He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future?

Why share Jesus with children and young people?

One answer comes in this quotation from history: 'He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future'. Historically, it's an idea that has proved true – many of the movements that have had the most significant impact in our world have been able to harness the energy and commitment of the young. Often we hear church leaders talking about the 'strategic value' of children's and youth ministry – 'we're building the church of tomorrow!' And to a certain extent it's true: the National Church Life Survey has indicated that over 70% of Christians say they became Christian before 20 years of age¹, and the impact of growing up in a Christian home is certainly a significant contributor to this result.

But is strategy the best reason? After all, any ministry of sharing Jesus that has a plan and a goal can be described as 'strategic'. And perhaps we ought to be cautious of simply 'strategic' arguments, particularly if you remember who said 'He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future'. It was Adolf Hitler speaking in 1935, at the German National Party Convention. Human strategies can work but they can easily slide into manipulation for our own ends.
God's word gives us a better goal.

Psalm 78:3–4 describes the responsibility that falls on each generation of adults: 'things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done'. (ESV)

As parents and carers of children, our task together under God is to lead and serve them so that they might grow in faith. This means the way we live and the things we say, both formally and informally. As parents, carers, grandparents, godparents, youth leaders and children's leaders, concerned and involved adults, God looks upon us and charges us with the responsibility and privilege of handing on the faith and raising adult disciples of Jesus. As verse 6 of Psalm 78 says, they will be able to tell their children, so that the generation as yet unborn can tell their children. And in 2075, if the Lord has not yet returned, my daughter's granddaughter will have someone to tell her about Jesus.

The challenge though isn't that we, as parents, carers and church communities, would be all that our children need for their physical, emotional and spiritual development. The answer to their future doesn't lie with us – we who so often neglect the Lord's instructions and forget to respond with appropriate fear; we who continue the traits of the people of Israel described in Psalm 78:8 'a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God'.

So what will the answer be? It's no surprise that the answer comes from God – when again we show that we can't fix the mess we've got ourselves in, God in his kindness does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

Psalm 78:70 tells us that when God's people couldn't help themselves, God sent them a leader who would take care of them – a shepherd to protect and guide them – and not just physically, but 'with integrity of heart' and effectively 'with skillful hands'.

We know that even David, the King who God chose, couldn't fulfil that responsibility.

We also know that his descendant, the Lord Jesus, will never fail.

This then is our task: not to be all that our children need, but to direct our children to the Lord who is all they need – to the Lord who gives them life, the Lord who will lead and guide them, the Lord who will energise them and grow their faith. It's not the one who owns the youth who gains the future; it's the God who controls the future who owns the youth, even as he owns his Church and the whole world.

As we start this journey together of joining God's plans to see our children grow in faith, here's the five-step plan:

Step 1: Find life in Christ: Know his promises, know his generosity and kindness, know his forgiveness, his command, the joy of serving him. Today is a great day to say 'yes' to Jesus.

Step 2: Share this life with the children and young people in your care. Each month Growing Faith will bring encouragement, advice, ideas and resources for our task.

Step 3: Be prepared to not get it right all the time. Despite our best efforts we will provoke our children to anger; before long we will show the same stubbornness and rebellious tendencies as the people of Israel.

Step 4: In light of Step 3, show our children and young people that we live by grace, rather than pretend that we don't need grace. Show them that you look to Jesus, and thereby encourage them to look to him as well.

And we do all these things so that by God's grace and in his timing we might come to Step 5 when, as Psalm 78:7 says, our children would 'set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments' and that they in turn, would tell their children 'the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done'.

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¹ NCLS 2006. Survey conducted among Anglican churches in the Diocese of Sydney.

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