3 Ways to Introduce Children to the Global Church

Happy Saturday, Traci.

Today I invited Traci Rhoades to share some practical steps she's taken to introduce her daughter to various Christian faith traditions. I love the idea of exposing our children to different styles of worship and liturgy! I hope this article will encourage and equip you for the task. -Sarah Koontz

Ephesians 4:4-6 HCSB says, "There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all."

When Paul sent this letter to the church at Ephesus, he was not referring to their church exclusively as “the one.”

His letters were likely circulated among the other known churches at the time, as evidenced in his letter to the church at Colossae: “When this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea (Col 4:6 HCSB).”

This is our collective history.

One faith is shared by churches in Jerusalem, Ephesus, Thessalonica, Colossae, Rome, Philippi and eventually to the utmost parts of the earth.

One body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and one Father of all, that’s our Christian umbrella, and there’s a large number of church traditions falling under it.

Once I understood passages about being one body, and being one under the headship of Christ, referred to a worldwide Church I barely knew, it became a passion of mine to explore the variety of Christianity that exists.

The global church is much more than one local gathering of Christ-followers.

Perhaps this is what Paul had on his mind when he writes later in the same letter: “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Eph 3:20-21).”

I realized Jesus had this idea in mind for us too.

In his final prayer, subtitled for all believers in my Bible, he prayed, “May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me (Jn 17:21 HCSB).”

We don’t all have to worship the same way to showcase the glory of Christ.

Visiting the methodist church down the street, learning about Christian calendar days like Pentecost Sunday, or reading about a church halfway around the world in Africa showed me a bigger picture of God than I had previously known.

By visiting churches that did things differently, I discovered that we best represent Christ in our diversity.

There are a number of wonderful ways God has made us unique.

We should learn to celebrate what we have in common and be grateful for how God has fashioned us differently.

In time, I decided to share what I had learned with my daughter.

I had only known a couple of denominations growing up, and while I wanted to give her a solid faith foundation, I knew introducing her to other church traditions would widen her understanding of Christianity and ultimately give her more of Jesus.

I didn’t want her to grow up thinking there was only one right way to worship Jesus, so I shared the beauty I had found in various worship styles and spiritual practices.

Here are three ways to introduce our children to the worldwide Church:

1. Read books about unfamiliar Christian traditions.

I have found several books over the years that talk about how Christians observe the church calendar and many church traditions my church might not offer.

Using the Internet, a family can reference any number of articles about other churches.

Try doing these two activities with your upper elementary and older children:

Look up the cities that received letters in the New Testament. In a notebook, record what you can find about those ancient cities and what they look like today if they exist.
Write out the regions mentioned in Acts 2:9-11, the groups who were there at Pentecost. What churches did they end up forming? What can you find out about these churches today? Record what you learn.

2. Visit the Christian churches of family and friends.

While I’m a big proponent of being active in a local church, with a focus on discipleship and service, most of us have a few times a year when we could visit other church services.

Our family does this on vacation, and when an area church observes a church calendar event we don’t (ie. an Easter vigil at a Catholic church takes place on the Saturday evening before Easter Sunday).

After each visit, walk through the experience together. What seemed new? What felt like every other church experience? Then we take time to look up songs or prayers that were unfamiliar.

3. Explore historical Christian landmarks and traditions in person or online.

Many churches have local or regional significance.

Watch for a tour of churches in your area, or spend time researching famous churches from each tradition online.

Our home library has books and videos about Pascha, stations of the cross, Advent, and Lent.

Pick a topic and take the time to study the tradition and its purpose with your children. Then find a way for them to experience it for themselves.

When you visit a new city, take the time to check out the religious landmarks in the area.

My daughter has already been introduced to a much wider Christianity than I knew as a child.

About two or three times a year, my daughter visits a new church with me. Inevitably, after each visit, she says, “Mom, that was OK, but I really like my own church.” And that’s absolutely okay.

May it always be so!

What’s important is she knows our church isn’t the only one. We’re part of the larger body of Christ, and He loves us all.

"I will speak mysteries from the past—things we have heard and known and that our fathers have passed down to us. We must not hide them from their children, but must tell a future generation the praises of the Lord, His might, and the wonderful works He has performed." Psalms 78:2b-4 HCSB

- Traci Rhoades