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Religious Development in Baptist Youth

by Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer

The Baptist family of churches arose out of the Protestant Reformation and Anabaptist movements of the sixteenth century.  The first Baptist churches were founded in Holland (1609) and England (1611).  In the United States, the First Baptist Church in America was established in Providence, Rhode Island by Roger Williams in 1638-1639.  In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Baptist denominations have over 37 million adherents who live throughout the world.  

Although a non-creedal and individualistic people, Baptists have nevertheless upheld certain defining values, including separation of church and state (religious liberty), soul freedom (the right and obligation of the individual to express his/her own understanding of the Christian life), the autonomy or self-governance of the local church, a commitment to live according to the standards of the New Testament, regenerate church membership (only those who can testify to a personal saving experience may join the church as a member), and believer’s baptism by immersion.  These defining features have influenced how Baptists have sought to promote the spiritual formation and development of children under their care.

Translating these concepts to the arena of childhood spiritual formation, Baptists have developed and practiced four core principles which facilitate the spiritual development of youth.  Baptist spiritual formation encourages the individual child to seek and encounter God for himself/herself, to read and learn from the Scriptures and apply its insights on a personal level, to join with others in order to journey faithfully, and to accept God’s call as expressed through Christian service.

The Individual’s Encounter and Journey with God

The Baptist adherence to the principles of separation of church and state, autonomy of the local church, and soul freedom create a religious environment which encourages the individual person to take responsibility for his/her spiritual development.  Coercion from governmental (secular), ecclesiastical (denominational), or even familial sources is vehemently opposed by Baptists.  In terms of spiritual formation in youth, Baptists therefore seek to provide maximum freedom for children to grow in their understanding of the Christian life.  Specifically, this entails a tension between being encouraged to commit one’s life to Christ on the one hand, and being protected from premature commitments to God or the church on the other.   

The Baptist faith emphasizes the need to confront one’s sinfulness and to accept forgiveness of those sins by acknowledging Jesus Christ as one’s Savior and Lord.  Baptists do not speak in terms of original sin (an innate sinfulness passed down through generations), but instead emphasize that each person inevitably succumbs to temptation and falls short of God’s standards of holiness.  Once children reach “the age of accountability” (defined as knowing the difference between right and wrong, or the beginnings of conscience), they are considered morally responsible for their behavior.  This is a psycho-spiritual awakening or development, and thus not strictly chronological.  In practice, most Baptists would say this transition takes pace between the ages of four to six.  Prior to reaching the age of accountability, children are considered innocents, and are not held liable, in spiritual terms, for their actions. 

Baptists therefore believe that infants and very young children who die are granted eternal life in heaven without the need for expressing a personal faith commitment to God (which they are too young to do) or for undergoing church rituals such as infant baptism.  In place of infant baptism, Baptists practice a ceremony variously called infant/child or parental dedication.  Inspired by the Biblical dedications of Samuel and Jesus, infant/child or parental dedication involves the parents presenting their infant or child to God and to the church during a worship service.  The parents declare that they will raise their child in the Christian faith by personally modeling its values and by encouraging their family to be active in the life and witness of the local congregation.  Although the focus is on the child’s spiritual future, the onus of responsibility is placed on the adults. The congregation also commits itself to providing for the spiritual nurture of the child.  Prayers are then offered for both parents and child.

As the child grows in spiritual awareness, it is hoped that he/she will decide to make a personal commitment to God through Jesus Christ.  The church’s ministries (Sunday School, children’s sermons and worship services) are mobilized to encourage the development of a sensitive conscience and a desire to seek God’s presence in their lives.  Grace, mercy and forgiveness represent the offer of God’s love and care, in response to the message that God expects humanity, both individually and corporately, to embrace justice and righteousness. 

Baptists are perhaps most famous for their practice of baptism by immersion as the symbol of embracing the Christian journey and identifying with Jesus’ death and resurrection.  For Baptists, baptism is a public act of personal faith in which a person declares the intention to become a disciple of Jesus Christ and to live out the Christian journey by joining with other believers (by becoming a member of a specific church).  In most Baptist churches, children are encouraged to take this step when they are able to articulate their commitment to Christ and understanding of the basics of Christian beliefs and practices.  In practice, this usually is reserved for those who are in their early teens, but some congregations will permit younger children who display a more precocious grasp of the faith to be baptized as well.

Becoming a Student of the Scriptures

As a Biblicist movement, Baptists have historically emphasized the authority and centrality of the Scriptures for informing how believers should live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In 1824, Baptists created the Baptist General Tract Society, which later was renamed the American Baptist Education Society, and helped create the American and Foreign Bible Society in 1837.  Baptists are avid and dedicated students of the Scriptures, and seek from it principles for spirituality and morality. 

Children as well as adults are expected to engage in ongoing Bible study in order to further their spiritual formation and development.  Baptists have placed particular stress on the promotion of Sunday Schools, youth group programs, Bible clubs, and summer vacation Bible schools.  The goal of this educational emphasis is not merely intellectual knowledge, but the gaining of wisdom and the deepening of spiritual commitment.  Baptists read and study the Bible in the pursuit of personal application of timeless Scriptural truths so that ongoing spiritual transformation my take place.  Recounting the stories of Biblical role models is a favored teaching methodology in Baptist youth classes because it encourages youth to emulate the faithfulness of the spiritual giants of the Bible.  Although less prominent in the Baptist tradition, non-Biblical sources can also be used to educate youth about the spiritual life.  John Bunyan’s classic allegory of the Christian journey, The Pilgrim’s Progress, is a well-known text (Bunyan was a Baptist minister who lived between 1628-1688).

Joining with Others to Journey Faithfully

Baptism, as a symbol of the individual’s desire to journey in the Christian way, also serves as the individual’s official incorporation into the community of believers.  In the Baptist tradition, the emphasis on the individual’s relation with God is counterbalanced by the recognition that one needs the companionship of others to negotiate the challenges of the spiritual life, and this is why participation in congregational life becomes an integral aspect of Baptist spirituality. 

The Baptist practice of prayer serves as a case in point.  On the one hand, each Baptist member is expected to develop, cultivate and maintain a personal prayer discipline.  On the other hand, conversational prayer in the presence of others – the Baptist prayer meeting - is a core feature of classic Baptist church life.  In contrast to the more contemplative forms of prayer, Baptist prayer experiences tend to emphasize a spontaneous conversational style in which members take turns praying for the needs of one another.  Children are introduced to this form of prayer at an early age, and expected to practice it as soon as they begin talking. 

Accepting God’s Call to Serve

The Baptist emphasis on personal spiritual development also incorporates the dimension of sacrificial service.  To follow Christ as a disciple entails serving the world even as Jesus served others.  In the Baptist tradition, therefore, ministry is not just the fruit of a positive spiritual life.  It is a vital aspect of it. 

This ministry can take many forms.  It may involve evangelism, worship leadership, teaching, hospitality, and various forms of community involvement and social action.  In Baptist churches, children are expected and encouraged to express the notion of the “priesthood of all believers” by testing their gifts and talents in the service of others.  Inviting others to church and to a consideration of the claims of the Baptist faith, singing in the choir or playing musical instruments, helping to disciple younger children, and sharing their testimonies at their baptism are just some of the ways Baptist youth are encouraged to unite faith with deeds.  Such activities are considered both ends in themselves, and also aspects of an ongoing spiritual formation in anticipation of serving the church and the world as adults.

References and Further Reading

            Bunyan, John.  The Pilgrim’s Progress.  Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Goodwin, Everett C.  Down by the Riverside: A Brief History of the Baptist Faith.  Valley Forge: Judson Press, 2002.

Goodwin, Everett C.  The New Hiscox Guide for Baptist Churches.  Valley Forge: Judson Press, 1995.

            Wardin, Albert W. (editor).  Baptists Around the World: A Comprehensive Handbook.  Nashville:  Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1995.

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