Nurturing Faith in Children

NURTURING FAITH IN CHILDREN

Nurturing Faith in Children

Holidays with my grannies are very interesting periods I always look forward to. Many beautiful experiences, but the one I will never forget is our morning routine of watering, trimming, and cutting down weeds at grandpa’s garden. Grandpa always accompanies these exercises with several stories, instructions, and lessons. Grandpa always says ‘a beautiful garden requires nurturing, and a plant you do not nurture will die naturally.’

To nurture means to tend, take care of, and provide all the developmental support for something to grow. Faith in this context refers to our belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, through whom we have access to our Father in heaven. Just like the plants in grandpa’s garden, faith in children cannot grow by itself; it must be nurtured.

Parents have the primary responsibility to nurture faith in their children (Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4). However, the church and children’s ministers are to engage parents and support them in carrying out this all-important assignment. Parents, with the support of the church and children’s ministers, are called to progressively nurture, mentor, and guide their children, and there is no substitute for this calling. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 teaches that nurturing faith in children is a commandment from God.

Children need the gospel, the whole gospel, the unadulterated gospel; they ought to have it, and if they are taught of the Spirit of God they are as capable of receiving it as persons of ripe years.

Charles Spurgeon

The following can be done so as not to fall short of this commandment:

1. Parents must lead the way. Nurturing faith in children begins with the spiritual formation of their parents. As parents, church members, and children’s ministers, do you have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? You can never give what you don’t have.

2. Provide the environment for the seed of faith to be planted—an environment where only Jesus Christ is Lord; all that the child feels, sees, and hears should point to Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ is first caught by children and not taught to them.

3. Water the seed of faith at every opportunity by engaging the children in worship and praise, prayer, Bible reading, and memory verse, especially during morning and evening devotion.

4. Provide opportunities for complementary nutrients from other faith-building sources like attending children’s Sunday school, weekly children’s Bible club, children’s holiday camp, etc.

5. Allow the children to exercise their faith in the place of service in the church; they can join service units like the choir, drama, usher, etc.

In conclusion, Grandpa’s garden is a very beautiful place to be; there is so much peace and calmness there all because Grandpa provides the required nurturing. God created every child for Himself, to show forth His glory, and He gave parents, churches, and children’s ministers the responsibility to nurture, mentor, and guide these children in their faith in God.

Let us, therefore, rise to our responsibilities like Grandpa and nurture faith in our children.

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