4-14 Window

[Ryan Scott]

A few weeks ago our pastor mentioned this 4-14 window during his sermon. I think it was kids day, which would topically make sense. The idea (as he presented) is that 90% of adults in the Church in the US made their first significant commitment to God between the ages of 4 and 14.

I've heard this statistic over and over again in different places and frankly I am perfectly happy to accept it as reasonably accurate.

He used this statistic to say that our congregation needed to continue to focus great energy on Children's ministry to reach as many kids as possible before they're fourteen.

Not that I'm against Children's ministry, but that struck me as exactly the opposite of the conclusion I'd make. This statistic seems to me to say that we're (the Church) doing a fantastic job of being relevant for children, but we need a whole lot of work in being relevant to teenagers and adults.

Wouldn't that make sense? If 90% of the people in local congregations made major decisions at an early age, our Children's programs are fantastic. Shouldn't that number be a lot smaller to account for the large numbers of adults who come to faith later in life (or should be)? How many people who made these same early commitments are not in the Church today?

It just struck me as odd and I figured this is a good place to get people's thoughts.

[Jim Franklin]

I asked Jesus into my heart before I turned 5, 65 years ago this month so June is both my spiritual and chronological birth month. I was a charter member of Caravans back when it was started. I have served as a Boy Scout leader at two different Nazarene churches and have been involved with Vacation Bible Schools and various other forms of children's ministries. Like "Mr. Sunday School," the late, Bob Donaldson, I am for the kids and teaching them early to seek Jesus as their Savior.

[Gary Swartzlander]

On the surface your observation makes sense. The reality of evangelism as it pertains to being able to impact a person to make a life changing decision says otherwise.

Children and young teens are at the most impressionable times of their lives. We see this in many areas of society (not ready for the "we're talking church not society" argument). The most basic parts of education are taught in the earliest grades, even entities like McDonalds recognize the value of reaching the children by putting playgrounds right in the lobbies of their restaurants. Those playgrounds aren't so the kids have something to do, they are there to attract kids and to make them beg mom and dad to come to McDonalds. If the kids want to keep coming back, then mom and dad keep coming back.

A strong children's program is important to the church for those same reasons. It attracts kids, which attracts parents allowing for opportunities to minister to both. Likewise if a couple with young children attend a church for the first time and they feel the church cannot minister to or take care of their kids, they will likely move on regardless of how strong the adult ministries are.

Regarding your thoughts on the percentages of children reached vs those of adults reached, if we reach 100 kids and 50% of them are part of the church 10 years from now and we can do that continually you have made a real impact on the church for many years to come. If you are able to reach 50 adults this year, it's also likely that perhaps 50% will be active in 10 years. (numbers are example only, not based on anything specific) so you may come out ahead by targeting kids.

Now, having said all that, I don't really favor priortizing one area of ministry over an other unless you are in a specific area that would demand that type of plan. In general all ministries should share equally in reaching the lost.

[Bob Evans]

Ryan

I wonder how many of those later in life adult converts had the seeds planted in a bible school or Sunday school class as a kid.

In my work with substance abuse and homeless I fine very few who have never been exposed to some sort of religious teaching in their life.

Child hood converts are great. But can't we also look at childrens ministry as an investment in the future.

[Ryan Scott]

I wasn't arguing against Children's ministry and maybe it depends on the context. There are a lot of churches that rely solely on their children's ministry to reach out to people.

Just because its more difficult to have an impact on adults, doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility to put utmost effort into it. I just found it funny that my reaction was the opposite of what the pastor was using the statistic to illustrate. Although maybe it shouldn't surprise me so much with the way my mind works.

[Bob Evans]

Having watched your dad in action for 4 years in college your thinking process does not suprise me. The apple does not fall far from the tree.

I think a church should do both. the adult ministry has more of a new focus and the childrens ministry has more of a future focus.

[Wanda Van Winkle]

Ryan,

I am not church-growth knowledgeable in any way, so this response is off the cuff.

The "church" is not what supposedly reaches us. God is.

We say that God's spirit draws us. We say that God loves us wherever we are.

But then we say most people are reached when they are youth.

So does God's spirit really draw us?

Or is it church programs and indoctrination when our minds are young?

So is God truly limited?

Or is the church limited and God has nothing to do with it?

[Mike Schutz]

I wasn't arguing against Children's ministry and maybe it depends on the context. There are a lot of churches that rely solely on their children's ministry to reach out to people.

Just because its more difficult to have an impact on adults, doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility to put utmost effort into it.

Ryan,
Good point.
We have found that the best way to reach families is to try to provide "felt needs" ministry that helps them with their children. A lot of adults in our area have no idea that they need the Lord, but they know that they want a safe place for pre-school for their kids.

Of course, this doesn't help us reach young adults without kids, or teens. We have other outreach-oriented ministries for those folks.

Grace and peace,
Mike

[Anne and Dwayne Hood]

We have seen in our ministry that many times, adults can be reached by loving and caring for their children. Our pastor in SC was a beautiful, small feminine lady. I remember years ago, when she she went fishing with a new young couple in the church, in order to reach out to them.
We have played croquet, fished, etc. with adults and children. By all means, win some.

[Billy Cox]

He used this statistic to say that our congregation needed to continue to focus great energy on Children's ministry to reach as many kids as possible before they're fourteen.

Not that I'm against Children's ministry, but that struck me as exactly the opposite of the conclusion I'd make. This statistic seems to me to say that we're (the Church) doing a fantastic job of being relevant for children, but we need a whole lot of work in being relevant to teenagers and adults.


I have almost come to the point where I don't believe any statistic that is followed by a sales pitch.

Another dubious statistics claims that some staggeringly high number of church kids graduate from high school and walk away from the church, never to return. Taken together with the 90% figure, we're getting abysmal returns on the church's investment of time and money.

With that in mind, does it make sense to think that we will get better results by throwing more money at the problem?

[Mike McVey]

Ryan,

I'm not sure that I had quite the same reaction as you, but they are definitely similar.

My problem with the statistic is that most of the people who make that 1st commitment are already in the church environment. If you are raised in the church, and they don't purposefully drive you away, it makes perfect sense to become a Christian. It's not too dissimilar in being raised in a Buddhist or Islamic environment. Generally speaking, we are products of our environment. We would all agree, hopefully, that that keep us from moving past our environment, but anomalies in our lives are what basically make us start to question the status quo. And I agree with your observation that we are doing a good job reaching children. And I agree that some kind of anomaly must happen that Christianity no longer seems to work for a young adolescent.

Brilliant insights, Ryan.