It's not easy and often parents come to me with kids that are mad at God, with kids that are questioning their place in this world. And they wonder what they can do? What I can do?
The reality of the world we live in is that the #1 Influencer in a child's faith is their parents. The #2 Influencer in their faith is their grandparents (or other close family members). It is not their Children's Ministry Leaders, their Sunday Group leaders, etc. While this statistic was at first discouraging to me (as a Children's Ministry Director), I've come to terms with it. And I realized that I hope that I can support you - and equip parents (and myself) to be a positive influencer of a child's faith (as well as my own).If you are wondering what you can do and asking some of these questions ... I issue you this challenge: for 4 weeks, bring your child to church on Sunday. Choose whichever church you feel most comfortable with and attend consistently for 4 weeks. Don't 'church shop' during this time. Just pick a church and stick with it. You can evaluate at the end of the period. Now is not the time to evaluate, just a time to exist and be with God - modeling this behavior for your child.
I know this isn't a popular challenge these days. There's some baggage that comes with it. I get it. Parents ask me often 'what can I do?' 'what do you have?' and I just realized, sometimes I don't think it's about snazzy new programming and expensive counseling. I think it's about foundations. It is hard for a child to struggle with a relationship with God if they aren't IN a relationship with God. Choose a church and just GO together. Build foundations. Focus on the basics. Pray together. Talk about what they learned/heard/thought about. Enjoy the simple moments. And be together and focus on your faith as a family. Then build on that...
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