Curious Christian

I don’t claim to be an expert in sharing faith with children. My experience leans more toward young adults and adults. However, I’ve noticed some interesting things about my own kids and those in our community that I think are worth considering.

First, my children have a clearer understanding of the post-Christian world we live in than many adults in our church. For them, Hindus and Muslims are not just statistics—they’re their classmates and friends. They genuinely care about the idea that they ‘won’t see them in heaven,’ as they put it. Ironically, this makes them more ready to share their beliefs with Western Hindus and Muslims than some of the more seasoned members of our faith community.

Secondly, like many adults, my kids connect deeply with stories and symbols. Recently, I likened John the Baptist to Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars, and that immediately grabbed their attention. It opened the door for me to share more about the God we know through Jesus and how faith was “the force” that truly move mountains in our lives.

Thirdly, we need to rethink the common approach of picking and choosing Bible verses that’s often seen in mainstream faith practices. Instead, we should emphasize the lordship of Jesus, the call to follow Him, and the importance of spiritual habits—all in a straightforward manner. We’re living in a time when we can’t assume our culture will support our beliefs, or that kids are growing up in Christian homes, or that they’ll be part of a church long enough to absorb the bigger picture through osmosis.

Finally, we should reconsider the idea that simply inviting people to church events is the answer to outreach. The reality is, no matter how well we plan our invitations for kids’ programs or moms’ groups, some families may never accept those invites—it can feel like a bridge too far. Sadly, this means many families might attend our kids’ programs for years without ever hearing the gospel if invitations are our only strategy.

In this post-Christian context, we need to weave faith-sharing into the very fabric of our kids’ programs and moms’ groups. We should train and encourage both our kids and their parents to share their faith in the communities they engage with, beyond the church walls. Welcoming newcomers is great, but we also need to empower our kids to be ambassadors of faith in non-Christian spaces. They have incredible potential to be God’s greatest ambassadors.