For both our son and daughter, it was vital for them to have people they looked up to outside their family, especially college students who modeled Christian faith, giving visible validity to what they had been learning at home and from the pulpit. The ministries of the church are also playing a big role in their faith. Sunday school classes, presbytery youth conferences, youth groups, youth Bible studies…God has used each at different times to win, warm and instruct their hearts.

Recently we had the joy of seeing our two oldest kids make their profession of faith before the elders and then the congregation. It has been a joy to give God thanks for blessing His Word to their hearts and bringing them to this point. While we give credit to Him alone, both of their testimonies made it clear how powerfully God uses His church as a means of communicating His grace for our salvation and sanctification.

For both our son and daughter, it was vital for them to have people they looked up to outside their family, especially college students who modeled Christian faith, giving visible validity to what they had been learning at home and from the pulpit.

The ministries of the church are also playing a big role in their faith. Sunday school classes, presbytery youth conferences, youth groups, youth Bible studies…God has used each at different times to win, warm and instruct their hearts.

Our church’s prayers have also been used of God for their salvation. One friend approached me after worship and said, “We know how hard it can be to be a pastor’s kid, so we’ve been especially praying for this day as long as we’ve been in this congregation.” Not only was this incredibly encouraging, it’s clear evidence of the importance our church family has in our kids’ lives, even when we don’t see it.

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The link (URL) to the original article at Gentle Reformation is unavailable and has been removed.]