There’s nothing more exciting and more terrifying to many Christian parents than when their kids start asking questions about baptism and how to become a Christian. It’s exciting, because having your kids want to dedicate their lives to Christ is a huge Christian parenting goal. It can be scary though because the stakes are so high.
What exactly is the age of accountability? Is my child really ready to make that serious of a commitment? Does he or she really understand what is involved in being a Christian? Does he or she understand enough? What are your child’s motives for wanting to be baptized? Should I try to delay the baptism even though my child is mature, but slightly younger than the average age?
Those and a thousand other questions may be racing through your head when your child first mentions an interest. The most common questions most parents have, however, are, “What should I study with my child in the Bible to make sure he or she understands how and is truly ready to become a Christian?” and “Am I personally able to do that study with my child?”
I was in your shoes not too many years ago. Even though I had studied baptism with others several times in the past, it just feels different when it is your own child. I looked around for a study that was biblically accurate and would engage a young person. I found absolutely nothing that appealed to me. So, since we happened to also be homeschooling at the time, I asked my daughter if she would help me write a baptism study for other families to use too as we studied together. I took her questions and our discussions and created “A Student’s Guide to Baptism (With Leader’s Guide)”.
The study is designed to take you and your child through the important basics of becoming a Christian in an organized fashion. It also answers many of the common questions young people have that can make them reluctant to be baptized, but which aren’t theological in nature. The leader’s guide contains resources like additional scriptures for each section should your child have additional questions or concerns he or she needs to address.
The study is set up so it can be gone through relatively quickly with your child that is almost certainly ready to become a Christian. It also has questions and activities that can slow down the process a bit for more immature, but interested young people. Many of the questions are also designed to help you uncover what is really on your child’s heart and mind about becoming a Christian. The activities can also be used after baptism to begin discipling your child to the Christian life.
Every year, this is our most popular resource. The feedback from parents and even classroom teachers who have used it with small groups has been incredibly positive. It truly seems to give parents the confidence they need to study the Bible with their own children. Best of all, it’s totally free! You can find it here.
May God bless you as you study His word with your children!
As a child, one of my favorite stories in the Bible was Mephibosheth. There was something fascinating to me about the idea of David honoring a promise to his friend Jonathan. In a time when David would have been considered justified to have killed Mephibosheth as a member of his “opposition”, he basically made Mephibosheth a member of his family. Oh, there were a few hiccups later, but they had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Mephibosheth had special needs.
We all know the “age of accountability” for baptism (and thereby becoming a Christian) probably varies slightly from child to child. For years I have watched as the first children in a class study with their parents, decide they want to be baptized and dedicate their lives to Christ. The parents of the other children in their grade start looking forward to the day when their child decides to become a Christian, too.