Churches – more specifically, the Children’s Ministries in churches - are one of the primary places where children learn the “whats” – what the Bible says and therefore, what we, as Christians, believe. This is why churches invest so much time and money in choosing and using curriculum resources with the children in their churches – to teach them the “whats”.
There are solid reasons churches teach the “whats” – we want children to know what the Bible says, and therefore what we, as Christians, believe. Teaching the “whats” is a fully appropriate and necessary part of a strong and effective Children’s Ministry. But, along with teaching the “whats”, we also need to teach the “whys” – why we are able to believe the “whats”.
Sadly, few, if any, churches teach the “whys” – not even from their pulpits. This is one of the reasons we see so many of our young people turning away from their faith to atheism (as shown in the 2018 Barna study on atheism doubling among Generation Z – those born between 1999 and 2015 - https://www.barna.com/research/atheism-doubles-among-generation-z/)
If we want this trend to stop – and we most certainly do, and if we want to see the families in our church spared the pain of watching as their loved children/grandchildren turn away from the faith they once had to atheism, and sadly more and more of them are doing this, then we must do something to be certain the children in our ministries are equipped with a confident faith. Yes, this means teaching the “whats”, but it also means teaching them the “whys” as well. They need to know what they believe and why they are able to believe it. As Josh McDowell says, “Belief is knowing what you believe, conviction is knowing why you believe it.”
We need to teach the children in our churches the “whys” so when the day comes and they hear someone talk about whether they are able to really believe God is real, if the Bible is true, if science and the Bible go together, and if God is actually good, and this day will come, they will know the reasons “why” they believe these things. Teaching the “whys” equips the children we love so they are able to face questions and stand firm with a confident faith, so they are able to answer questions from their friends, family, teachers, or people they meet throughout their lives. Certainly this is what we want to see happen in their lives.
Anchored curriculum for children is designed to supplement, not replace, the curriculum you are currently using in your Children’s Ministry. In Anchored you will find 52 weeks of “lessons” and activities for use in your church, along with activities for families to work on together at home each week – which will enable you to easily equip and engage parents and grandparents to teach the “whys” at home. As children learn the “whys” at church and at home, they will develop a firm conviction and a confident faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment