Faith in Kids is convinced that raising children to know Jesus is best done as a partnership between church and home. Hopefully, you agree. (If not, click here!)
Our most recent Sunday School series, Who am I?, helps children to understand what the Bible tells us about our identity. This is a subject that raises all kinds of questions. Is it really appropriate for children’s workers to be talking about gender and bodies in Sunday School? Surely it’s the job of parents to have conversations about pornography, so why should kids’ leaders get involved? Can’t we just teach the Bible and let parents talk about the tricky stuff? After all, they know their children so much better than we do.
It’s certainly true that parents have the primary responsibility for speaking to their children, whether it’s about identity or anything else. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no role for the church to play. Our culture talks loudly and often about identity, bodies, sexuality, porn and many other things that we might prefer to keep private. Our children are exposed to the world’s messages on a daily basis. Christian parents can easily feel overwhelmed by a culture that seems to change at an alarming rate. The church can’t afford to keep silent when parents and children alike need help to hear God’s voice above the chaos.
If we love the children and parents in our churches, we will want to get involved and help. Even if it’s uncomfortable. Even if we feel nervous. Even if we’re out of our depth, and learning as we go along. We don’t have to have to be experts. We just have to be willing to get alongside parents and support them as we together tell our children the timeless truth that we are made in God’s image to be his precious children.
How well-equipped do the parents in your church feel to talk to their children about identity? Do they know that you’re willing to help them? What resources could you recommend that would encourage them? Check out our resources page for some suggestions, including podcasts for parents and families and Ed’s new book, Raising Confident Kids in a Confusing World.
The Big Day Out is our regular training event for those who lead children’s ministry in their church. In our May BDO we focussed on partnering with parents as we talk to children about the topic of identity. You can watch the full recording of that session here.
