One of the greatest privileges you have as a parent is to help your child come to faith in Christ. Even if your child was dedicated as a baby, you will want to help your child understand the Gospel and make their own faith decision when he or she is old enough to do so. Like many parents, you may not quite know how or when to approach one of the most exciting yet intimidating moments of parenthood. Some worry that they won’t explain the gospel properly. They might be tempted to just “leave it to the professionals” by relying on people at church or ministry events. That’s understandable, but God has given you the most important and influential role when it comes to leading your child to Christ. This program is designed to help you feel more comfortable about the process when that time comes.

Your son or daughter grows in his or her understanding of God by developing a foundation; hearing stories from the Bible, learning Scriptures, singing about Jesus, and so forth. Your child also learns by experiencing life in your home; watching your example, feeling your love, and learning right from wrong. We see this in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 that says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

To lay a good foundation, there are some essential truths a child needs to understand, to begin moving towards putting their trust in Christ. Be intentional in your conversations to help them take to heart these eternal truths:

1. God is the Creator of everything – even you! And He loves you very much!
   
   
2. He gave us a special book called the Bible to tell us about Himself.
   
   
3. We know what pleases God because He tells us in the Bible.
   
   
4. Sin is anything we think, anything we say, and anything we do that does not please God.
   
   
5. We all sin. Romans 3:23
   
   
6. God wants us to be with Him in Heaven – His perfect home, but He cannot allow sin in Heaven or else it would no longer be perfect!
   
   
7. Jesus is God’s Son.
   
   
8. God sent His only Son, Jesus, to pay for our sin – to take the punishment for our sin – to save us from our sin – so that we can be with Him in Heaven one day. Romans 6:23 (For an older child, Jesus died on a cross and rose again to pay for the sins of the whole world, including ours.)

Point out God and His goodness in everyday occurrences:
When it rains – God is providing water!
When we eat – Didn’t God create yummy food for us!
When we mess up – Isn’t God good to forgive us when we mess up?

In summary, God, the Creator of everything, who made us, loves us so much that He sent his only Son to pay for our sins. If we admit we have sinned and believe Jesus to forgive our sins, putting our trust in Him, He will give us a new life on earth and eternal life in heaven. This is the beginning of a personal, life-changing relationship with God!

Once these foundational truths are understood, your child may be ready to pray with you to accept the free gift of salvation from Jesus. Recognize that the Holy Spirit will be the one to bring your child to the point of salvation. His work cannot be rushed! Our job is to lay the foundation for that decision by teaching our children the things of God – and that is a process that should be part of your daily interaction with your child! But when your child is ready, be prepared to pray with them. There is no magic formula to leading your child to Christ.

• Ask a few questions to assure that your child understands the foundational truths and that they know they have personally sinned.
• Ask if they are ready to say they are sorry for their sins and yes to Jesus saving them.
• Have them pray in their own words if possible. If not, lead them in a simple prayer to show them how to pray.

For an older child, Children's Ministry presents the gospel message using the A.B.C.'s method. This method has been chosen because it's easy to remember and simple enough that a child who has trusted in Christ, can use it in turn to share the gospel with someone else. Click to see the ABC's method. Included are some simple ways to begin to grow in their relationship with God!

Be sure to look ahead to our Decision for Christ page. It has some good ideas to keep in mind for how to celebrate and commemorate your child's decision for Christ. For starters, give them a big hug , then pray out loud a blessing over them.

Take advantage of these resources as you commit yourself to guiding your child’s faith journey.

As children get older, they become ready for additional steps along the Faith Path.

Thank you for becoming intentional about guiding your child’s faith journey!