As parents, grandparents, teachers, and mentors it is the deep longing of our hearts that our young people come to genuine saving faith in Christ—the sooner the better. But often our sincere longings may carry mixed signals and/or misunderstanding. For example, our eagerness for them to be saved may become outward pressure on them to please us. Or, our children and students may simply be showing spiritual curiosity, which we mistake as a profession of true faith. What’s a parent or teacher to do? Well one really helpful resource is Pastor Dennis Gundersen’s book, Your Child’s Profession of Faith. In just 120 pages he deals with a difficult topic head-on, offering wise, biblical, and practical advice. Here are his chapter headings:
- Putting the Issue on the Table
- A Parent’s Greatest Concern
- The Intellectual Maturity of Children
- The Changeableness and Instability of Children
- The Likelihood of Deception in Children
- Childhood: A Time for Patient Cultivation
- The Manifestations of Faith
- When Your Child Is Ready for Baptism
- Some Concluding Counsels
Although written specifically for parents, as a teacher I found his counsel very insightful in working with children in a classroom setting. So children’s ministry leaders, pass this recommendation on to your ministry volunteers as well. Buy a copy and pass it around!
See also: Established in the Faith: A Discipleship Guide for Discerning and Affirming a Young Person’s Faith by David Michael
