• Six Types of Lost Kids
Six Types of Lost Children
Some assume that all lost children are the same. I believe that there are different kinds of lost kids. After years of evangelistic ministry, I think I have discovered a helpful way to describe the condition of children being lost. “Lost” in the Scriptures is used to describe the condition of anyone outside the realm of being made righteous by the Salvation that is only found in Christ finished work on the cross. It is not my purpose here to prove the lostness of children, we could address that at another time.
However, most of us in children’s ministry refer to lost children rather loosely. I am proposing that there are at least Six Kinds of Lost Children, with some variations among these. I have come to the conclusion that the way to sort this out is to understand the types of lost children based upon the spiritual condition of their parents. So you will see in these six types a discussion of the spiritual status of the parents.
1. The Promised Child
This type of lost child is from devote and committed parents who are both Christians. They are prayerful for the salvation of their children, maybe before birth, or at least after birth. They might even pray that they will actually be able to lead their own children to Jesus. They are believing God for the salvation of their children. I call them promised children. Of course, they might be willing for another to lead them to Christ. However, when it comes to helping these children to follow Christ after a decision is made, these parents are eager to follow-up their own kids. All you have to do is to provide some resources, some instruction and these active parents go into high gear and follow-up their own children. Because they value the decision, they are easily committed to helping their child or children grow and mature in their faith.
Another variation of this type is the Dad’s Only or the Mother’s Only child, whereby either the Dad or Mother are the dominant influencers for follow-up purposes.
2. The Sanctified Child
This kind of lost child comes from a home where only one parent knows Christ. This is the kind of child described in I Cor. 7:14 where the children are considered “holy” as unto the Lord, because of the one believing parent. It does not mean the child is saved, rather it means that they sanctified or set apart for the Lord. The Lord honors the faith of that one parent and the child enjoys a special place in the favor of God, lest they are unclean. So when this kind of child makes a decision for the Lord, follow up of that child is accomplished by working with that believing parent. You resource or help this believing parent, who wants to help their child grow spiritually.
3. The Forfeited Child
This type of lost children are from parents who may or may not be Christians, maybe nominal Christians, but they value spiritual things. They might feel quite inadequate to spiritually influence their own children. However, they are quite willing for others more qualified to influence them. So when these children come to Jesus, these parents gladly give permission to another or forfeit their responsibility to another to do it for them. They are willing to abdicate their influence for another more qualified to assist. So follow up becomes the responsibility of a CM or Sunday school teacher or any group leader who is more qualified.
4. The Isolated Child
This kind of lost children have non-Christian parents, or ones that are very nominal in their faith. Often these parents have had bad experiences with church, maybe “religion was crammed down their throat.” Their default reaction is to not be that way with their own children, so they back off and isolate the child for their influence. They leave all decisions about spiritual things for the child to make up their own mind. These children are isolated like islands from the spiritual influence of their parents. Either the parents are teachable or follow up becomes to function of the rather slow influence from a trusted outsider to the family. If the children are responsive, it helps the follow up process to continue.
5. The Heathen Child
This kind of lost children have parents who may be of another religion or are adamantly against Christianity or Judaism, maybe no faith at all. These children might be from another country or culture who have little or no exposure to Christianity. These children come from families that clearly have no relationship to the things of God outlined in the Bible. Often they are separated by language, other faiths, customs or ethnicity. They might be immigrants or new arrivals here, but in another country they are outside the pale of Christianity, but might be open to learn or have their child learn about Christianity. Leading this type of child to the Lord might require someone like a missionary, who knows the language, customs and issues of their religious life to be in the best position to translate and interpret the new faith of the child. Parent might be upset with the conversion of their child and care needs to be present to explain and teach the parents too. Initially having the right person to interface is crucial to the success of any follow up plans.
6. The Surrogate Child
This kind of lost Child is not raised by their own biological parents, rather they might be raised by stepparent or relatives. These children are no longer influenced by their own biological parents, who are absent. The surrogate parents may or may not know the Lord. Further, they may or may not accept the responsibility of spiritually influencing their charges. This kind might involved adopted children, court awarded children or foster kids. If one parent knows the Lord, you work with that parent. Establishing a caring relationship that provides a helpful posture is usually well received. Surrogate parents usually have a felt need for any good help they can find. It can be overwhelming, but to find caring spiritual leaders opens the follow-up doors for spiritual growth and maturity.
2 Responses to “• Six Types of Lost Kids”
November 8th, 2011 at 9:40 am
Thank you for writing this! It is an excellent article! Lost is lost but as with adults, follow-up is so important. Often we don’t successfully follow-up with children because they can’t tell us what they need. I would to read more about your thoughts and experiences in this area.
November 8th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Deb, thanks for the thoughtful response. I have been thinking about this subject for a long time. I wrote a published article that suggests this idea. I could send you a copy if you let me know you are interested. Are you familiar with wwww.Kidology.org?
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