I recently attended, and blogged about a children’s ministry conference in Sydney and was concerned to hear that a staggering number of children, as young as 10 years old, are dropping out of church communities.

In one sense this news surprised me. As the parent of a 10 year old I thought we’d have a few more years before witnessing anything similar in my son’s peer group. But on the other hand, I wasn’t surprised at all. It is at about 10 years of age that children begin to internalise and personalise their faith. If what they have been taught resonates as relevant and truth then they are likely to begin making their own authentic faith decisions. If, however, there has been a lacking in the spiritual formative years then as they begin to develop their own sense of person, faith can appear irrelevant and be left behind.

So how can we cement a genuine faith in our children, and those that are currently attending the church we are part of?

Growing faith needs support.

Here are a few more keys I took from the conference for keeping kids keeping faith:

The importance of inter-generational relationships within the church family – Although there are benefits of programs tailored to children, kids need to relate with fellow believers of all ages and see that 80 year old Dot still thinks Jesus is important, so does 18 year old Kat and 48 year old Tony. The beautiful thing about the gospel is that it is applicable and relevant for everyone no matter their background, circumstance or age!

The importance of including children in authentic opportunities for service – Apart from being another excuse to have different generations working together and sharing faith experiences, service is a natural part of Christian discipleship. If we are teaching, modelling and inviting children into a lifetime of following Jesus then service must be included.

Allow opportunities, relationships and situations in which children can ask their big questions – one of the disturbing things from David Goodwin’s report was learning that a lot of children in our churches do not feel comfortable to ask potentially tricky questions. If we unintentionally pass the message that kids can’t bring their tricky questions, doubts, failures and wonderings to God then it’s hardly a wonder they leave the church at the age these sorts of issues become prominent. It’s essential we create safe environments for kids to ask their questions and be answered with honesty and integrity.

How does your church family encourage inter-generational relationships? What sorts of service are your kids empowered to engage in? What about the tricky questions – what happens to them?

(For Australian/New Zealand churches I’d recommend a copy of David Goodwin’s book ‘Lost in Transition- or not?’ which clearly breaks down the research findings.)

Penny Reeve is a children’s writer from Australia. More information about Penny and her books can be found at www.pennyreeve.com