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Spare Change - May 2019

One of my most favorite parts of being a children’s minister is getting to see little children become followers of Christ.  This is such a special opportunity! It’s truly a wonderful, God-glorifying decision. I love getting to help parents counsel their children in this process; however, many parents struggle to know when their child is ready.  This can be difficult but don’t worry, below I have listed some important steps to help you know if your child is ready.

1. Start with Prayer - Never, never, never underestimate the power of prayer.  Pray that God would speak to your child and call them to be saved.  Pray for wisdom to know if they are ready. Just pray for your child in general.  We can never pray for them enough.

2. Be Patient - The last thing you want to do is rush this process.  If your child is not asking questions or doesn’t seem interested or even if they say they are not ready, don’t worry.  It is better for them to come to that decision on their own rather than pressure from you. However, if they are asking questions and seem to want to know more then don’t wait!

3. Salvation vs. Baptism - Often kids equate salvation with baptism.  Baptism can spark an interest in the child, but they need to understand that being baptized is not the same as being saved.  We make the decision to follow Christ promoted by the Holy Spirit apart from baptism. Baptism is that symbol of spiritual cleansing that unites us with the church.  It is the first step in living out our new faith publically. We want children to be baptized, but only after they have made a profession of faith.

4. Use a Good Resource - Find a good resource that will help you share the gospel.  I love “God’s Plan for Me” from LifeWay. It is designed for children to know and understand the timeless truth of the gospel.  It is also very easy to use and helpful for parents that may not be entirely comfortable with sharing.

5. Use Scripture - It is very important to take the time to look up the scriptures from “God’s Plan for Me” in the Bible and read them outloud.  Kids need to connect their faith back to the Word of God.

6. Avoid “Churchy” Words - Be careful saying things like “lost”, “confess”, or “ask Jesus into your heart”.  Kids are concrete thinkers and can be confused with these words. Try to brainstorm ways to say these things in plain language that they can understand.

7. Ask Open-ended Questions - Make sure to avoid yes-no questions.  We can false lead children to make a decision they are not ready for.  Ask them things like “Can you tell me why you want to do this?” or “Tell me what you understand about how to become a Christian?”

8. If They are Ready - Lead them to pray a prayer of commitment, then rejoice with them!  Share that decision with your pastors and schedule an appointment to talk about baptism.

Pastor's Points April 2019

Dear Church Family,

We are approaching one of the best times of the year to invite people to come to church.  Please be praying about those whom you can personally invite this year to one of our Easter service.  The research shows that people are just waiting for an invitation from you to come to your church.  A few years ago, LifeWay Research conducted a    survey of 15,000 adults for the North American Mission Board to try to determine which of 13 approaches is the best-received when a church wants to be heard. The research showed us that best-received means of seeing new people walk into one’s church is, well, a personal invitation.

a. Sixty-seven percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member would be very or somewhat effective in getting them to visit a church.

b. Sixty-three percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a friend or neighbor would be very or somewhat effective in getting them to visit a church.

c. Sixty-three percent of Americans are very or somewhat willing to receive information about a local congregation or faith community from a family member.

d. Fifty-six percent of Americans are very or somewhat willing to receive information about a local congregation or faith community from a friend or neighbor.

So, people ARE open to an invite from church, particularly if it is from someone they know. But one simple invitation isn’t necessarily going to result in subsequent attendance. Neighbors may come because of an invitation, but they’ll stay for the     community.

Please get one of our prayer guides this month and use it to help you make this most important invitation.  We want you to be praying about who you know that may not know Christ but needs to.  Who’s Your One?  This is a very important question.  This prayer guide will help prepare the way for you to invite this person to come and be a part of one of our Easter services this year.

With all the craziness that is going on in our world today, we have a golden opportunity to reach out to people with the hope of the Gospel.  People are looking for something to put their trust in, but all that this world offers leaves people empty.  We need to make sure that we offer to all who will hear the hope that is found in our Savior Jesus Christ.  Please make the effort to ask the question, “Who’s Your One?”  And after you ask the question and God gives you an answer, open your mouth and be faithful.  You never know, a simple invite to a church service could have an eternal impact!!

I love you and I love being your pastor,