The Generational Church Grows Through Courageous Faith

By Frank King

While ministering in a fellowship church last year, I had a conversation with a man who had a long-time ministry in the church. He was lamenting the fact that headship was shuffling younger people into “his ministry” and that he was sometimes excluded from “his rotation.”

I got the impression that this talented person felt that the young pups represented a degradation of the quality ministry he could provide. I could relate because once, while our children’s ministry was growing, I felt the same way. I knew the “correct” way things should be done, and felt that it was too much trouble to pass that “knowledge” on.

It was much later that I realized that God has a plan which relies heavily upon passing the baton to others. His plan is accomplished by discipleship, which requires merging younger workers into ministry alongside the seasoned workers.

This is a process which calls for courageous faith, and it can be seen in Scripture as well as in the history of our local church. It is also a process by which parents may successfully disciple their children.

Trusting “our” ministry to others is a scary thing. However, God calls us to exercise courageous faith in that ministry: first, as we are called; then as we disciple; then as we create a succession plan for the next generation.

This divine plan is evident in the growth of a church, but additionally, it is key to effective parenting.

All truth is God’s truth; thus, we can see a correlation from the Word of God to the local church to the families within that church. The same truth applies to all these areas. Let’s explore the concept.

Courageous faith is required to step out when God calls. Look at the conversion of Saul in Acts 9:3-5,8: “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked… Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.”

In the Book of Acts, we see Saul, A Pharisee, knowledgeable in Scripture, caught up in a “righteous” rage against Christians. Then he meets the very Jesus that he has seethed against. Recognizing the Authority that has struck him down, he submits to that power. Once converted, Paul steps out with courageous faith, now tempered by humility. Paul was cooperative in his calling, but he initially was led to his destiny by others.

In the scripture that follows Paul’s initiation into the church in Acts 9:13, we see that Ananias was called to disciple Paul, but was reluctant to trust his calling. “Then Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem.’”

But once assured, Ananias displayed courageous faith: “And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul…” (Acts 9:17).

In his book Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis calls himself “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” I shared this reluctance of Lewis’ when I initially saw the need for a children’s ministry but was hesitant to follow through.

I went to pastoral headship, assuming that it was my pastor’s obligation to find a leader and organize a children’s ministry. Through interaction with headship, I realized that I had a call from God on my life to be that leader.

God overcame my reluctance and then proceeded to equip me with gifting, and to equip the ministry with workers. My job was merely to exercise courageous faith to proceed with the ministry He placed with me.

This same call to ministry is to parents who are instructed to disciple their children.

Reluctance to do this sometimes results from the parents’ desire to hand over that responsibility to Sunday school or children’s church leaders. But God is clear in His word to parents: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

It is just as clear earlier in the book of Proverbs that the child should heed this training: “A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke” (Proverbs 13:1).

Parents are called to exercise courageous faith in training, and their children should exercise courageous faith in the hearing and execution of that training.

This exchange requires the parents to study, know, and apply the Scriptures to their lives, and teach the children to do the same.

One valuable tool in ensuring a child’s success is a parent’s involvement as a church volunteer. In our experience, many of the young people who have stepped into ministry are the children of parents who have courageously stepped into ministry themselves.

A child, by God’s design, desires to be like his/her parents. Seeing a parent’s courage encourages the child.

This applies in education as well: Recent studies indicate that the single most important condition that will ensure a child’s success in school is whether both parents are in the home and involved in the child’s life.

Research at the University of Washington college of Education demonstrates that students are 81% more likely to graduate from high school if their parents express high hopes for their future and solid expectations for their performance in school.

As God’s Church, and as disciples and parents, we are required to step out and minister when called by God. The Holy Spirit will equip us with courageous faith to accomplish this.

Courageous faith is also required in order to make way for the next generation.

Paul said: “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18). 

The Apostle Paul speaks to his disciple, Timothy, calling him his son, and charging him to take up his weapons in Gospel warfare. Although Timothy had a godly mother and grandmother, he lacked a Christian father. Paul takes up that role as his mentor, as we see in 2 Timothy 1:5: “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

Acts 16:1-3 tells us that Paul came to Derbe and Lystra, where he found “a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.”

Paul disciples Timothy and passes the baton to him in ministry. Christian author and speaker Marcos Reyna in his work, What Happened to Timothy in the Bible? tells us that “woven throughout Paul’s letters is the language of an impending separation from those dear to him, including Timothy. It is also believed that several years after Paul’s death, Timothy continued with the works of Apostle Paul, doing what he ought – teaching and helping the Church in various ways.”

As we minister in the local church, it is appropriate for us to follow Paul’s example and make way for the next generation of leaders.

During a period of rapid church growth in the Door Church Tucson during the ’80s and ’90s, children’s church leaders gathered in a planning session. After a time of prayer, we were asked to imagine that we were transported 20 years into the future with a camera.

Then we were each asked to describe the photos we took in that future children’s church.

The things we reported were similar: Children who were born in this church were leading the ministry. They were preaching, leading worship, participating in sound and lighting ministries, and writing articles to help parents in their most important ministry: discipling the children.

As leaders, we established a plan to make this vision happen. Centering around a new ministry called Young Servants, we would begin discipling our children to merge into ministry.

Leaders in Next Generation Ministries were charged with discipling the next generation kids to become the church of the future.

This plan required faith and courage to be exhibited by the children’s church leaders. We were required to teach the children, but also to trust the children to minister alongside the adults.

We were continuously balanced between two biblical instructions: 1 Timothy 5:22 says “Do not hurry to lay hands on anyone [ordaining and approving someone for ministry or an office in the church (Amplified Bible)” and 1 Timothy 4:12 says “Let no one look down on [you because of] your youth but be an example and set a pattern for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in [moral] purity.(Amplified Bible).”

In this same way, parents should allow their children to take on responsibility as maturity allows, instilling in their children moral purity, sanctity, and consecration.

Pastor Wayman Mitchell once said that discipleship gives men a safe place to fail. We need to give our children a safe place to fail, as well.

This involves teaching children to serve courageously. They must learn the Word, but also do the Word. And when they fail, as we all do, we must redirect them to the correct path.

The combination of children’s church and parental involvement has resulted in a boon to the ministry in our local church in Tucson. The evidence of this is plentiful. Just look around at the ministries in the church now; at how many young people are involved. Many of them grew up in this congregation, discipled by parents and Kid’s Church.

Courageous faith is required to step back as the next generation steps up. 1 Tim 6:20 says, “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust.” We hear in this verse that Paul clearly is ready to step back and pass the baton to Timothy. History bears witness that Timothy kept that which was given him by Paul, and assumed the ministry of Paul after his death.

As observed by Marcos Reyna, “Timothy has become an important character in Church History and his example is being used to help mentor and inspire modern day leaders, many of whom are attempting to spread the same message of love and peace that he did in his day.”

Following Paul’s example with Timothy, ministries in the Church grow and persevere because men and women guide and counsel new people to take over those ministries.

Parents who give serious thought to discipling their children will mindfully train and guide those children to become tomorrow’s church. A good children’s ministry will assist in this effort, but the ultimate responsibility for child discipleship falls upon the parents.

This process begins at home. A child should learn to assume responsibilities, beginning with simple chores within the family. There should be an understanding that a family (and a church) survives because every member participates in its success.

As a child matures, his responsibilities should increase and should include spiritual tasks such as participating in family devotions and Bible study.

A parent should be confident that when a task is assigned to the child it will cause growth. Sometimes that growth results from failure in the task, but parents should know that it is better for a child to fail under family supervision than after she is on her own.

Many ministries grow from humble beginnings. For example, our first “newsletter” for the children’s ministry began when12-year-old Melissa Laue got access to a copy machine and some clip art – the kind you create with scissors and paste. She recruited other young writers, and together they published several months’ worth of news concerning children in the congregation.

Around the same time, Mary Popp authored a newsletter called Teach Thy Children, which focused on parental responsibilities found in Scripture.

The newsletters took on a more professional look when Sue Maakestad applied her degrees in Journalism to the task. The Bullseye parenting magazine combined elements of each of the newsletters and added a host of other adult and young authors who joined in to assist parents in guiding their “arrows” to hit the mark (Psalm 127:5).

For 25 years, Sue and her crew have produced an ever-improving magazine that is now distributed worldwide in paper and digital form. This year, the baton passes to Jessica (Rubi) Greer, who grew up in church and applied her education to become an excellent writer, built upon the foundation of her training by her father, Pastor Fred Rubi.

We are confident that beginning in 2025, as its new editor, Jessica will take the Bullseye to new levels in assisting the parents of our congregation and beyond.

It requires courageous faith both to delegate a ministry to a new generation and to accept the responsibility to engage it and carry it forward.

All the growth in the New Testament Church, the local church, and the area of child discipleship flows from effective delegation which, whether applied in business or the church, takes a degree of courage. Fear of delegation is normal, but the benefits are innumerable. Delegation allows the leader to target priorities rather than getting caught up in the minutia of responsibilities. Additionally, delegation gives another person the opportunity to grow.

But most importantly, it puts tasks in the hands of the person best suited and gifted to it.

God calls us to exercise courageous faith in ministry – first, as we are called; then, as we disciple; then, as we create a succession plan for the next generation.

Whether you are a disciple or a minister, a parent or a child, it is your responsibility to exercise this courageous faith.