Keeping Kids Christian
- Church Leadership & Ministry
- Publisher: Baker Books (Baker Publishing Group)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
How Do We Keep the Next Generation in the Faith?· A fresh approach to keeping children in the church and equipping them to grow as disciples· Emphasizes the importance of integrating kids into corporate worship and taking advantage of intergenerational activities· Both theologically sound and practical for real lifeAs both a pastor and a parent, Cameron S. Shaffer is alarmed by the mass exodus of young people from the church over the past couple decades. The rise of the Nones and exvangelicals is clear evidence that our current children's and youth ministry practices are ineffective and must change if we want to stem the tide of dechurching. Whatever we're doing now is not creating lifelong disciples. Combining biblical and theological insights with the latest sociological research, Shaffer presents a comprehensive and compelling case not for retooling the system of child discipleship we already have in place but for reevaluating and reshaping it entirely. He explains just how conversion works, the importance of parental involvement, and the necessity of keeping kids and youth in church and involved with the whole community of faith rather than continually sending them away to do youth-centered activities. He also covers the big question of how to keep young people committed to their faith when they grow up, go to college, enter the workforce, and start families of their own. In this thoughtful book, pastors, children's and youth ministers, church leaders, and Christian parents alike will find a clear path forward to keep kids Christian and keep them involved in the church.
Endorsements (6)
“This book is a must-read for parents, pastors, and congregations who need help with what it takes to intentionally partner with God’s Spirit to create in children and their families a discipleship that lasts a lifetime. As challenging as it is practical and helpful, it gives clear and compelling ways to foster multigenerational relationships in congregations that nurture a maturity of faith for all God’s children. Keeping Kids Christian offers a robust corrective to the viral dechurching of twenty-somethings walking out of the sanctuary and never returning.”
“Cameron Shaffer is an experienced pastor who, in this book, tackles one of the most pressing issues facing the evangelical church today—namely, how we can encourage our children to persevere in their faith as they enter their adult years. Whether or not one agrees with his theological description of covenant children, his advice to parents, pastors, and parishioners is of great value as we face this crucial challenge.”
“Cameron Shaffer has written a generously diagnostic, biblically sound, and consistently edifying book that is as timely as it is helpful. We have needed an accessible, reliable guide to passing the faith down to the next generation(s) that is neither reactionary to problematic modern church practices nor blindly devoted to the better, older ways, and now we have it. Shaffer refreshingly—and rightly!—commends the old-new way of long-standing but recently forgotten Reformed conviction: the centrality of a healthy congregational, pastoral, and parental ecosystem for how God’s garden grows. Pastors, teachers, other church leaders, moms, dads, grandparents, single Christians, older children—it is hard to imagine who doesn’t need this book. I fully expect that those who read it will immediately want to share it, as I do, and that pastors and churches who heed even a little of the solid wisdom found here will be better for it.”
“I wish I’d had this book when I started a new church plant some thirty years ago. We asked, ‘What will we do with the children?’ We got some of it right, but we would have gotten more of it right if Cameron Shaffer’s book had been there to guide us. With depth and breadth of biblical and theological insight, Shaffer shows that lifelong discipleship matters and it takes a community to make a difference. This book is a wonderful starting point for anyone who is concerned about all generations of faith.”
“Every pastor longs to help the children of the church remain faithful to the call of the gospel. In Keeping Kids Christian, Cameron Shaffer provides a historically aware, theologically rich, and practically wise guide for thoughtful shepherding and parenting of our covenant children. It is written for pastors, but parents would learn much from his counsel as well.”
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