A strategy for training Adventist Young Children of Ntoso District in Ghana to grow and Remain in the Adventist faith

Abstract

Childhood is a stage every adult has passed through. For someone to become famous, wealthy, learned or an international figure, a foundation needs to be laid for him or her. Nobody knows what a child will grow to become in the future, that is why children are usually referred to as future leaders; the implication is that any child could grow and become a leader or a renowned figure. According to Solomon, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov 22:6). After a study of child training and its outcome in the Bible, the study developed a strategy for training the Ntonso District Adventist young children to grow and remain in the Adventist faith. This study has gone through several steps since August 2010 to reach the final stage in November 2013. The study identified three major environments that may influence the growth and training of children, namely the home, the church, and the community, and the trainers being parents, church leaders, and Children’s Ministries’ instructors. Strategizing the Children’s department into smaller classes according to the age of the kids and having specific lesson materials for each level is highly recommended. Furthermore, there is the need for frequent in-service training to be organized for the teachers who handle the children. Parents and church leaders should also be sensitized about their roles in child training to help them cooperate with the children ministry leaders in molding the character of their children. To measure the results of the training on the children and how it has checked their dropout from the Adventist faith, the first year of the new strategy of Children Ministries operation were compared with those of four years before the implementation of the strategy. The average rate of dropout of children from the Adventist faith before the implementation of the new training method was 26.3% in the district within two years. On the contrary, there was no loss reported one year after implementing the new training strategy. Other positive achievements or the new strategy include the following: (1) the children are now witnessing to their peers in the community which has resulted in new children converts into the church; (2) children now enjoy their classes with variety of methods and visual aids; (3) the children have the privilege of worshipping with their parents and even preach to them on some occasions; (4).the study has led to an improvement in the devotional lives of most of the children in the Ntonso district.