The 4-14 Window

Not really pushing faith on your kids because they’ll get it sooner or later? It had better be sooner than later!

According to the Barna Group, what a child believes before even hitting puberty is most likely what he or she will die believing. In his recent bookTransforming Children into Spiritual Champions, George Barna relays these disturbing statistics and gives parents tools to keep their children in the faith.

Not only must children be reached early with the gospel, parents and churches must solidify what they’re teaching. Barna’s research found that 93 percent of 13-year-olds considers themselves to be Christian. But only three percent say they make their decisions based on God’s Word.

Perhaps it’s not that teenagers and adults aren’t coming to Christ but that the children who profess Him too easily fall away?

And the church could be making more of an effort. Two out of every five churchgoers on any given weekend are under 18. But less than 15 cents out of every church dollar goes to children’s ministries.

Furthermore, few parents of elementary-age kids have ever been personally contacted by a church leader to talk about their role in spiritual development of children.

Barna charges the Christian community to put a greater emphasis on ministry to children. Those surveyed were able to maintain their faith from childhood into adulthood more successfully if both parents and the church coordinated their efforts.

Better strategy can make children a priority. Barna supports assisting children in their spiritual development, motivating the entire church to action and looking to solid children’s ministries for help. If children develop spiritually, they will develop well morally in turn.

And the stakes are high in reaching kids before the teenage years. Less than five percent of teenagers self-identify as evangelical. More than half of teenagers believe Jesus committed sins while on earth. Thirty percent of teens believe all religions are really the same. More than four in five think that moral truth depends on the circumstances.

Find these numbers startling? There’s hope. Adults who went to church regularly as children are almost three times more likely to attend as adults. Also, almost two in three adults who went to church as kids then take their own kids to church.

Following God in every aspect of life is a lesson that can be soaked up early on. The consequences of missing the opportunity are bleak.