Messy Gospel, Week 14: Guidelines for Evangelizing Children

For many believers, fulfilling Christ’s command to make disciples begins at home, with our children. The process of living and teaching the gospel to children can be a daunting task. Yet God has given us His powerful Word and the Spirit is always at work in the lives of young people. So how should we bring the gospel to bear on children? Here are a few cautions and ideas for advancing the gospel conversation with kids:

Common Pitfalls in Evangelizing Children

1. Oversimplifying the Gospel of Christ

Because a child’s comprehension can be limited, adults may be tempted to oversimplify the gospel message, abbreviating the gospel, downplay its demands, or leave out key aspects of the gospel altogether. Put simply, children must be able to understand the gospel clearly before they can be saved. Certainly we need terminology children can comprehend. But when the Scripture talks about teaching children spiritual truth, the emphasis is on thoroughness (Deuteronomy 6:6–7).

2. Coercing a Profession of Faith

Because kids are quick to respond to a challenge, we must be careful with pressuring some kind of external, impulsive active response to the message—a show of hands in a group setting, a rote repetition of “the sinner’s prayer,” or almost anything that may be counted as a positive response. A prod to “faith” by external pressure often results in a spurious “conversion”.

3. Assuming the Reality of Regeneration

The temptation is to regard regeneration as a settled matter because of an outward statement. Children often respond positively to the gospel for a host of reasons, many of which are unrelated to an awareness of sin or real understanding of spiritual truth. While many people do make a genuine commitment to Christ when they are young, many others do not come to an adequate understanding of the gospel until their teenage years. Others who profess Christ in childhood turn away. It is only appropriate, then, that we move cautiously in affirming a profession of faith and not be quick to take any show of commitment as proof of conversion and offer words of affirmation. It is the role of the Holy Spirit—not the parent—to give assurance of salvation (Romans 8:15–16).

4. Rushing the Child into Baptism 

A final pitfall for many parents is allowing the child to be baptized immediately after he professes faith. Although Scripture commands that believers be baptized (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38), rushing into the ordinance in the case of a child can create confusion later when that faith claim is tested. If a child cannot say enough in a testimony to make it reasonably clear that they understand and believe the gospel, baptism should wait and further instruction should begin.

Foundational Keys to Evangelizing Children

1. Setting a Consistent Example of Godliness

Evangelizing children does not consist only of verbalizing the gospel, but also of exemplifying it in one’s life. As parents explain the truths of God’s Word, children have the unique opportunity to observe their parents’ lives. When parents are faithful not only to proclaim, but also to live out the gospel, the impact is profound. Setting a consistent example of godliness is indispensable. 

2. Proclaiming the Complete Gospel of Christ

The heart of evangelism is the gospel, “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). If a child is to repent and believe in Christ, then, it will be through the proclamation of the message of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18–25). The key is to be clear and thorough. Parents have ample time and opportunity to explain and illustrate gospel truths, correct misunderstandings, and clarify and review the most difficult aspects of the message. The wise parent will be faithful, patient, and persistent, carefully viewing each moment of the child’s life as a teaching opportunity (Deuteronomy 6:6–7). 

3. Understanding the Biblical Evidence of Salvation

The evidence that someone has genuinely repented of sin and believed in Christ is the same in a child as in an adult—spiritual transformation. According to Scripture, true believers follow Christ (John 10:27), confess their sin (1 John 1:9), love their brothers (1 John 3:14), obey God’s commandments (John 15:14; 1 John 2:3), do the will of God (Matthew 12:50), abide in God’s Word (John 8:31), keep God’s Word (John 17:6), and do good works (Ephesians 2:10). Parents should look for an increasing measure of this kind of fruit in their children as they continue to instruct them in the truths of the gospel.

4. Trusting the Sovereignty of God

The greatest need of children is to be born again. Regeneration, however, is not something that parents can do for them. Parents who force, coerce, or manipulate their children may pressure them into a false profession, but genuine faith and repentance can be granted only by God, who regenerates the heart. Put simply, the new birth is the work of the Holy Spirit and Him alone (John 3:8). 

The salvation of children, then, cannot be produced by the faithfulness or diligence of parents, but only by the sovereign work of God Himself. Such a realization should bring comfort to parents. In addition, it should motivate them to bathe their evangelistic efforts in prayer to the One who does His work where they cannot—in the child’s heart.