The Child in God's Church: Faith-formative relationships that grow disciples who know, love and obey King Jesus

by Tim Beilharz

Most pastors and congregations would agree that developing a child’s faith and including them in the life of the church deserves real thought and effort. However, so often the opposite is true in Sunday schools are treated as child-minding services that allow the adults to have the actual gathering as God’s people; parenting and children’s ministries are siloed; older members of the church never speak to a single child there.

In The Child in God’s Church, Tim Beilharz provides the biblical reasons for including and nurturing children as precious members of the body of Christ. He sets the theological and theoretical foundations for understanding children and the church, then provides a framework for practising children’s ministry in the local church.

This book is a unique and invaluable resource that provides churches with the necessary foundations for revitalisation and growth.

175 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 29, 2025

Reviews

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read! Every church minister should have a copy and read through - no matter what their leadership position is in the church. It’s important to think through the place of children in the church, as genuine disciples of Jesus.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant! This book is a gift to those who love children and the church. Keep writing, Tim!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Beilharz gives us an excellent framework to think about the place of children in the church, and the spheres of discipleship that are important for their faith development. He has a particularly helpful knack of not being overly reactionary, but instead is quite generous to a variety of models as he documents some of the history of ministry to children. In my mind he shows convincingly how important age-specialist ministry, family discipleship, and intergenerational gathering are for children in the church and he gives some great ideas about how we might begin to strengthen these interdependent spheres of discipleship in our churches. Really helpful book!