133. Helping Your Children Know Jesus (with Sarah Cowan Johnson)

Guest Bio: Sarah Cowan Johnson is a ministry trainer, consultant, and coach who works with church planters, pastors, and ministry leaders across the United States. She leads seminars for parents on family discipleship to help their children walk in the way of Jesus. She served with the Evangelical Covenant Church as the executive pastor for Sanctuary Church in Providence, Rhode Island, and she previously was a staff trainer and an area director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Johnson is the cohost of The People of the Way podcast. She and her husband have two sons and live in Providence.

Show Summary: Do you have kids in your life? Maybe you’re a parent, a teacher, part of a kids ministry, or a babysitter in the midst of teaching or parenting kids. No matter what your role is, you may be overlooking the discipleship aspect of leading children. We are seeing high numbers of children who grow up and abandon their faith. Ministry trainer and leader Sarah Cowan Johnson is determined to grow awareness by equipping people with the tools they need to teach their children well. Join hosts Elisa Morgan and Eryn Adkins as they learn more about how to disciple children from Sarah Cowan Johnson during this conversation on God Hears Her.

Notes and Quotes: 

• “. . .50% of our kids in our churches that are actively involved are walking away from their faith after they graduate.” —Sarah Johnson

• “There is one thing that makes a difference. . . it’s parents who talk about and practice their faith at home. Statistics show that 82% of kids whose parents do that go on to follow Jesus as adults.” —Sarah Johnson

• “Kids go through stages of spiritual development just like they go through stages of emotional development, social development, all the things.” —Sarah Johnson

• “For the 12 and up crowd, the primary way that they engage their faith is by questioning and it looks like rejection even sometimes.” —Sarah Johnson

• “We are often tempted to be a priest for our kids, standing between God and our kids.” —Sarah Johnson

• “We should get out of the way and turn them over to God as soon as possible because that way, when the kid, as a natural part of growing up, rejects their parents’ values, they won’t reject God because God is theirs.” —Sarah Johnson

• “The goal is we want to connect them as early as we can to God directly, one to one and not make it a triangle, so that when they do push away from us they still are connected to God.” —Sarah Johnson

• “We need to teach our children how to hear God’s voice.” —Sarah Johnson

• “God knows our kids more than we do. He loves our kids more than we do. He wants a relationship with them more than we want them to know Jesus and He’s at work.” —Sarah Johnson

• “You’re yoked to Jesus, and He is the one actually doing the work.” —Sarah Johnson

Verses: 

• Deuteronomy 6

• Ezekiel 11:9

Links: 

• Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids by Dr. Kara E. Powell and Dr. Chap Clark: https://a.co/d/8XicfL5

• The People of the Way podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/people-of-the-way-podcast/id1511317543 

• Teach Your Children Well by Sara Cowan Johnson: https://teachyourchildrenwell.co/

• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/

• God Hears Her email sign-up: https://www.godhearsher.org/sign-upsfmc 

• Subscribe on iTunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-hears-her-podcast/id1511046507?utm_source=applemusic&utm_medium=godhearsher&utm_campaign=podcast

• Elisa’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisamorganauthor/

• Eryn’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eryneddy/

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