Free Methodist Church Weekly Newsletter

In the mid-1970s, when I began working in Christian education, I was deeply interested in James Fowler's theory of faith development. I knew that Fowler had developed his theory by interviewing people about how they conceptualized God and about how they made sense of their life experiences. I felt sure that I could also interview people in this significant field, and I began my efforts with a three-year-old named Bert.

I first asked Bert to "tell me about God." Bert responded to my request by giving me a blank stare. We sat there staring at each other, until I felt quite uncomfortable. Not sure what to do, I changed the question: "Tell me about Jesus, Bert." Suddenly animated, Bert declared, "Oh, Jesus! Jesus is the best one for me to know!" From what I knew about Fowler's interview technique, the interviewer should never assume that he or she understands what the interviewee means. So I asked Bert why it was good to know Jesus. Bert promptly volunteered, "Because Jesus helps people." When asked how Jesus helps people, Bert suggested that he "tells them what to do."

I then asked Bert how Jesus tells us what to do. By this time, Bert was becoming frustrated with my obvious lack of intelligence, and he spent some time holding his head in his hands. Finally, he looked at me and said, "He calls you on the phone!"

At this point, I'm ashamed to say, I lost any pretense of professionalism and began to laugh. Repeating Bert's words, I asked in obvious disbelief, "He calls you on the phone?" Bert assured me that this was indeed the case, but after a beat he added, "But he's never called me!" My first (and last) interview with a three-year-old ended with my assuring Bert that Jesus had never called me on the telephone either, and I didn't think we needed to worry too much about it.

I have enjoyed telling that story for the last twenty years. As the years have passed, I have begun to see the story as my particular lens for interpreting Christian discipleship with children. For above all else, I want children to know that God in Christ is calling them to be God's disciples! Not on the telephone, to be sure, but calling them nonetheless. And this call comes, not for some future date and place when children are more mature or have more cognitive ability, but right now in this time and in this place.

To this end, children's ministries in United Methodist congregations focus on equipping children to recognize and celebrate the presence of God in their lives and to live in grateful response to God's gracious presence through worship and service. How does such a focus take shape within a local congregation? While the specific shape will vary from congregation to congregation, I would suggest four key elements of such a focus:

Tell stories every chance you get. Christians are a story people. We tell one another stories about God, about Jesus, about the church, and about human beings. Adults can help children understand the Christian story as their story when they tell stories the children obviously love. Many of these stories come from the Bible. Others come from the history of the Christian church or The United Methodist Church. Other stories may come from the congregation itself. Still others are cultural stories that interpret a particular community's experience in light of the gospel. From these stories, children begin to identify themselves with the Christian community and name themselves as part of the people of God.

Practice the means of grace with children. Pastors, teachers, and parents have frequent opportunities to pray with children, to read the Bible with children, and to worship with children. As adults, we are modeling the spiritual disciplines for children. Thus, we give them access to these same disciplines for their lives. When we talk to children about the Scriptures or about our worship services, we are practicing another means of grace--Christian conversation or Christian conferencing. We can help children know that through the centuries, Christians have experienced God's presence through the daily practice of reading God's Word, talking with God in prayer, and discussing how we are learning and growing in faith with others within the faith community.

Help children develop a vocabulary that expresses their faith. The church has a language all its own. We talk about grace, redemption, justification, salvation, discipleship. Children need opportunities to explore the meaning of these terms (and others) through the lens of their own experience. Adults who work with children need to recognize common experiences in childhood that provide opportunities for developing this faith vocabulary. For example, on a walk outdoors, a teacher or parent can express wonder and thanksgiving at the beauty of God's world. In doing so, the parent or teacher helps children understand the concepts of "worship" and "praise." When a child is disobedient and experiences a parent's forgiveness (or vice versa!), the child can begin to name that experience as grace and reconciliation.

Provide opportunities for children to be in service. Living as a disciple means following the example of Jesus. When children participate in hands-on ministry to the poor and marginalized in our communities, they discover the connectedness of all human beings, the relationship between self-fulfillment and others' welfare, and the joy of self-giving. The Christian community provides a prophetic voice for children that helps them critique the individualism of contemporary society. The United Methodist Church, through Wesley's understanding of the works of mercy, helps children live with compassion for others and work for justice on behalf of all.

Last year, when I told my story about Bert to a group of Christian educators in the Southwest Texas Conference, one of the participants said, "I'll bet Bert is somewhere telling that story from his point of view. He may be saying to a friend or family member, 'Do you know that when I was three years old, I knew so much about God that an adult came to me for help?!'" I had never thought about whether Bert remembered our interview or not, but I like that ending. I hope and pray that all across our denomination, children and adults are telling one another stories, praying together, worshipping together, talking about their experiences together, and serving together. I believe that when they do, children will hear the call of God in their lives and will learn how to live joyfully as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. May it be so!