God’s Word for a Young World

These are the commands, decrees and laws the L ORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the L ORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (NIV)

God’s Word for a Young World Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the L ORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The L ORD our God, the L ORD is one. Love the L ORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (NIV)

God’s Word for a Young World These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (NIV)

God’s Word for a Young World... Impress them (the Scriptures) on your children... Deuteronomy 6:7 (NIV) The Great Priority

God’s Word for a Young World Get them (the Scriptures) inside of you and then get them inside your children. Deuteronomy 6:7 (Msg) The Great Priority

God’s Word for a Young World Talk about (the Scriptures) when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up(Dt. 6:7) “Very seldom do parents have trouble with children when the Bible is read regularly in the home...” Billy Graham, CNS News, November 2014 The Great Priority

God’s Word for a Young World Tie (the Scriptures) as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads (Dt. 6:8) “Fifty-three percent of young adult Canadian Christians never study the Bible” Ed Stetzer, LifeWay Research The Great Priority

God’s Word for a Young World Write (the Scriptures) on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates (Dt. 6:9) “More people now check Facebook than read the Bible on a daily basis million daily Facebook users in the USA and Canada... about 40 million Americans and 1.3 million Canadians reading the Bible each day” Time Magazine, February 5, The Great Priority

God’s Word for a Young World

A Changing Religious Environment % of Canadians attended church once a week 2006 – 11% of Canadians attended church once a week Catholics holding steady(1931 – 41%, 2009 – 40%) Mainline Protestants declining(1931 – 48%, 2009 – 17%) Evangelicals growing(1931 – 8%, 2009 – 11%) Other religions growing(1931 – 3%, 2009 – 8%) “Nones” growing (1931 – 1%, 2009 – 24%) Sources: Ipsos Reid, Statistics Canada, Pew Research Centre, Outreach Canada

God’s Word for a Young World

A Changing Culture... Scientism, humanism and narcissism is increasing A rising distrust of institutional religion Moral relativism is the dominant ethic Rights of parents are being challenged by the state Divide between rich and poor is increasing People more likely to be “spiritual” than “religious” Religious disaffiliation increasing with each new generation Sources: Ipsos Reid, Statistics Canada, Pew Research Centre, Outreach Canada

God’s Word for a Young World

50% of world’s population under 20 years of age 5.6 million children (0-14) in Canada (2.2 million in Ontario) 2.2 million youth (15-19) in Canada 1 in 4 people in Canada are children/youth 16% of Canadian families are single parent families 9.5% of children and youth live in low-income situations 4.6% of children have a parent in jail Sources: Canadian 2011 National Household Survey Public Safety Canada By the Numbers

God’s Word for a Young World Source: Statistics Canada 2011 Census Uxbridge Population by Five Year Age Groups and Sex

God’s Word for a Young World Age GroupsBoth SexesMalesFemales 0-4 years years1, years1, years1, Total 0-195,2302,7602,465 Total ,62010,18510,435 Source: Statistics Canada 2011 Census

God’s Word for a Young World Source: Statistics Canada 2011 Census 6,065 families 77.4% married couples 10.6% common-law-couples 12% lone-parent families Uxbridge Families

God’s Word for a Young World Children aren’t getting connected to Jesus. Each successive generation of Canadians has fewer Christians than the previous generation... Here’s the problem...

God’s Word for a Young World Priority should be given to connecting children with God’s Story We should be 4/14 window focused Our sweet-spot should be to "reach, rescue, root, and release children into relationship with Jesus Christ..." Children are the greatest mission field (80% of Christians come to faith in Christ before 19 years of age) What we’ve done in the past may not work in the future Operational budgets should be revised/restructured We can’t do it alone Impressing the Scriptures on our children starts in our homes So what are the implications for LWCC?

God’s Word for a Young World Children matter to Jesus so they should matter to us. "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" Matthew 19:14 (NIV). Here’s the rub...

God’s Word for a Young World Conclusion Story

God’s Word for a Young World... Impress them (the Scriptures) on your children... Deuteronomy 6:7 (NIV) Conclusion