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Nothing Less: Engaging Kids in a Lifetime of Faith
We love our kids. We want to be good parents. We want our kids to know God and grow in their relationship with Him. But trends show that our culture is increasingly secular with fewer younger generations staying in church. In fact, even the church-going faithful attend less often. Families are busy and fill their lives pursuing what is practical in their eyes and to make them happy.
In today’s culture, what can parents do to help their kids know God and continue to stay in a growing, thriving relationship with Him? LifeWay Research reveals the top 10 influencers of spiritual health to guide parents and churches to avoid negative influences and focus on what’s most important for your child.
But where do we begin? The research helps us see that we need not look further than God’s Word. Read it. Read it consistently. Read it together. Talk about it. Apply it to your life. And don’t shy away from any of it. In the words of AW Tozer, “Nothing less than the whole Bible can make a whole Christian.”
In today’s culture, what can parents do to help their kids know God and continue to stay in a growing, thriving relationship with Him? LifeWay Research reveals the top 10 influencers of spiritual health to guide parents and churches to avoid negative influences and focus on what’s most important for your child.
But where do we begin? The research helps us see that we need not look further than God’s Word. Read it. Read it consistently. Read it together. Talk about it. Apply it to your life. And don’t shy away from any of it. In the words of AW Tozer, “Nothing less than the whole Bible can make a whole Christian.”
160 pages, Paperback
Published October 2, 2017
3 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 27, 2020
Really well done. Very clear organized, Christ-centered, and Word-centered. It was brief, to the point, and practical at times.
I think a couple times she pushes against happiness and instead says that parents should make our kids more about Jesus—which, as a Christian Hedonist, I think is a very unbiblical and hurtful idea. And also, I think that on the music section it may be that the music was more of a *result* of a certain type of household, rather than the music iteself being a *cause*—but that’s simply my speculation. But besides those, almost everything in the book was interesting and helpful. And moreover, I agreed with her emphasis, especially the emphasis on the Word (because it was there in the research).
I also recently read Barna’s *Households of Faith*. And if you’re considering these, do not read Barna’s. It was not worth reading. This, however, was. I recommend to any ministry leader or Christian parent with kids in the home.
I think a couple times she pushes against happiness and instead says that parents should make our kids more about Jesus—which, as a Christian Hedonist, I think is a very unbiblical and hurtful idea. And also, I think that on the music section it may be that the music was more of a *result* of a certain type of household, rather than the music iteself being a *cause*—but that’s simply my speculation. But besides those, almost everything in the book was interesting and helpful. And moreover, I agreed with her emphasis, especially the emphasis on the Word (because it was there in the research).
I also recently read Barna’s *Households of Faith*. And if you’re considering these, do not read Barna’s. It was not worth reading. This, however, was. I recommend to any ministry leader or Christian parent with kids in the home.
February 1, 2024
A well researched and interesting look on how to best parent children, with some good and practical advice
November 25, 2017
We often wonder what the formula is to passing on our faith to our children. We look for it in parenting books, in sermons, in lifestyle choices and in consultation with our peers. However, the trends all show that our culture is increasingly secular, with more and more of our children turning away from our faith. As a matter of fact, many faith-filled families are de-emphasizing faith in their parenting to pursue goals of worldly pleasure and practical achievement.
So, what's a parent to do? How do we pass on our faith?
Although there is no foolproof method or formula for passing on faith, the research does not lie, and research shows 10 strong influencers on spiritual health that can guide parents into making better choices for their children.
Despite the ten influencers, head and shoulders above them all is whether or not your child reads the Bible. There is nothing that is more influential on your child than when they consistently read God's word and parents and teachers show them how to apply it to their lives. (As for the other spiritual influencers, telling them would be a spoiler :-) )
As I read this book, I found the spiritual influencers to be pretty clear and straightforward. I also found that many of these things were things that I already knew. There were also a few surprises, and a few things that I thought would be influential on children that did not make the top ten.
The book is quite lovely. There are beautiful illustrations, graphs, infographics and quotes sprinkled throughout. It's an appealing book to read and a helpful one.
There were two cons to this book that made me lower it from a 4 star to a 3 start rating. I totally never got the percentages of spiritual health and what they were equivalent to. I also struggled to understand what was considered to be the goal in spiritual healthiness. I would have liked the book to more strongly spell out what makes someone spiritually healthy versus not. Although I think I had a general idea of what they were going for, and I understood the thrust of what we were looking at, I still would have liked some more clarity with the numbers, meaning and goals.
I also find it concerning when we start looking at numbers and markers like we're putting together a formula for what makes children spiritual. It's my understanding that our salvation is by faith alone, through God's grace alone, and the feel of this book is a little too pragmatic and a little too formulaic for me, even with their acknowledgment that God is the one that provides the spiritual growth and the increase. I worry that parents and children/youth workers will look at these numbers and influencers and devise a works based salvation plan where, "If you do x, y, z, then your child will be spiritually healthy." I think truly spiritually healthy parents tend to show their faith to their children in such a way that their children see it.
As I was writing this review, my ten year old daughter came up to me, and was telling me a couple of ways she is serving and having a job to do with some Christmas performances and church and at her homeschool Bible study. She told me that she feels like God is putting her in places where she can use her talent. She says that this is part of how she knows what her talent is. God is giving her the opportunity to use the talents and it reaffirms that she should continue to develop them. Having a responsibility to do at church and being able to serve there is spiritual influencer number three on the list (and the survey said this is as important as prayer in influencing children). I was thrilled to see how this influence is playing out in her life as a way to build her faith. I have many times struggled to see how children have a place at church, and I can only thank God that this influence has developed in her life without me even doing a lot to encourage it.
So, what's a parent to do? How do we pass on our faith?
Although there is no foolproof method or formula for passing on faith, the research does not lie, and research shows 10 strong influencers on spiritual health that can guide parents into making better choices for their children.
Despite the ten influencers, head and shoulders above them all is whether or not your child reads the Bible. There is nothing that is more influential on your child than when they consistently read God's word and parents and teachers show them how to apply it to their lives. (As for the other spiritual influencers, telling them would be a spoiler :-) )
As I read this book, I found the spiritual influencers to be pretty clear and straightforward. I also found that many of these things were things that I already knew. There were also a few surprises, and a few things that I thought would be influential on children that did not make the top ten.
The book is quite lovely. There are beautiful illustrations, graphs, infographics and quotes sprinkled throughout. It's an appealing book to read and a helpful one.
There were two cons to this book that made me lower it from a 4 star to a 3 start rating. I totally never got the percentages of spiritual health and what they were equivalent to. I also struggled to understand what was considered to be the goal in spiritual healthiness. I would have liked the book to more strongly spell out what makes someone spiritually healthy versus not. Although I think I had a general idea of what they were going for, and I understood the thrust of what we were looking at, I still would have liked some more clarity with the numbers, meaning and goals.
I also find it concerning when we start looking at numbers and markers like we're putting together a formula for what makes children spiritual. It's my understanding that our salvation is by faith alone, through God's grace alone, and the feel of this book is a little too pragmatic and a little too formulaic for me, even with their acknowledgment that God is the one that provides the spiritual growth and the increase. I worry that parents and children/youth workers will look at these numbers and influencers and devise a works based salvation plan where, "If you do x, y, z, then your child will be spiritually healthy." I think truly spiritually healthy parents tend to show their faith to their children in such a way that their children see it.
As I was writing this review, my ten year old daughter came up to me, and was telling me a couple of ways she is serving and having a job to do with some Christmas performances and church and at her homeschool Bible study. She told me that she feels like God is putting her in places where she can use her talent. She says that this is part of how she knows what her talent is. God is giving her the opportunity to use the talents and it reaffirms that she should continue to develop them. Having a responsibility to do at church and being able to serve there is spiritual influencer number three on the list (and the survey said this is as important as prayer in influencing children). I was thrilled to see how this influence is playing out in her life as a way to build her faith. I have many times struggled to see how children have a place at church, and I can only thank God that this influence has developed in her life without me even doing a lot to encourage it.
February 10, 2021
LifeWay Publishing has provided excellent, informative research through their studies. Some of their findings are to be expected, while some are surprising. For example, LifeWay found that kids are much more likely to stay faithful after high school if they are taught to study the Bible regularly.
This makes sense. Parents teach children to brush their teeth daily from a very young age. Kids watch parents brush their teeth daily as well. When children are grown adults, they will also brush their teeth daily. It's the same concept when it comes to studying Scripture. LifeWay found that being rooted in God's Word was even more vital than attending church weekly. After high school, a person might choose to attend a new church. One thing that won't change, however, is the transformative power of Scripture.
With this in mind, this book shapes how we should parent. It should also change how we teach, disciple, and love kids. While the parents are the primary spiritual leaders in a child's life, this book is helpful for anyone who works with kids. In my opinion, this book was a little more focused on parenting than I would've preferred. At the same time, it can be easily adapted to apply to your context.
This makes sense. Parents teach children to brush their teeth daily from a very young age. Kids watch parents brush their teeth daily as well. When children are grown adults, they will also brush their teeth daily. It's the same concept when it comes to studying Scripture. LifeWay found that being rooted in God's Word was even more vital than attending church weekly. After high school, a person might choose to attend a new church. One thing that won't change, however, is the transformative power of Scripture.
With this in mind, this book shapes how we should parent. It should also change how we teach, disciple, and love kids. While the parents are the primary spiritual leaders in a child's life, this book is helpful for anyone who works with kids. In my opinion, this book was a little more focused on parenting than I would've preferred. At the same time, it can be easily adapted to apply to your context.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews