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Five Essentials to Making Disciples of Children
Five Essentials to Making Disciples of Children
As the Lord prepared to return to Heaven after His years on Earth, His last command was for His followers to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Eric Geiger says, “A church can excel at anything and everything else, but if the church fails to make disciples, she has wandered from her fundamental reason for existence.”[1] How do we do this with children? It doesn’t come through teaching only; it comes through engaging them in ministry. We must be cautious in embracing the idea of a secular education model to disciple children. Simply flooding a child’s mind with knowledge of Scripture doesn’t bring transformation. Nicki Stranza warns, “School is designed to cram information in our kids’ heads. Experience is more effective in creating an opportunity for thinking and evaluation.”[2] The church isn’t a school; it is the body of Christ on mission. Here are five essentials for discipling and seeing the lives of children transformed:
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Are We Called to Make Converts or Disciples?
The Ezekiel Test: Where Do Kids Fit in Your Church?
I want to ask you a question: Where is your church today in the recognition of children and their spiritual gifts? I challenge you to take a moment to honestly evaluate where you are and the importance of children using their gifts in the body of Christ today. I encourage you to take a test—the Ezekiel test. We use Ezekiel 47:1-5 as an illustration of five levels of spiritual growth, depth, and involvement.
- On the bank (v. 2b)—I do, You watch
- Ankle deep (v. 3b)—I do, You help
- Knee deep (v. 4a)—You do, I help
- Waist deep (v. 4b)—You do, I watch
- Swimming (v. 5)—You do