Two words have informed our efforts to educate our kids in the mission of the church: 

EXPOSE AND INSPIRE. 

Although the following statement is a generalization, a thread of truth is woven through it:  Humans, by their very nature, are comfortable with and drawn to the similar and familiar… and conversely, they tend to avoid and fear the unfamiliar and different.  So as you consciously implement ways to EXPOSE your kids to the unfamiliar and different people and places of the world, you begin to breed familiarity.  This familiarity then becomes a tool to break down barriers of fear.  The more kids are exposed to different people and places of the world, the less fearful they will be of the differences.

The goal is for this exposure to lay a foundation for a God-INSPIRED call to go.  By educating your kids with a God-centered and God-sized view of the world, you are planting seeds of missional awareness in the lives of your kids.  Prayerfully, these seeds will yield the fruit of passion and awareness at critical decision-making times in their lives (ie. high school, college, early adulthood), inspiring your kids to leverage their education, their jobs, their lives – to the extent God directs – for the Gospel.

In light of the goals above, to EXPOSE and INSPIRE…what do we teach our kids?

What to Teach:

• Map It:  An easy place to start is geography. Kids can’t share, show and teach the Word to the nations if they don’t know who and where the nations are!  So have some fun learning some geography together and growing in global literacy!  We call it Geography with a Purpose. 

• God is Creator of the Nations:  Help kids learn about God’s incredible creation – the unique and varied people, animals, and places He created.  Marvel in and value His creative genius!

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’”  Acts 17:17

• God is Provider for the Nations:  God cares about and desires to provide for His creation.  Our kids need to know that God has given us Himself so we can share Him with the nations.  Help your kids understand that they are blessed so that they may bless others generously (Psalm 67:1-2) and that they are a part of God’s plan of caring for the people of the world.  Pray for compassion to rule in their hearts and then support them as they flex their servant muscles.

• God is Ruler over the Nations:  It may be a surprise for kids to learn that there are many belief systems in the world, and that, in fact, most people in the world do NOT believe and worship in the same way your family does.  Expose your kids to other religions and unreached people groups in the world and help them understand the HOPE that we have in Christ (Heb. 6:19 – We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.)  Pray Matthew 12:21 with your kids, that in HIS name the nations will put their HOPE.

• God is Savior to the Nations:  Read missionary stories to your kids and let their lives do their faith-stretching work.  Soak up the lessons of devotion, perseverance, courage, love, and sacrifice.  Pray for your kids’ hearts to be inspired by these heroes of the faith to take their own place in the mission of the church.

Why it Matters:

Let me answer this question with a story. 

Following her freshman year in college, my daughter spent her summer in a large, multi-ethnic city that would be considered post-Christian in terms of the general belief systems in place.  In other words, the Bible and the message of the Gospel are no longer seen as relevant.  Instead, they are largely believed to be an antiquated and narrow belief system.  This city is reflective of an increasing number of cities in our nation.  In addition, a distorted gospel is often preached from the American pulpit.  Add to this a pervasive amount of moral relativism, atheism, and counterfeit gospel present in our society….   

And the result is:  there has never been a more important time in history for our kids to know the Truth, as well as have the ability to share the Truth in love. 

Although my daughter grew up with a mom who wrote and taught missions curriculum, and also grew up under the teaching of the quintessential evangelist, David Platt, she stilled struggled to find ways to engage people effectively in spiritual conversation.  Through this experience, I’ve become keenly aware of the need to start early in the task of discipling kids in the joys of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and then equipping them to engage their culture in a loving and relevant way.   

Prayerfully, the Passport to the Nations curriculum can be a useful tool in training the next generation to know about the people of the world, love the people of the world, and understand their responsibility to reach the people of the world with the HOPE of the Gospel.

Curriculum Samples