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Worthy of the Gospel? – A Fresh Look at Children’s Evangelism
Posted by Geoff Baggett in Uncategorized
I’ve noticed a bit of a disturbing trend lately. It seems that there has been a shift toward the devaluation of evangelism among our children. I noticed this in a comment thread on a blog several months ago. Try as I might, I have not been able to locate the thread or the comment. But as best I can recall, the commenter said something to the effect of, “Most of our baptisms in the SBC are baptisms of our own children, anyway.”
Recently, fellow sbc IMPACT! blogger Cyle Clayton mentioned in a recent post on his blog:
I overheard a pastor bemoan his church’s failure to “reach the lost” as he said, ”We haven’t really reached anybody this year. We’ve just baptized a bunch of kids.”
I have encountered similar comments from fellow pastors. Some seem to, as Cyle said, “bemoan” the fact that most of the people they baptize into their fellowships are children. Indeed, some seem to regard the baptism of children as a sign of “failure” in their evangelism.
But is it, really? According to the Barna Research Group, 43% of individuals who accept Christ do so before they reach the age of 13. Southern Baptists have long recognized the fact that children are the “most receptive” age group when it comes to response to the Gospel. That explains our concerted effort in the areas of Vacation Bible School and weekly children’s ministries (such as AWANA). Becky Fischer, in an article at kidsinministry.com, proclaims that children under the age of 13 now comprise more than 33% of the world’s population. Mathematics shows us that the largest age segment in our population is also the segment that is most receptive to the Gospel. Should we not expect that most of our “candidates” for baptism would be children?
Yet there are many pastors, churches, and theologians who discourage the baptism of children. Roger Olson, Professor of Theology at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary, proclaimed in an article for The Baptist Standard:
What I suggest is that churches give serious consideration to the matter and back up their pastors if they would rather wait to baptize children who walk the aisle to accept Christ before adolescence. Consider the consequences. Baptist churches are baptizing children younger and younger all the time. What next? Infant baptism? God forbid! And yet are we not already getting close to it by baptizing 6-year-olds?
Let’s begin conversations about the matter in our churches and have the courage to say “wait” to those who want baptism too early.
But I must respectfully disagree. More and more research (such as the recent LifeWay study indicating that 70% of college-age students actually leave the church during their college years) indicates that fewer and fewer adults are being reached with the Gospel or retained by the church. Common sense would seem to suggest that we should make every effort to reach children, disciple them carefully in the faith, and work diligently to retain them in the life of the church.
In my own ministry, I simply seek to exercise discernment with children age seven or eight and above. I interview children personally and individually. I interview their parents. I look for a simple faith-understanding of the basics of the Gospel. I look for evidence of conversion. I talk to the parents about the child’s salvation experience and subsequent behavior, discussions, and questions. If it seems apparent that a child has accepted Christ and demonstrates a clear understanding, I enthusiastically lead the child to baptism … and in most cases I invite parents to baptize their own children at a public ceremony under the authority of the church.
I realize that some may disagree. There are many churches that have policies that require children to be age 12, or even age 16, before they will consider baptism. But are such policies wise? Are they placing “on hold” the most receptive people group in our culture until they reach an age when they are no longer as receptive? Indeed … until they reach an age at which they have little interest in the church as a whole? I often tell the people of my church, “I would much rather see a child who is raised in a Christan home grow up in the Lord, accept Christ in simple faith, and follow Him all of their lives … rather than have them wait, wander, chase after the Devil, and ‘build a testimony’ (that’s Southern talk for “get in lots of trouble”) first.” I love the beautiful testimony of baptism as it tells the story of the simple, pure faith of a child.
In order to reinforce the memory and reality of their salvation and baptism, we use simple tools. We try to make the baptism experience as memorable as possible. We take many pictures and shoot a video of the baptism, and each family receives a DVD for their remembrance.
I believe that the baptism of our children is important. It is commendable. It is necessary. We must require evidence of a saving faith. But we must not require evidence of being completely theologically informed. If we did that, I fear that we would seldom baptize anyone.
Bottom line … I believe that reaching our children is not only necessary … it is biblical. Most of us are familiar with the beloved parable of the “lost sheep” in Matthew 18. But are we as familiar with the context of that parable? Jesus spoke those words immediately after he called a little child to stand among the disciples (Mt. 18:2) as something of an “object lesson.” Listen once more to the words of his parable … especially verse 14:
12“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.
It seems to me (simple country preacher that I am) that the salvation of children was something of a priority for Jesus. I submit that it should be a priority for Southern Baptists, as well.
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Brother Geoff,
Great article and I agree with you about the baptism of children. I believe the statistics you have quoted are astounding. 33% of the world population is under 13.
I will confess that I too get eerily suspicious when I see a parade of 4 year-olds going through the Baptistery. I, as you, counsel with the children and parents quite thoroughly. My own daughter received Jesus when she was 7 years old. She had to pass a systematic theology exam. :>) Just kidding. Seriously, my wife and I struggled not to expect too many theological answers. I remember when I asked her to describe for me what it mean to walk in a new life. Her response was, stop lying and stop whinnying and talking back to you and mama. Then she said; Daddy I do not know everything that I am supposed to do, but I know that Jesus touched me at the altar tonight. That last statement settled it for me.
I do fear that we try to make children enunciate the finer points of theology. But I also fear that some see children as an easy target to say yes to something they really do not understand or accept. We call it “picking green fruit”.
Blessings,
Tim
Tim,
Thank goodness, I have never seen the baptism of a four-year-old. Both of my daughters were saved at age seven, as well. I baptized them both, and they are walking with the Lord today.
I think most parents struggle with wanting too much in the way of the right theological answers. And the other extreme is what you describe … “picking the green fruit.”
In the evangelism of children we must tread carefully and wisely. We must use the utmost of our gift of discernment. We must learn to recognize the simple, powerful “faith of a child.”
Geoff
I sympathize with the pastor of your first quote. When we’ve only baptized the children of our more active members that is an indication of their parenting, not the congregation’s proclaiming and evangelizing.
For me, there are those kids who are clearly too young and those that are clearly old enough; its the gray area inbetween (ages 6 through 9 – although I think it depends upon the child) where I struggle.
Bowden,
You speak the truth. The baptism of our more active members’ children is, indeed, evidence of their good parenting. The reaching of our own children should be a part of the comprehensive evangelistic outreach of the church. There should be balance.
My point is that we should never, ever, ever downplay the salvation and baptism of a child. Their regeneration is just as important, and just as much a cause for celebration, as that of an adult.
Our children, and the children of lost families, are, indeed, worthy of the Gospel message.
I baptized my oldest daughter at seven years old. My six year old is very close to making a decision. The majority of baptisms I have seen at the church I serve are the parents’ children.
I think Southern Baptists need a fresh analysis of the “age of accountability” which seems to be the litmus test for baptism. That age differs by each child. I mean, I have baptized forty year olds who had lesser of an understanding of the Gospel than some of the children under age twelve I have baptized.
Much of what we hear on the topic is simply sound and fury. It goes back to–as my post tomorrow will indicate [shameless plug
]– what are the parents doing to ensure their child is discipled in the faith?
A person’s most formidable years are ages seven to twelve and perhaps that is why so many accept Christ during that time period. We should take advantage of that, not manipulate it, but mold their little hearts and minds, I believe, as God intended. Too often, parents are content to let the church do its discipleship work for them.
Then it becomes really easy to escape accountability and say, “Oh, well, my child was baptized too early and didn’t understand what he was doing.” Baloney.
Tony,
I agree on that review of the “age of accountability.” That’s why we must carefully question a child … as an individual … not as fitting into a particular age group, and pray for an extra measure of discernment.
As we consider the evangelism among our children, we must remember that the people of the church are just as much “the church” under their own roofs as they are out in the community. I teach my people that their home is their “first-level” mission field.
I, too, abhor the manipulation that I have seen in children’s evangelism … particularly during Vacation Bible School. I no longer do the “big group” thing. I talk to classes (Grades 1-2, 3-4, 5-6) individually. I share the Gospel. I look for responses and refer them to the teachers. The teachers speak with the children who seem to have made a decision for Christ. Then I talk to them, as well. I find that God honors this careful team approach.
Your last paragraph is a big one. Far too many parents “cop out” with the excuse that their child was “too young when they were baptized.” Straying from the faith in later years is much more an issue of faithfulness and discipleship within the family than it is an issue of the child’s age at baptism. (I’ve read Tony’s post for tomorrow … and it IS a good one … it very much addresses this issue. Must be a God thing!)
Geoff . . . amen, Amen, AMen, AMEn, AMEN!
My step-father’s church just fought the battle of inreasing it’s children’s ministry by adding AWANA. There was a vocal minority that said things like, “Where will we get the workers? How will we pay for it?” Then 80% of the church said, “We will do both.”
P.S. I do the small class thing with kids, too. Works alot better.
Geoff,
Thanks for the post. The recent baptism posts on your site clearly shows your feelings on this subject, and I whole-heartedly agree with your thoughts.
As a Children’s Pastor I have struggled with evangelism because of its importance in our faith – and the faith of a child. For children, we must take the steps to ensure that each child fully understands the decision they have made to receive Christ. In my ministry we have a class for prospective children and their parents before baptism to explain what baptism is and its importance as a sacriment of the church. I believe this also places the value of baptism on the parents as well. I also baptize each child once they complete the course and do not feel they need to wait.
With the recent study conducted by Lifeway I really think we need to look at not only ministering to each child in our children’s and youth departments but to the WHOLE family. Even as a Children’s Pastor I know my role in ministry is evolving towards this purpose.
For some thoughts on the subject of family ministry I suggest you look at Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham. He has some interesting points that I feel today’s churches need to listen to and swallow.
Sorry for the rambling but to close: I baptized my 9 yr old son when he was 7 and I have began to work with my 2 yr old (we’re still at Baby Gigi but working on it). This is my most important ministry!
God Bless, Sam.
I agree, Cyle. I think it is irresponsible to ask children, “If you love Jesus today, raise your hand,” then tell them they are “saved.” I have heard of it being done, and have seen something very close to it … especially on the “children’s night” during a “revival time.”
Sam,
Good words … an a great family testimony!
Yes, we need to help a child fully understand the decision they are making to follow Christ. But I think it is paramount that we help them understand the gravity and meaning of this decision AFTER it is made. It’s called discipleship … and I think most churches do a pathetic job of it (especially with our children).
I think the LifeWay study indicates poor follow-up, discipleship, and accountability more so than it indicates poor evangelism among our kids.
One question, though. As you describe baptism as a “sacrament” of the church, what does that mean to you? I’m just curious. I don’t hear that word, usually, in a description of baptism in the Baptist church. The word, “sacrament,” brings some very specific thoughts and issues to mind. I assume that you are not using that word in a sense that indicates a “dispensing of grace” through the act of baptism, itself.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Please come back and interact often. We need the insights of a children’s minister.
Geoff
i, too, believe that children can get saved, certainly. Jesus said to let the little children come to Him. but, i also deal with children a little more when it comes to salvation. i try extra hard to make sure that they understand sin, repentance, and faith.
i’ve also seen the big group thing, where the preacher gets the children to raise thier hands, or come forward….and then, the children come streaming out of the pews. then, they brag to the association about how many children got saved. and, i shake my head and wonder how many of those children really got saved.
we need to be very careful when dealing with the souls of little children.
david
David,
Yes, indeed … so very careful.
Luke 18:16 tells us: But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
I, for one, do not want to stand before God and answer for the souls of any children that I actually “hindered” from actually coming to Jesus because I was too busy, or too flippant,or wanting some more “notches on my baptistery” to make sure they did understand the issues of sin, repentance, and faith in Christ.
Geoff,
I understand baptism to be one of two sacraments of the local church (the other being the Lord’s Supper). It is part of what we show to each child in the new Christian’s class so that each child understands the importance of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
In stating this maybe the word sacrament is used incorrectly. I do not feel that the act of baptism or the Lord’s Supper is sufficient in and of itself. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are public symbolisms of the grace exhibited by our Lord and Savior through his death and resurrection.
I apologize for the confusion – I am definitely not a wordsmith. Thanks for your comments and I hope I can provide some thoughts from time to time.
Thanks for placing importance on this issue – I hope many others will recognize this need as well!
God Bless, Sam.
Sam,
That’s what I figured. Whenever I see the word, Sacrament,” I tend to have visions of Roman Catholicism and the “dispensing of grace” through the sufficiency of the acts.
I suppose that’s why Baptists seem to use the word, “ordinance,” as clarification and prevention of possible confusion. I find that I still have to cross these bridges of definition when I deal with people from different faith/denominational backgrounds.
It is my pleasure to make this issue a priority. As you said before, my baptism posts on my blog really share my heart on this issue.
Have you ever considered having the parents baptize their children, or do you have that kind of freedom in your church? I find that it is an incredible discipleship tool for the entire family.
Geoff
Geoff,
Until I noticed your posts on your site I had not put any thought into it. We have that kind of freedom, as our pastor allowed me to baptize my son. I think the question now would be physical facilities. We have the old 5 step tub-style pool but we might have the room needed. I think it calls for a test tomorrow evening!
I agree that this is an excellent tool to begin the discipleship process for any family. Thanks!
God Bless, Sam.
Anyone else with thoughts on this subject – I know it isn’t the BF&M 2000, PPL, or Calvinism debate but I believe it to be crucial in the church today. Relate what Geoff has stated in this post to your church – How do you and/or your church stand on this issue? Agree or disagree? The attempts we take to reach boys and girls AND their families for Christ WILL MATTER for years to come!
P.S. Ordinance – I’ll have homework tonight writing that word 100 times on the board!
Sam,
Walk on the wild side! Do an outdoor baptism. Your church will never forget it.
1. ordinance … 2. ordinance … 3.ordinance …
Geoff,
I have just been called to a church that evidentally hasn’t had a baptism in a very long time. I get different answers when asked, ranging from “maybe a year” to “probably a year or two”.
This past Sunday, an 11 year old girl walked the aisle to get saved. Her father joined her. I asked her to say her own prayer, but she was very shy and quite reluctant. Just as I was about to “lead” her in a prayer, her father jumped in there and lead her to the Lord! What beautiful thing. I almost cried! During the “welcoming” time where everyone shakes her hand “down front”, her grandfather asked for the privilege of baptizing her. I didn’t even hesitate when giving my hearty consent. She will be baptized in about 2 weeks.
We also had a couple and an adult son join. The mother and son had been baptized and were joining by letter, but the man had never been baptized. He will be baptized this next Sunday.
I am excited we are able to celebrate the ordinance of baptism two weeks in a row! I am tickled that it is one adult and one child. I am happy that folks are getting saved! I am thrilled to know that folks still WANT to get baptized!
I had the privilege of baptizing both of my daughters, once while we were in the US on furlough in a real baptistry and once in a hotel swimming pool in Thailand. While the one in the church was nice, the one in Thailand was PUBLIC! There were tourists there from all over the world. They all came to watch (since there was a large group of people) and many stayed and asked questions. I personally was able to share the gospel with a man from Eastern Europe BECAUSE of the baptism. Personally, I’d like to see us get out of the baptistry more often and into public pools, lakes, rivers, etc.
I see I have rambled on enough now.
Blessings,
Rick Boyne
re: baptizing too young
It’s funny to me how we get so concerned over an act that we believe is purely symbolic. Don’t get me wrong, I am serious about scriptural baptism. Re-baptism is something I want to avoid. I don’t like it when someone comes in preaching hell fire and damnation and half the church gets re-saved, and re-baptized (and, of course I don’t believe in re-salvation).
So, I spend time individually with every person who has made a profession of faith to make sure they understand, to the best of my understanding, what they are doing. I have also re-baptized a number of people who believed they were not saved until later in life. I don’t have a problem with that. It doesn’t conflict with my belief in the perseverance of the saints. I guess I am as concerned about contributing to the delinquency (i.e., not baptizing someone who was saved) of a young Christian as I am giving them false assurance.
Rick,
What a beautiful testimony! It is so exciting to know how God is moving in your church. And I commend your decision on the grandfather baptizing the child. That will be a life-changing testimony for all who see.
Like you, I much prefer outdoor public baptisms. Please swing by my personal blog at http://geoffbaggett.com and check out the archives from July and August. We recently baptized at a public beach at our nearby lake, as well as in a cattle trough on our church land.
You should go ahead and get out of the building! Plan an outdoor baptism late on a Sunday afternoon, have a church-wide supper afterwards. Your people will love it!
Thanks for sharing … please come back and join the conversation often.
Geoff
Cyle,
Most of us have prayed with and re-baptized people who experienced doubt about an early-life salvation experience. Again, I think that much of that is a reflection of poor discipleship rather than a lack of actual conversion.
You said, “I guess I am as concerned about contributing to the delinquency (i.e., not baptizing someone who was saved) of a young Christian as I am giving them false assurance.”
What an incredibly interesting, thought-provoking statement.
Geoff
I know several adults who vary in age from 30 to 70 who tell stories of coming to Jesus at age 5 and up. Why is it so difficult to accept a child’s faith who has been taught from their infancy to sing Jesus Loves Me, pray at all times, and been repeatedly told they are loved by God? I see the miracle of it every day and just wish we had more bus ministries with more surrogate spiritual families to care for them in worship. selahV
If I remember correctly, I believe Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me.”
That’s good enough for me.
Les
SelahV,
It should not be that difficult. And that’s been my point. We should never treat a child’s salvation as some type of “second class” event. I’m glad that everyone seems to agree.
That includes you, Les!
Like you, I’ll go along with Jesus every time.
This is a good article. I think pastors should be encouraged when the children of their members accept Christ. It seems to me that is an indication that the church is maturing and not just growing.
Could it be that sometimes we place a higher value on the baptisms of adults because we subconsciously see them as being more valuable to our congregation in service and giving? Or perhaps we think that it gives greater validity to our ministry if large numbers of adults are being saved. A loaded ego in the hands of an ambitious pastor is a dangerous weapon.
Hi
I hope you don’t mind a “foreigner” joining the debate ☺
It’s probably important at the beginning to note that I think that for the overwhelming majority of Baptist churches in the UK the idea of baptising young children is utterly alien. I would be dishonest if I didn’t recognise that that colours my thinking. The youngest person I baptised was 10 and they spent a year in a process of preparation before then.
My questions are only designed to explore issues and most definitely not intended to be critical or snide or the like – put any unintended inferences down to the fact that American is not my first language (LOL!). I quite like the idea of a blog that allows the exploration of issues without unnecessary heat.
Here goes
1 – How do we find a way to enable children to make a genuine response in faith without it being shaped by a desire to belong, or conformity to the wishes of parents?
2 – What difference is approach should or might we take when exploring baptism with children of committed believing parents on the one hand and those of nominal believing parents or non-attending parents on the other?
3 – What proportion of the several million who are lapsed members of SBC churches were baptised at an early age and does this show fruit which might require the re-examination of practise?
4 – How much do we need to examine our own thinking to stop imposing adult language and adult thinking skills on children rather than helping them discover faith and discipleship in a way that is integral to their own world?
Honestly wondering!
Gordon,
Welcome to sbc IMPACT!
I think you may be on to something. I tend to think that the underlying thoughts of value through service or giving may, indeed, be the reason that some would “devalue” the salvation and baptism o a child. But I don’t know about that ego/pastor thing.
Robert,
And a hearty welcome to you, as well. How exciting! A Brit on our blog … makes me want to brew some tea.
I very much appreciate the unique perspective that you bring to the conversation. It goes to show that context is critical in ministry.
Your questions are excellent. You’re actually going to make me think this early A.M.
1. I don’t really know. In my church we have attempted to remove the “group dynamic” from the Christ-following decision-making process. It has sort of been the “tradition” in churches to use some pretty manipulative techniques with kids in a group setting. I stress the importance of dealing with children on an individual basis. And as to the second part of this question … it has always been my experience that parents are more on the cautious side than they are the aggressive side when it comes to a faith commitment in their children. They would, overwhelmingly, prefer that their children “wait,” rather than make some sort of false or misunderstood commitment to Christ.
2. The baptisms of children that I have been talking about are, generally, among the committed families of the church. They ordinarily involve active families which have some measure of personal discipleship within their homes. Baptizing children from non-committed families is difficult. i.e. – Yo just cannot go “willy-nilly” baptizing kids without parental permission – there are liability issues involved, I would think. I tend to look for a family commitment as the ideal context for reaching a child. But I cannot rule out the possibility of the other. In the States we have a strategy of using children’s outreach, such as Vacation Bible School, as a tool to reach entire families. If a child from an unchurched family makes a decision to follow Christ in VBS, we see that as an opportunity to reach out to and evangelize an entire family unit.
3. I honestly believe that the several million “lapsed” members is more a matter of poor discipleship than it is poor evangelism. I will be the first to plead “guilty” that American churches have (in the 20th century) done a poor job of following up with converts and discipling them in the faith. We have a saying that they “leave the baptistery and run out the back door.” But I think we are doing a much better job of that through small group discipleship. One cannot get away from the fact that the New Testament, over and over, teaches that true believers will persevere “to the end.” Undoubtedly, many who we call “lapsed” were never truly “converted” to begin with. I tend to think that the millions of “lapsed” members may be attributed to the “easy believism” trends of the late 20th century … but that’s just my opinion.
4. Your question frames the entire point of this post. We must look for the simple “faith of a child,” expressed in their terms. But then we must help cultivate that faith to maturity, so that as adult believers their faith grows beyond that childhood expression.
Excellent questions all. I think I’ve done all the “damage” I can do. Please come back and let’s talk some more.
Blessings,
Geoff
geoff,
i’m gonna have to do something that i dont usually do with you, and i absolutely hate to do it.
but, i disagree with you about a statement you made, ole buddy. 
i’ve heard others make similar statements, but i just cant agree with them either. the statement? you said, “3. I honestly believe that the several million “lapsed” members is more a matter of poor discipleship than it is poor evangelism.”
geoff, when i got saved you couldnt have kept me out of church without a fight. nobody had to tell me to pray, nor to read my bible. bro., i wanted to do those things. i wanted to go to church. my heart was changed. i was a new man with a new heart for the Lord. i didnt have to have someone calling me every saturday nite and reminding me to come to church. i wanted to be the one who was doing the calling!!! so, i have to say that we have a lot of lost southern baptist church members out there. people who have never truly been converted, and they have no idea what a new heart means. now, i’m sure that some of them are backslidden, and some are pouting about some church trouble in the past, and they’re unwilling to forgive. but, the majority of them are as lost as they can be, imho.
david
Robert,
Where do you serve? My folks are in England right now and I’ve been over a few times. My family and I are considering serving somewhere in the U.K. on our sabattical next year. So I would love to know of any needs there for an interim pastor, worship leader or church planter.
Thanks!
David,
That was your walk of faith. You were, most likely, from at least a semi-churched background. I’m sure that you were in some way familiar with the Gospel message, church culture, etc… But I think one can hardly argue that there are countless “lost sheep” out there because they were not properly “shepherded” (is that a word?) by their churches.
I have heard many say before, “I didn’t need any “‘follow-up,” Jesus did the follow-up for me.” Well, that sounds very spiritual, and all, but if the discipling ministry of the church is not absolutely critical, then why would we need the church at all?
Surely you know of people who came through the front door of the church, walked an aisle during a revival service, was baptized, came to church a few weeks, then disappeared … never to be seen again. Yes, there is a burden of responsibility on the believer. But there is an equal burden of responsibility on the disciplers.
I’m not talking about the disgruntled folk. Surely the 8 million or so MIA Southern Baptists are not simple disgruntled or had their feelings hurt. (Indeed, I would venture to guess that at least half of that number have found their way into nondenom churches.) I’m speaking of the truly wandering sheep. The “one” that we shepherds must be willing to go out and find.
I completely agree that many of those folk are lost … but then so are a large number of those who fill the pews each Sunday who, rather than having a genuine conversion, “bought” their “avoid hell / go to heaven insurance policy” by walking an aisle, praying the “magic words,” and landing on a church roll.
Anyhow, I stand by that statement. That’s still my view. And don’t worry about disagreeing with me. I live in a house with three females age 14+. Believe me, I’m used to being “wrong” very often.
I love you, my friend.
Geoff
Roger,
Sabbatical? SABBATICAL?!!!
Where can I get one of those?
Geoff
Geoff,
I first had a sabbatical at the church we planted in Portland, Maine. Some wise friends had recommended that I do that, and so I asked my church and they said yes. I took a one-month sabbatical there every three years.
Here at Woodland Creek, I get a one-month sabbatical every two years but since I came in December 2005 and plan to take the sabbatical next summer, that would really be 2 1/2 years. Some pastors take one every year and Piper takes a 3 month sabbatical (but I don’t know how often). The idea is that my family and I would get rest and I would be able to pursue some other projects in ministry and do some writing that would be a blessing both to me and to the work at Woodland Creek.
I am grateful for sabbaticals and recommend that all pastors take them to prevent burnout and refresh and renew your ministry. If you think your church cannot do without you for a month, you REALLY need one. It will bless them and bless you and your family. And you could take that time to start family devotions!
And us UK Baptists are supposed to get a 10-week sabbatical every 7 years (but we usually get 5 weeks vacation every year too – so we’re not hard done by!)
Roger if you want to explore possibilities for your sabbatical here in the UK then I’d be happy to help in whatever way I can. I pastor in the suburbs of south-west London.
Back to the questions
I think you’re right that many parents are often reluctant to push their children into early decisions and early baptism. I suspect though, that many churches have a culture of early decision, either from that congregation’s own heritage, or because members bring it from their own histories. I understand that the average age of baptisms in the SBC continues to get lower – is this because of effective evangelism or is something else going on (I may have those facts wrong though!)?
I have noted your comments on the appropriateness of baptism for children of non-church folk and I wonder if underlying your comments is actually a broadly held perspective that both the faith decision itself, and comprehension of that decision and of faith are important keys to the application of baptism. In which case, what are the things we expect a child or young person (or indeed adult) to grasp before we would consent to baptise them? (and I think that also picks up on the “faith of a child” point you made).
Ok – but is the consequence of easy believism (which I think has been evidenced on both sides of the Atlantic) backslidden believers or unregenerate responders. My personal conviction tends to the “by their fruit shall you know them” side of things which leads me more to suggest that the evidence suggests large number of people baptised without try faith. However I suspect we both agree that either way it’s a major problem. I also agree with you that the renewed emphasis on small group discipleship and learning gives real hope for spiritual strength in the western church as a whole.
Milk and two sugars please! ☺
Robert,
I apologize for taking so long to respond to your comment. I have been extremely busy these past 36 hours. I finally have a few minutes to sit down to my keyboard.
I’m not familiar with the trend that you describe … that the average age of baptism is getting lower. You may, indeed, be on to something. It makes me curious. But it also may be an overall reflection of the growing numbers of young people in our society. Our population is growing incredibly quickly. And much to the chagrin of some of my fellow bloggers, more and more churches are being planted which are designed (by ministry methodology) to reach out to a younger population demographic.
As far as the “facts” that we would expect a child to understand … I can only speak for myself. I must see a clear understanding of: sin (and conviction thereof), repentance (described in a child-like fashion), the basics of the Gospel (Christ’s sinless life, death on a cross, resurrection), and faith toward salvation. I suspect that most pastors in an environment similar to mine would agree.
Yes, it is a problem (unregenerate church members and/or backslidden church members). But, then again, it always has been, as far as I can tell. Again, I think Scripture is clear that TRUE believers will persevere to the end. But we, as the church, must disciple them and help them know how to withstand the challenges of the world.
Sorry, but I’m a hard-core coffee drinker. We have this wonderful stuff here in Kentucky that we call iced tea. Plenty of sugar and a little lemon … and it will change your life.
A quick reply on the baptismal age question – I think the NAMB report Disturbing Trends in Baptisms shows that number of baptisms for various age groups in 2005 compared to 2004 were down in every age group except for pre-schoolers (under 5”s). Statistically it would most likely mean that, as pre-schoolers made up a larger percentage of those being baptised it is likely that the average age of baptismal candidates would be moving down
(Unless of course there was a significant amount of evangelism in senior centres and a consequential rise in baptisms of folk in their 90’s, but ….. ☺ )
BTW I couldn’t get hyperlinking to work so you’ll need to search on the NAMB website for Ed Stetzer’s comments!
Now, after most of the readers/commenters have probably quit checking this comment string, I am finally weighing in with my, undoubtedly, minority opinion here. Interesting, however, that after 17 years in Spain, I find myself resonating a good bit with what my European brother, Rob, has contributed.
First, I think there may be a bit of a tendency to pose this as a false dichotomy. That is, the idea that if we don’t celebrate and promote public child professions of faith and baptisms, we are against child “evangelism.” I think just about everyone on both sides of this discussion would be in agreement that we should teach our children from early on the foundational truths of the gospel. We should encourage them to believe with their whole heart in Jesus, and his provision of forgiveness and reconciliation with the Father. We should encourage them to truly be sorry for their sin, and turn sincerely to an attitude of wanting to obey God fully. We should teach them to pray, to read their Bibles, to confess their sins, and to love Jesus.
I think the problem comes, however, when we make such a big emphasis on “the moment” of crossing the line. At the risk of coming across as heretical, I believe the faith experience of most children who grow up in Christian homes is one of gradual spiritual growth and heart-felt acceptance of the gospel. As parents, and as local churches, we have the responsibility to nurture this growth at each stage along the way.
I personally was baptized at 8, and my oldest son was baptized at 9. He insisted, and we finally gave in. My tendency, at this stage, is to discourage baptism before the age of 12 or 13.
Why? Yes, the age of accountability. It seems to me we, in SBC life, tend to place a lot of emphasis on the ability of children to correctly recite the facts of the gospel, and say the right words. There are, no doubt, many precocious children out there, who can be very good at saying what they think you want to hear.
The bigger question, beyond an intellectual understanding of the gospel, is the attitude of the heart. I have heard it said that no children start out with a hard heart toward God. They are naturally open, especially when lovingly nurtured, toward the things of God. That is not to say they are not sinners, or that they don’t also have a rebellious streak.
In order to truly repent, however, I think it helps to have a good understanding of what we are repenting from. This is more of a heart understanding than a head understanding.
I also believe there is a difference between momentaneous, situational repentance, and a conscious life-long commitment toward repentance. I think it takes a certain emotional maturity to truly make the second kind of commitment.
Psychologists have shown how the part of the brain that has to do with independent moral choices is the last part to physically develop, around the age of 12 or 13. The key word here is INDEPENDENT moral choices. Children obviously make many moral choices. But, when they reach a certain age, all of the sudden these choices are not dependent on the wishes and guidance of their parents, and other significant adults, as they were before this point.
I believe the practice of “confirmation” in liturgical churches, as well as Bar Mitzvah (literally “Son of the law”) in Jewish culture, is reflective an intuitive understanding of this.
This is already very long, so I’ll leave it there for now. But, I do have more, if anyone is still here, and interested in talking this out further.
Robert,
In all honesty, I cannot imagine baptizing a preschooler. I have never even seen a Baptist church that did. The study that you cited seems very curious to me
David,
I am not aware of the studies you cite which state that the “moral choice” centers of the brain develop at adolescence. I have always been aware that the abilities of higher reasoning develop at that age. It seems that my children have been quite able to make independent moral choices for quite some time. It’s simply interesting to me.
As to children truly being sinners and having a rebellious streak … have you ever heard of the TV program, “SuperNanny?”