Several years ago I came across this statement…“CHRISTIANITY IS ALWAYS ONLY ONE GENERATION AWAY FROM EXTINCTION”.

It soon became my motivation for my ministry as a mum and aunty and is now fixed on my desk as my motivation for ministry as an Officer and Junior Soldier Sergeant in my corps.

We, as parents are commanded by GOD to pass on the truths of His word. “Love the LORD your GOD will all your heart and all your soul and with all your strength. 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 lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7).

Failure to fulfil this command means that the next generation, will not know GOD, and their decisions will not reflect GOD’s heart of love and compassion; the basis of our justice system. Even if only a few Christian parents fail to fulfil this command, Christianity may be added to the extinction list.

Every community has parents that have no interest in the truths of GOD. It has become the responsibility of the Church to open their doors to the children who are moving into a Godless eternity. They will live believing they were a mistake and no more than a descendant of a monkey. Every child needs to know that they were “created … and knitted together in my mother’s womb. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together …your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book ” (Psalm 139 13-16), valued and loved by an Almighty God wanting to have a relationship with them, pouring HIS love upon them and walking with them through life.

Where parents have failed to nurture the spirit of children, we need to give them hope, purpose and a belief for a better tomorrow.

Did you know?

• 85% of Christians make their decision for Jesus by the age of 12. (Further data suggests that 9% make the decision between 13-25, with the remaining 6% after the age of 25)

• Research regarding all facets of moral and spiritual development… show that such development starts as early as age two…Social scientists have known for years that the moral foundations of children are generally determined by the time the individual reaches nine…By age nine, most children have their spiritual moorings in place.”

• Close to one fifth (20%) of the corps in our Territory, (Australia South)have no Children’s Ministry programme. (As per data Jan ’06)

‘But we don’t have children in our corps!’ You live in a community that does. This problem needs revolutionary thinking; if the children don’t come to you, YOU need to seek them out in their world. While the church often suffers from negative publicity, the demand for chaplains in schools is increasing. The average school is open to the church coming in and working alongside them positively influencing the children and the staff of the school.

• Christian Religious Education (CRE) may be the catalyst for recommencing Children’s ministry in your corps. After many years of decline, church leaders are seeing an increase in demand for CRE. Contact www.cre.org.au

• What about lunchtime and out of hours SUPA clubs (Scripture Union Primary Age) - A grade 5 and 6 kids club run in the school building? Contact www.su.org.au/primaryschools

• Homework clubs, while not obviously spiritual are a means of building relationships with schools and students. These can be run at school or in your corps buildings.

An excellent tool currently being used is the ‘Kids Hope’ programme initiated by World Vision. (www.kidshopeaus.org.au). Kids Hope is a mentoring programme where an adult mentors a child during class time.

The concept is simple: one adult to one child, one hour, once a week. Although the concept has only been operating for two years, the impact has been huge.

Recently, Kids Hope in Melbourne helped a Primary school who was struggling demographically, socially and financially. A local church had approached the school wanting to support the staff through ‘Kids Hope’. The church organised a working bee where one hundred people from the church and a sprinkling of people from the school community met to clean up. Armed with paintbrushes, ladders and garden equipment the work began.

The school Principal tells of the most remarkable transformation that the school had experienced. This transformation was not only of bricks and mortar but also the lives of the school community, who witnessed people caring about them without judging or charging them for their time and effort.

This type of church based activity is sufficient to change the way non-church people view the church positively. So often people will not trust us/the church, so we have to build bridges, being a Godly witness. Then the doors will open.

Researchers have acknowledged that this generation is a spiritual one. “But simply being spiritual does not make one Christian... [they] are open to GOD, but because of their acceptance of all points of view, they don’t really know which GOD they believe in or want to believe in…they are looking for authentic Spirituality.”

This generation is searching. Are we ready to respond with the truth that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship? (Doctrine 2)

We all need to be active in Children’s Ministry. If we fail to obey God’s command in Deuteronomy, then Christianity is a generation away from extinction. Our challenge is to provide a nurturing environment of faith, love and spiritual growth, so that this generation will be all that GOD intends for them to be.

May GOD bless you as you believe in the children that He has in your circle of influence.

by Major Sally Allchin
Territorial Children’s Ministries Consultant, Australia South