Luke 18:16-17 tells us that the kingdom of God belongs to the children and directs the children to be brought to him. Proverbs 22:6 instructs parents to start children on the correct paths, and they will not leave that path when they are adults. Children are physically and mentally weak. They are growing in every way possible. Their eyes see everything, their ears are keen to every sound, and their mind is like a dry sponge. For the first several years, they will develop into the adult they will be for the rest of their lives. This is the opportunity to teach life lessons that will satisfy God’s expectations and create sound adults. Adults raised under God’s direction will thrive and be productive. Unfortunately, the children are prime targets for evil to attack and alter the success of their lives. It is becoming evident that our children are under a vicious spiritual attack from all sides. Everyone agrees that the church is under attack. One sure way to ruin the church is to kill the next generation’s participation. If children quit going to church, they will die of attrition.
We are failing our children in countless ways. Since the 1960s, the quality of parenting has decreased. We have had two generations where the parents have lost parenting skills, developed attitudes that hurt child development, and walked away from responsibilities. Many families suffer from having one adult with no father figure in the home. Single-parent families tend to expect the school system and public assistance to help raise their children. The single parent has no help but is still responsible for keeping the house, producing an income, and parenting. This is a perfect scenario for perpetrators to move in to help the single parent. “Ninety percent of children who are sexually abused know their perpetrator. Perpetrators of sexual abuse are anywhere and everywhere. They are charismatic everyday people who earn the trust of others. They could be a staff member at your child’s school; they could be your child’s coach or music instructor; they could be at your church; they could be the nanny or your very own family member. The truth is that sexual perpetrators look and act like any other “normal” person. It can be difficult to pick them out.” (Seprea, 2023) Children are being distracted by television, movies, and social media. Every outlet of information is sexualizing every event, every topic, and every source of entertainment. Drag queens and elementary school teachers are teaching children to question their sex and directing them toward deviant behaviors. Technology is distributing mindless pursuits to take the children’s attention away from family and church activities.
The parent of children who does make it to church is not listening or participating in the program but playing games and watching videos on their cell phones. Parents are not trying to teach their children manners or how to communicate. Ingratitude and self-worship are the order of the day. Children are publicly enticed to indulge in sexual activity and self-pleasure experiments as early as elementary school. Children are selling their bodies and entering pornography to obtain wealth and items their parents cannot or will not provide. Both young men and women are entering the trafficking world. “One study from the Department of Health and Human Services estimated the number between 240,000 and 325,000, while a report from the University of Pennsylvania put it at between 100,000 and 300,000.” (Education, 2020) These children may or may not survive. If they do survive, they will live with trauma from the abuse. Neglect and sexual abuse are often passed on to the next generation, which will devastate the next generations.
Our society hears about the horrible things happening to children. Everyone agrees that we should stop abuse and trafficking. But for unexplained reasons, our legislators will not pass strong laws to combat the problem. They refuse to support law enforcement in trying to enforce the laws we already have. Psalm 56 describes how God wants to help the oppressed and abused. God expects society to make changes to assist those treated unjustly. Saint Paul talked about the good he could do and the evil that he did. This describes the situation surrounding how our society handles the attack that our children are experiencing. Our government could do a lot of good in combating evil but instead allows criminals to have their way. The courts have become so liberal and lenient that criminals, traffickers, and sexual abusers do not fear being caught.
The church will cease to exist without young members replacing older members as time passes. The very heartbeat of a church is measured by the number of children running in the halls. Pope Francis said, “Babies cry, make noise, go here and there. But it annoys me when a baby cries in church, and some say he needs to go out. The cry of a baby is God’s voice: never drive them away from the church!” (Barber, 2021) Every church should be in constant prayer, asking the children to be active and enjoy their time at church. Special efforts must be made to welcome families with children. Parents will see and feel the love being given to their children. Children see and hear everything and will feel what their parents are feeling. This love is what builds the church relationship. The young family has to be active in the child’s participation and consistent long-term. Family and congregation members must set good examples for the younger members. Everyone is responsible for consistently planting seeds at every opportunity for the children to harvest. Church members should be active in conversation with the young people and invite them to participate in church activities. Every person associated with the church should already be making disciples. Influencing and working with young people and children in church is another opportunity described in the Great Commission, only closer to home. Pope Francis taught that a population that does not respect the elderly and children will not exist for very long. He states that disrespect toward these people causes abuse for their memories and their future. “Together, we can help people understand how vital children’s ministry is to our mission of making disciples. ‘When you take a child by the hand, you take a parent by the heart.’ ‘85% of the people who come to Christ do so before age 18.’ Children are not the church of tomorrow…they are today’s church.” (Ministries, 2021)
Barber, T. C. (2021, 9 12). Aleteia. Retrieved from 5 Reasons, Pope Francis Loves Babies: https://aleteia.org/2021/09/12/5-reasons-pope-francis-loves-babies/
Education, F. a. (2020, 4 17). Deliverfact. Retrieved from Facts About Human Trafficking in the U.S.: https://deliverfund.org/blog/facts-about-human-trafficking-in-united-states/#:~:text=One%20study%20from%20the%20Department,women%20and%20children%20are%20trafficked.
Ministries, S. (2021). EPIC Ministries. Retrieved from Top 10 Children Ministry Quotes: https://epicministries.com/top-10-childrens-ministry-quotes/#:~:text=Together%20we%20can%20help%20people,our%20mission%20of%20making%20disciples.&text=%22When%20you%20take%20a%20child,a%20parent%20by%20the%20heart.%22&text=%2285%25%20of%20the%20people%20w
Seprea. (2023). Seprea. Retrieved from 6 Perpetrator Grooming Behaviors, Every Parent Needs to Know: https://defendinnocence.org/6-perpetrator-grooming-behaviors-every-parent-needs-to-know/