God's work. We just participate in it.

How? Last week I wrote about the particular "ecology" identified by John Westerhoff that supported Christianity and Christian spirituality, a cluster of institutions that included schools, schools, families, popular media, Sunday schools, and churches. A century ago, this ecology created a society that was very conducive to Christian thought and practice. Put simply, a person living then was constantly subjected to Christianizing influences.

To be sure, there were plenty of "cultural Christians" back then - people who embraced "Christian values" because it was all they knew. And while it may be tempting to accept that for your kid ("At least they have good morals and know right from wrong"), don't do it! Christianity that is only cultural and not personal lacks the power to transform. It claims the name, but underwhelms in its intensity.

Still, the "planting" and "watering" that Paul talks about is the work of ministry. Whether you are a parent, a ministry professional, a teacher, a mentor, or whoever - that is what we do: we create stable environments where things can grow. But - God makes them grow.

So we win when God wins, if our goals and priorities are aligned with his. If they're not, we need to check ourselves. Because to argue against what God is trying to do is foolish at best, and destructive at worst. "The wind blows wherever it pleases," Jesus said. "You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

I'm very wary of publishers who forecast the results we can expect to see in kids as a result of using their curriculum. That is not for a publisher to say. That takes the work from God and makes it our work. Instead, curriculum is secondary to the environment we establish - the ecology that will either support or diminish our kids' spiritual growth.

(Note: Establishing a healthy ecology and putting kids in a "Christian bubble" are two very different things. For one thing, people who've tried will tell you - there is no bubble. You cannot hide entirely from the culture; don't try. We are keeping kids in a bubble when we shun involvement with the larger culture, whereas salt-and-light Christianity would have us engaging with that culture.)

We all know well-meaning Christian parents who pushed too hard - and their kids rejected Christianity. We've all sat through sermons that were long on gee-whiz Bible details, but left us dry and unmotivated to live it out. Maybe you know kids, as I do, who know lots and lots about the content of the Bible...and they also have zero personal desire to read it. Those are not victories!

When the ecology works right, it succeeds in fostering attitudes that incline kids toward God. It doesn't magically grow a Christian. It can't. Because that's God's work.