Wikipedia - Child evangelism movement
The child evangelism movement is a Christian evangelism movement that was begun in 1937 by Jesse Irvin Overholtzer who founded the Christian organization Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF). It focuses on the 4/14 window which centers on evangelizing children between the ages of 4 and 14 years.[1]Children are targeted because they are the "most receptive, but also because they are often the most effective agents for mission" to evangelize their peer group. Groups supporting the evangelization initiative have argued that "It is crucial that mission efforts be reprioritized and re-directed toward the 4/14 age group world-wide"[2]
A study conducted in 1995–1996 survey commissioned by the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary found that 71% of Christians in the US converted before the age of 14.[3]
In 2003 George Barna published the results of his research, showing that children are the most important population segment to minister to because of their spiritual teachability and developmental vulnerability. Barna argued that a child's moral development is set by the age of nine, while churches focus on older children.[4] Barna wrote that "Habits related to the practice of one’s faith develop when one is young and change surprisingly little over time.” and “the older a child gets, the more distracted and vulnerable he or she becomes to nonfamily influences."[5] Barna found in 2004 that children converted to Christianity before their teen years are more likely to remain "absolutely committed" to Christianity.[6] Barna stated "It is during those [pre-teen] years that people develop their frames of reference for the remainder of their life." He later stated "The early impressions we make go a long way toward shaping a person’s worldview, relationships, dreams, expectations, and core reality."[7]
Bryant Myers and Dan Brewster have used Barna's research to argue that global evangelism programs should target younger children for conversion. “The implication of these findings is clear,” says Barna. “Anyone who wishes to have significant influence on the development of a person’s moral and spiritual foundations had better exert that influence while the person is still open-minded and impressionable – in other words, while the person is still young.” The Christian relief organization World Vision has declared that the child evangelism movement is a very important evangelism movement in the 21st century.[8]
Dan Brewster argues that children should be targeted for evangelism because the "clay is still soft" and argued "Children need our attention more urgently than any other group of people"[9]
In April 1994, Christian children's ministry leaders from 54 organizations gathered for a two-day conference which focused on ways to evangelize children between the ages of 4 and 14. Awana Clubs International, which has trained leaders who head clubs in 10,000 U.S. churches, hosted gathering at its Streamwood, Illinois, headquarters. Christianity Today International along with six other groups co-sponsored the gathering.[10]
The 4/14 window was originally conceived by Bryant Myers of World Vision and later popularized by Christian missionary strategist Luis Bush who also coined the term 10/40 window. The 4/14 window is a global Christian mission movement focused on evangelizing children between the ages of 4 and 14 years old.[2] Bush commented in the Christian Post in 2009 that "Mission strategies developed for the 4/14 Window would be implemented by parents, pastors and other role model figures who play key roles in shaping a child’s worldview."[11]
In 2004, at the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization in Thailand, a group of Christian evangelists examined the state of evangelism among children. The Lusanne committee published a paper arguing that evangelists should target children under 14 in the global South for conversion, and created the Aim Lowermovement.[12][13][14]
In 2005, Dan Brewster, a director of World Vision, indicated that the 10/40 window is a vital Christian mission opportunity developed in the 20th century and the 4/14 window is a Christian mission opportunity in the 21st century which may be just as important.[8] Brewster argued that "The poor and exploited tend to be much more receptive to the Gospel" and that children and young people should be targeted in areas where disease, poverty and conflict have disrupted their lives. The paper included basic ethical considerations, such as not evangelising children without parental consent, or where their families are entirely dependent on Christian charities for financial or material support, or in a way that disparages their local culture.
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