Building Faith in Children
Train up a child
Spiritual formation is the life-long process of growing our relationship with God and becoming more like his son Jesus Christ. It is a process that starts with children.
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
Proverbs also shares wisdom and godly guidance:
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
The learning resources on this page are intended to assist parents as they teach their children about God. There is a lot of good information to read, listen to, and absorb in these materials, which we pray will strengthen both parents and children in their faith walk.
Braver, Stronger, Smarter
Regardless of your relation to the young girl in your life, there are steps you can take the girl you love to overcome anxiety and worry in her life. This interactive guide by author Sissy Goff will teach you and your girl practical steps to work through emotions that can sometimes seem overwhelming.
Bringing Up Girls
Peer pressure. Eating disorders. Decisions about love, romance, and sex. Academic demands. Life goals and how to achieve them. In this bestseller, Dr. James Dobson helps you face the challenges of raising your daughters to become strong and healthy women who excel.
Bringing Up Boys
With so much confusion about the role of men in our society, it’s no wonder so many parents and teachers are asking questions about how to bring up boys. Dr. James Dobson draws from his experience as a child psychologist and family counselor, to offer advice and encouragement based on biblical principles.
Habits of the Household
In this book, Justin Whitmel Early provides tools and guidance for parents to build spiritual formation habits into your daily rhythms like meals and bedtimes. The author also provides a framework for discipline based on discipleship.
Parenting
Author Paul David Tripp shares 14 gospel centered principles for parents wanting to instill faith in their children. The book includes study questions after each chapter, suitable for personal or group study.
Parenting with Heart
Parents want to be the best for their kids, but parenting can often feel clumsy and difficult. Authors Stephen James and Chip Dodd using their experience as therapists and best selling authors to remind us that kids don't need perfect parents. You can raise children who are capable, wise-hearted, and loving.
Raising Girls
Parenting girls is harder than ever in today's world. In addition to love, it takes insight into the development of your daughter as she grows into an adult. Together, Melissa Trevathan and Sissy Goff have over 50 years of counseling experience, and provide those insights into your daughter.
Raising Emotionally Strong Boys
Author David Wright shares insights from his many years of counseling families of boys. His guidance helps parents deal with the anger, depression, and anxiety often faced by boys, providing constructive paths forward.
Raising Worry-Free Girls
Childhood anxiety rates, especially among girls, is on the rise. Author and counselor Sissy Goff provides insights and direction for parents of girls to help them learn how to overcome fears and understanding God's love for them.
Sticky Faith
"Because faith development is a lifelong process for all of us, it is never too late to be more intentional in your parenting and the faith you model and discuss with your kids." Kara Powell and Chap Clark share many other practical teachings for building faith in children that will last a lifetime.
The One Year Praying through the Bible for your Kids
While we want our children to be safe and to mature, more than anything, we want our children to grow in Christ. No wisdom is better for this critically important task than God's Word. Author Nancy Guthrie adds intertwines wisdom and insight in the daily readings from The One Year Bible, providing prayers to encourage and strengthen parents.
Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys
Boys possess imagination, a spirit of adventure, and a passionate spirit that needs to be affirmed, loved, and held in esteem. Too often our world seeks to tame boys, leaving parents frustrated by the behavior of their sons. Authors Stephen James and David Thomas share their insight and practical tips based on clinical research and experience.
Additional Resources
Alicia Williamson shared a Spiritual Formation of Children Workshop at the 2024 Harding University Inspire Lectureships. The workshop included two lectures and a panel discussion. Below are links to those three recordings on the Harding University website. In the window that opens when you click these links, click on the session title or Download button, then select Open to listen or Save As to download the MP3 audio file to your device.
The following article by ChildrensMinistry.com is a good summary on the spiritual formation of children at different ages and levels of development from infants to pre-teens:
Barna has a good article on parent's concern regarding their childrens' faith formation. This article contains numerous links to articles on related topics.
Background articles: Why are young people leaving their faith?
Young people often leave their religious backgrounds behind when they go to college. Current statistics show that 66% of young people will leave their faith and the church. These articles from Pew, Church Leaders, Barna, Ministry Brands, and Gallup provide some insights as to why this is happening, and the impact to church attendance in America. While not endorsing these groups, understanding the problem is the first step in addressing it, and these perspectives can help provide a basis for improvements.