Statistics

From Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions by Goerge Barna:

• Only 35% of those who claim to be Christian say that they are "absolutely committed to the Christian faith".
• Spiritual development and the development of a worldview starts as early as two years of age.
• By age nine most children have thier spiritual moorings in place.
• A person's spiritual condition by age 13 is a strong indicator of his/her spiritual condition as an adult.
• People are much more likely to accept Christ as their Savior when they are young.
• Habits related to the practice of one's faith develop when one is young and change very little over time.
• There is no better return on investment, spiritually, than ministry to children.
• Families with children typically will choose a church primarily based on the quality of the Children's Ministry.

From the Barna Group :

• Two out of three born-again Christians received Christ before age 18. Nearly half (43%) have accepted Christ before age 13.

In light of this information, it is vital that ministry to children be taken very seriously. Parents need an ally and resources to raise thier children to become spiritual giants. Children who are not fortunate enough to be raised by God-fearing Christians need intervention. It is up to the local church to provide the needed support, encouragement, teaching, and resources to allow parents to raise their children to become spiritual giants. Statistics show that ministry to children provides the greatest return on investment from a spiritual standpoint.