What we do

Raising Children in Faith

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Discipling Children: at Church, at Home and at School

Connecting churches and parents to helpful information and resources.

When it comes to raising children in faith, the local congregation, the household and potentially the school or afterschool programs can all play an important role. The pandemic has brought greater awareness about the importance of the home, especially the parents or caregivers in passing down their faith to the next generation. In Deuteronomy 6:6-7, it says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Sharing about the Word of God and the personal experience of faith at home contributes greatly to the children’s identity in Christ. The same is true if they are able to meet other kids at church and receive mentoring by pastors and leaders in kids ministries. And some have the opportunity to attend a Christian school. There are a wide variety of global, regional and national networks and ministries that provide helpful insights and resources for parents, churches and Christian schools. The WEA Children’s Network seeks to serve as a connection hub that makes it easier for them to find what they are looking for.

Education: Navigating the Options for Your Children

Public School, Christian School or Home Schooling?

There are different perspectives on the question what is best for children: attending public school, a Christian school or rather homeschooling by parents? The answer may not be the same for every child, and not every family has access to different options for lack of availability, financial resources or other reasons. There is no doubt that the school environment – teachers, classmates, curriculum, etc. – have great influence on the impressionable minds of children. And kids usually spend more time at school than at home with their parents or at church. Therefore it is important for parents to prayerfully consider what is best for their children, and that they are conscious of the advantages and challenges of each approach, so that they can best support their children in growing and living out their faith in the environment they find themselves in. The WEA Children’s Network seeks to provide some information and links to research, best practices, personal testimonies and ministries who are active in the area of education.

Identity & Sexuality: Today's Omnipresent Issue

How to raise children in an environment where everything seems relative.

In recent years, the issues surrounding gender identity and sexuality have swept over many parts of the world and raised serious questions for churches and parents. How should they deal with the overwhelming influence of media and an increasingly secular environment that challenges the teachings of the Bible on how God created humanity. How can they respond with truth and love? How can they raise children whose faith is resilient but not judgmental? And how should they behave if their own children may identify as LGBT or reject the Biblical teaching because of friends who identify as LGBT? There are helpful resources, research, personal stories, best practices and more that have been produced by national Evangelical Alliances, have been featured in Christian media or provided by various Christian ministries. The WEA Children’s Network seeks to help parents and churches navigating this issue by curating available material and providing relevant links.

Protecting the Vulnerable

Protecting the Unborn and the Mother

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. - Psalm 139:13

The issue of protecting the unborn has been contentious in society for decades. The Bible is full of references that speak how God has created humans in His image and how each life is valuable and unique. However, in an increasingly secular society, life is not valued the same way and decisions about whether to keep a child or terminate the pregnancy have become polarized, especially as access to procedures or medication has become much more widespread than in times before modern medicine. The issue also intersects with other complex questions, such as maternal health risks, genetic disorders, disability, poverty and others, and therefore require a multi-faceted response. There are many initiatives and ministries who provide relevant information and resources related to various issues surrounding pregnancy and abortion, which help highlight the most important aspect of the Christian perspective: that both lives matter.

Domestic Violence: Breaking the Taboo, Also in the Church

Children need a loving home to grow up healthily, but what if the reality is different?

According to a UNICEF report, a majority of children experience different forms of violence already in their first few years of life, and the first place is often in their home. Domestic violence is a pervasive issue in every part of the world, and Christian families are not an exception. For children to grow well physically, emotionally and spiritually, a loving environment at home is critical. Therefore, the issue of domestic violence is a critical challenge that needs to be addressed. But how can churches respond to this issue, especially if it is often a taboo topic? How can parents, children, extended family, neighbors or fellow church members deal with situations of violence in their own home or the home of others? The WEA Children’s Network seeks to provide information, resources and links to ministries involved in this issue that provide insights and support.

Orphans

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Violence against Girls

Child Marriage, FGM, etc.

Refugee Children

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Trafficking of Children

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Children in the Persecuted Church

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Engaging with the United Nations

Partnering on issues of common concern.

The WEA has been engaged with the United Nations for more than two decades and holds special consultative status at the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Thanks to its global constituency in more than 140 nations, the WEA is considered a representative voice that contributes an evangelical perspective on issues that are of concern to the global Church, such as human rights, the environment, refugees, and also children. UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, provides humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. The UN also issued the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, which highlight the importance of protecting children as one of the most vulnerable groups in society. The WEA in general and also the WEA Children’s Network partner with various UN bodies and participate in initiatives where the aims and values are shared.