One of the greatest privileges as a parent is to help your child come to faith in Christ. Ages vary, but around the age of five is a great time to deliberately plant seeds of biblical truth to help them understand the gospel, which is why we’ve created the Gospel Conversations step on the Faith Path. As the primary faith trainer of your child, your goal should be to lead them to understand the gospel and make their own faith decision when they are ready.

Like many parents, you may not quite know how or when to approach this exciting yet intimidating moment of parenthood. Maybe you worry that you won’t explain the gospel properly, or you’re tempted to just “leave it to the professionals” by relying on church or ministry events. While that’s understandable, God has given you the most important and influential role when it comes to leading your child to Christ.

Here are five basic steps to help you feel more comfortable about the process when the time comes:

• Step One: Lay a Foundation – Your son or daughter grows in his or her understanding of God by developing a foundation – hearing stories from the Bible, learning Scripture, singing about Jesus, and so forth. Your child also learns by experiencing life in your home, watching your example, feeling your love, and learning right from wrong. We see this in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 where it says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
• Step Two: Discern Readiness – Do your best to discern when your child is mature enough to put the pieces together. Avoid the temptation to push for a decision before he or she is ready to truly grasp the gospel. Your child may intellectually understand before being socially or spiritually ready. Young children are usually bonded to their parents in such a way that they want to please them and do not have a full sense of a separate self. A child needs to understand that this is a personal decision and not just an opportunity to repeat rote answers.
• Step Three: Ask Question[1] s – If you feel your child might be ready, ask a few questions to help gauge his or her level of understanding. For example, read Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” It is important to talk with your child about the basic issues of the gospel. Ask questions like, “What is sin?” “How does your sin affect your relationship to God?” Why did Jesus die on the cross? How they respond can help you sense when your child is ready to understand the important concept of:
  • Jesus as Savior: The need for forgiveness and cleansing from sin which was made possible through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
• Step Four: Guide Your Child in Prayer – John 3:16 says, “for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” If you sense your child has a basic understanding of what sin is, as well as what it means to believe and accept God’s gift of salvation, then you can guide him or her to pray along those lines. Instead of quoting specific words for your child to repeat, it’s best to prompt them to use their own words and express to God: “I know I’m a sinner. I believe that Jesus died and rose again. I trust Jesus as my Savior, and thank you for the forgiveness of sin and life with you forever.”
• Step Five: Prepare Them for the Next Steps – Once your child has trusted Christ, you can begin the wonderful privilege of guiding their next steps of faith. Topics like Bible reading and prayer, baptism, worship, and even going to church now have new meaning and relevance, and you have the joy of modeling, teaching, and walking alongside them as they learn to trust, obey, and follow Jesus.
• Please note, even if your child is not ready for this step, laying the groundwork for the gospel is important work. Don’t be discouraged if your child is not ready to respond to the gospel yet. Continue to be faithful in sharing truth and encouraging your child.