Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

I just finished this book and I loved it. I believe it is a must read for every Christian parent that wants to see their child encompass a Christian worldview.

It's written by George Barna, who has been doing research on church effectiveness for years. He admits that in all those years, he not only missed the boat, he missed the ocean. He now believes that children should be the PRIMARY FOCUS of all church ministry.

He gives interesting stats to back up that claim:

Although 9 out of 10 thirteen year-olds claim to be Christian, when closely scrutinized the number of actual Christians is only about 34%.

When their beliefs are even further scrutinized, the number of "evangelical, born-again" Christian thirteen-year olds is only 4%.

If you are not a Christian before your teenage years, only 4% more will do so between ages 13 - 18, and only 6% of the American population come to know Christ as adults. So basically, if you haven't begun to follow Jesus by your 13th birthday, the odds are slim you ever will.

Just as devastating is the discovery that your spiritual identity is largely set in stone by your thirteenth birthday. These include beliefs about the existance of evil, how to gain admission to heaven, the accuracy of the Bible, the sin nature of human beings, Jesus sinlessness, and the existance of absolute moral standards. Trying to undo whatever misinformation an adult had come to believe as a child is almost impossible!

However, it is NOT the church's job to raise your child into spiritual maturity. IT IS YOUR JOB! This book provide all the information you need to convince you of this fact. But churches definitely need to partner with the parents to be successful.

Many churches measure their success in children's ministy by a growing number of kids, parental satisfaction and few behavior problems. Instead, it should be measured by level of parental involvement, existance of effective and practical ways of equipping parents, and genuine, measurable transformation in the children's lives. Successful churches incorporate prayer for their children at every level - with the other teachers, with the kids, by the prayer team, in the corporate adult settings, and among groups of parents. Growing strong spiritual champions enters the DNA of these churches and is not simply relegated to the children's department. This requires a top-down mentality and the entire church must be on board.

I am very challenged. Although Christian parents say they are raising their children to be spiritual champions, most are not actually doing anything. Few have Bible studies or devotions with their kids. Few pray with their kids (other than meal or bedtime). Few have spiritual conversations with their kids. Few parents are actually discipling their children. One hour a week on Sundays, no matter how strong the program, is NOT ENOUGH!

So that's my review of the basic highlights. I highly recommend this book. It will scare when you realize how dire our situation is!