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Six Recommendations for Leading a Child to Christ

Gospel Invitations and Eternal Consequences


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By Amber Pike


“We had the best day at church yesterday, and I just had to share it with the group. I teach a class of about fourteen preschoolers. During our lesson yesterday, all fourteen of my kids raised their hands and repeated the sinner’s prayer. I know some of them didn’t really know what they said, but they’ll figure that out when they are older. There were so many salvations yesterday; praise the Lord!”


While the wording isn’t exactly the same, this message was an actual post I read several years back in a children’s ministry group on Facebook. A ministry leader in charge of teaching God’s truths to precious three- and four-year-olds thought having them repeat a prayer without understanding its meaning was a genuine salvation experience. My heart hurts whenever I see or hear about similar experiences. (And sadly, I see and hear about a lot.)


When it comes to leading a child to Christ, how it is done is immensely important. Children’s brains are wired differently than adults’ brains. Their development (both brain development and spiritual development) is vastly different than adults, so leading a child to Christ should look different. It is eternally important to make sure we are leading children to Christ in the right ways.


Is there a wrong way to lead a child to Christ?


The danger of “repeat this prayer after me” altar calls, asking a group of children to “raise your hand if you want to be saved,” and the “who’s next to be baptized while we are here at the pool” mentality is that children are being coerced into making a decision they do not understand and one which they do not desire. Romans 10:9 clearly states how a person can be saved. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Salvation is an individual decision that requires both head and heart knowledge.


The consequences of leading children into making a decision they aren’t ready for or do not understand can be eternal. Think about those very real preschoolers I described earlier. They were led to believe they were saved when, in actuality, they were just doing what the teacher told them to do. Allowing a child to believe he or she is saved when he or she is not is eternally dangerous.


While there is no perfect script that must be followed when leading a child to Christ, there are factors that can lead a child into making (or believing they made) a decision they do not understand and are not ready for.


When it comes to leading a child to Christ, here are six recommendations to follow.


Recommendation #1: Let the child initiate his or her response to the gospel.

Every person must choose, on their own, to follow Christ. This isn’t something that should be decided for them. I have had many parents and grandparents set up a meeting with me because they claimed his or her child/grandchild was ready to become a Christian and be baptized. Yet, in so many of these situations, when I met with the child (at the insistence of the parent/grandparent), the child often wasn’t even sure why we were meeting, let alone able to express an understanding of or desire for salvation.


The child needs to want to become a Christian. It needs to be something they desire and initiate, not someone leading them to do so. When a child comes to or is brought to you (by a parent, grandparent, or guardian), instead of starting the conversation by asking, “Are you ready to become a Christian?” (which is leading the child), ask the child what he or she wants to talk about.


Whenever the gospel is given (which should be frequently), invite children to respond—absolutely. But if the invitation to respond is given in a group setting, invite children to talk to you afterward if they have questions or are ready to become a Christian. In Matthew 18:24, we clearly see that following Christ is a personal choice, not one someone can make for us.


“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’”


When it comes to kids, we need to make sure it is their choice and desire to become a Christian, not their parents’ choice for them or an action that was made out of obedience.


Recommendation #2: Be cautious in asking yes or no questions to determine a child’s understanding of salvation.

Children are good at telling you what they think you want to hear. When having these important conversations with children, if you ask them yes or no questions to gauge their understanding, they have a 50/50 chance of giving you the right answer. Open-ended questions, however, allow children to put into their own words what they feel or believe. 


Does the child you are talking to, who has expressed interest in becoming a Christian, really know what it means to be a Christian? Does the child understand sin and the problem it causes? Before a child accepts Christ, it’s crucial to ensure that they have an understanding of sin and salvation. Yes or no questions aren’t great at showing what a child knows and believes. A child often answers yes or no questions as a guess or the answer they think you want to hear. Asking open-ended questions gives a much better indicator of a child’s understanding.


Asking a child, “Is sin bad?” doesn’t tell you what a child knows about the problem of sin, but asking, “What is sin?” or “Why is sin a problem?” allows the child to put into their own words what they know and believe.


Recommendation #3: Ask good questions so children can articulate their thoughts.

Not all children understand the gospel. They might not be ready to make a profession of faith. Using open-ended, good questions will help determine if a child understands the gospel and is ready to respond in faith.


Ask kids good questions and give them time to articulate their thoughts. Start with God’s perfect world, the sin that broke it, the problem with sin, and how sins can be forgiven. Make sure you use your Bible. The Romans Road is a tried-and-true Scripture method for explaining the problem of sin and the good news of the gospel to children.


Recommendation #4: Have individual conversations to determine a child’s readiness.

Sharing the gospel and inviting children to respond is likely done in a large group setting, but the follow-up conversation (the conversation in which a child expresses his or her desire to become a Christian and you are asking good, open-ended questions to assess understanding) should be a personal conversation, not a group setting.


Think about group mentality when it comes to kids. Pre-teen girls are especially prone to wanting to do things in groups. Often, in a group setting, one child is the ring leader, while others are merely followers. Now, think about group mentality when it comes to leading a child to Christ. Imagine that a group of preteen girls comes up to you and says they are all ready to accept Christ. Would having that conversation with all of the girls at the same time truly show you what each girl felt and believed? Doubtful. If a friend is ready to accept Christ, there is often pressure to join in for social acceptance. In a camp or VBS situation, this is especially evident.


Conversations about becoming a Christian need to be done individually. If a group of children approaches you about becoming Christians, don’t turn them away, but rather talk to each one separately. You need to see what each individual child wants and knows, not what the group spokesperson says. Keep in mind that leaders should never meet alone with a child. There should always be an additional leader for safety purposes, or when possible, allow parents to be present since they are the primary disciple-makers.


Recommendation #5: Avoid abstract phrases that may confuse children.

Cognitively, most children are not developmentally ready to understand abstract phrases. They are concrete thinkers, and your language needs to reflect that.


Ask Jesus into your heart! Well, how does Jesus get into your heart? Does He get really small? Jesus will wash away my sins. Is Jesus giving me a bath? Concrete phrases such as “become a Christian” or “choose to follow Christ” are much easier for children to understand.


Recommendation #6: Say “no” if you need to.

Not all children are ready to become a Christian. That’s okay. Some children may not fully understand what it means or aren’t ready to make that decision. If, at the end of your conversation with a child, you feel they don’t have an understanding of what it means to be a Christian, encourage them to keep learning and growing. Eternity is at stake, so if a child is simply not ready yet, it’s okay to tell them that.


Over the years, I’ve had many children who weren’t ready to respond to the gospel, but each one was prayed for, loved, and encouraged. Sending a child who isn’t yet ready to be a Christian on his or her way isn’t the end of the conversation, though. Pray with the child and ask God to work on his or her heart. As you encourage the child to keep learning about who God is and what He has done for them, send home some appropriate resources that will help him or her grow. And don’t forget to follow up later with some encouragement!


I’m guessing that you, like me, want to see every boy and girl in your home, life, and ministry come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. While it would be great if we could make sure that each child in our life walks with Christ, that is not up to us. Place your trust in God, that He will be faithful to do all He promises to do, and the gospel truths you pour into each boy and girl will one day come to harvest.


As you faithfully point children to Christ, grounding them in God’s truths, take a look at how you are inviting children to respond to the gospel. If we want to see boys and girls walking with Christ, that “how” can make an eternal difference.



Amber Pike is an author, speaker, children and family ministry leader, and momma whose passion is to see kids loving the Word of God and walking with Him! She currently serves as the Church and Family Ministry Coordinator at RenewaNation. Amber is the author of “Exploring the Bible Through History,” “The Family Cookbook Devotional,” “Top 50 Ordinary People in God’s Extraordinary Plan,” and “Intentional Children’s Ministry.” Her most important (and favorite) role in life, however, is taking care of the wonderful family God has blessed her with.



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