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Connecting Our Faith to a New Generation

Connecting Our Faith to a New Generation . Continuing Lay Training Denomination Wide Study 2005 Lesson 1. Group Question. Do you think there are more or fewer Christians in our communities today than a generation ago? Why?. Point of the Lesson. This lesson explores the fact that

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Connecting Our Faith to a New Generation

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  1. Connecting Our Faith to a New Generation Continuing Lay Training Denomination Wide Study 2005 Lesson 1

  2. Group Question • Do you think there are more or fewer Christians in our communities today than a generation ago? • Why?

  3. Point of the Lesson This lesson explores the fact that many families and churches fear they are losing their children and teens from the Christian faith.

  4. Group Questions • How can we connect the Christian faith with our kids? • How can we respond to our kids’ unspoken but very real cry: “You’re losing us”?

  5. What do you think? “The future of civilization, the future of the Church, the future of the family and the future of a soul-satisfying way of life depend on our efforts to help children discover the magnetic attraction of Jesus. They are the Church of tomorrow as well as the Church of today.” (London and Wiseman, For Kids’ Sake, 8)

  6. Group Questions • Do you think kids today have the same moral and ethical foundations your generation had? • Is it true that the vital connection between Christian belief and behavior is weak in many children and teens today? If so, how so? • What is the danger in assuming the Christian faith will be automatically passed on to the next generation?

  7. Respond to the following quote: “What kind of friend do kids have in television? A friend who inhibits social development, wastes intellectual potential, presents an inaccurate view of faith, normalizes violence, sells secular values and saturates the mind with non-Christian worldviews”. (London and Wiseman, For Kids’ Sake, 38)

  8. Reflect and Respond • What strength and influence do you think these media voices have in our kids’ lives? • Do you think there is a purposeful attempt behind these voices to capture the attention and hearts of our children and youth? • What do you think of the Barna statistic?

  9. Reflect and Respond • What do you think has the most dominant influence on our children today? • Would you want to be a kid growing up in today’s world? Why or why not? • What name or title would you give today’s generation of kids?

  10. The Value of Our Children • Kids are a gift from God. • Adults receive special blessings through their kids. • Children are desirable. • Children and teens need to be taught how to think and act in relation to God and His ways.

  11. The Value of Our Children • To have a fruitful relationship with God, children and teens must be taught to obey Him. • Kids are so valuable to God that He commands us to protect them.

  12. The Value of Our Children • God wants to have a genuine relationship with the next generation. • God loves children enough to ensure they receive discipline • God enjoys the nature and personality of kids.

  13. “Meaning and purpose (of life) are not all about occupational choices, educational degrees, marital status, financial security, personal achievement or leisure and recreational pursuits. It is about knowing God so intimately that you can discern His calling upon your life”. (Barna, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, 61)

  14. Reflect and Respond • If we take this statement seriously, how should it affect the priorities at our local church? • If we take this statement personally, how will our attitude and actions change?

  15. What do you think? “The war will not be won by writing letters to the FCC, boycotting media corporations and advertisers or spending billions in the courtroom attempting to legislate morality. Those tactics are not bad, but they fail to address the root of the problem: people’s alienation from God. If we effectively teach God’s principles and expectations to our youngsters and instill within them a thirst for righteousness and a passion for God, the need to wage a culture war will be eliminated by reshaping the culture from within. The cumulative effect of their character and beliefs will redefine the contours of our culture.” (Barna, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, p.51)

  16. Reflect and Respond • What can we expect to happen in our families, churches, and communities if we take to heart the mission to connect our Christian faith to the next generation? • What ultimately will be the result if we don’t?

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