Independent

It is a problem faced by every Christian denomination.

Keeping our young people in the church is an age-old, never-ending challenge.

Today’s world has more distractions calculated to draw young people away from God than ever before. Years ago, people dreamed of sports and movies on demand, of instantaneous communication, and of vast resources of knowledge at our fingertips. The future has arrived.

The solution for the challenge of keeping our young people connected to Christ often appears to be the church doing more for young people —more programs, more events, more weekends away, more productions.

All these years later, “more” does not seem to have been especially effective. Young children soon get to the place where they wish to feed themselves. No longer content to be spoon-fed by mother or father, children will take the spoon into their hands and attempt self-sufficency. Before long, the same children are trying to tie their shoelaces and wanting to ride a bike. As the child grows, he or she —no longer satisfied with being chauffeured— wants to drive, then get a part-time job in order to have spending money, and stay out late with friends. Children naturally want to do these things as they get older. They wish to experience a certain level of independence.

Children who feed themselves, get jobs, drive cars, and stay out after dark should also be encouraged to take responsibility for their spiritual well-being. While the church must always strive to be relevant, engaging, and welcoming for young people, it has never been the church’s responsibility to make sure children are biblically literate or reading their Bibles and praying daily.

This is to be taught in the home. No child ever walked away from faith in Jesus while having a meaningful daily devotional experience.

If we want our children to stay with Jesus, we must first lead them to Jesus. Children who are old enough to go to high school or college, responsible enough to handle money, and old enough to spend time away from home are old enough to understand the gospel and maintain a personal relationship with the God of heaven.