What’s the first step in building faith in a student or a child? Is it presenting the Gospel? Is it getting them in the Bible? Is it mentoring them? What is it? Recently, I spent a few hours with Chap Clark in a SYMC breakout session and he helped refine what I view as the foundation of discipleship.
TRUST
What does it mean to be a mature disciple of Jesus? The simple answer is that I’m mature when I trust Jesus with everything. I trust Him with my money. I trust Him with my media choices. I trust Him in the way I treat my wife. Personally, I think maturity is as simple as trust.
If this is true, teaching another person to follow Jesus is as simple as teaching them to trust Jesus in every area of their life, one step at a time.
Because of this, the foundation of discipleship is trust. How do children and adolescents learn this? How do they decide to trust someone they can’t see? They subconsciously decide whether Jesus is trustworthy based on how the people of Jesus treat them.
SAFE
So, what’s the first step in building faith in another person? It’s safety. As a parent, forging a safe relationship is crucial to faith development. In children’s ministry, creating and maintaining a safe environment is paramount. As a small group leader or youth worker, using safe language is foundational.
How do I know this is true? This reality is best illustrated with fathers. What’s your relationship with your dad like? If your dad is a safe and trustworthy person I would bet you’ve learned to trust Jesus. If your dad was a cruel person, I imagine there is a good chance you struggle with accepting the goodness of God. If your dad was never quite satisfied with your accomplishments or talents there is a good chance you never feel good enough for God. You constantly wrestle with whether or not God likes you. If your dad was absent or abandoned your family, you probably have moments in which you wonder whether or not God truly cares or if He is there at all. We learn about Jesus from the people who profess to follow Jesus
What does it mean to be safe? Safety is communicated in the way we talk to kids, particularly when they fail. Safety is communicated in the way we joke around with kids. Is it funny for everyone or is it biting? Safety is communicated by the look on our face like when a kid confesses a failure. Safety is communicating in the way we talk about people we disagree with.
POWER
If you are a parent, small group leader or youth worker, you are in a position of tremendous power. You are teaching children and adolescents what God is like. But, it isn’t your bible stories, sermons and programs as much as it is your words, your reactions and attitudes. Will they learn to trust God? Do they trust you? Until they develop abstract thinking skills, the question is as simple as that. Safety is our number one priority.
photo credited to Adrian Ruiz via Flickr
