Lay a Foundation of Truth for the Next Generation

You and I are called to serve the Lord in every sphere of our lives. If you have children, you know the special delight that it is to be a parent, as well as the weight of responsibility involved in raising the next generation “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).

As parents, we teach our children many things: how to tie a shoe or ride a bicycle, proper time management, the importance of being a good sport, baking chocolate chip cookies, and so much more. But there’s one thing Christians aim to impart to our children and grandchildren that is more significant than anything else—the knowledge of God.

Ligonier seeks to help people of all ages and stages of the Christian life grow in their knowledge of God. Donations from friends like you make it possible to produce resources that teach biblical truth regarding God’s character and works and to distribute them to children and adults. When you support Ligonier’s outreach with a gift of any amount this month, we’ll send you two children’s books by Dr. R.C. Sproul. More on that below.

The Lord commands us to embrace the high calling of passing on the truth of God from one generation to the next. Christian parents are to disciple their children from the earliest ages in the faith, instructing them to obey everything Christ has commanded (Matt. 28:18–20). Only God can give our children and grandchildren new hearts. Yet, the Lord uses means and often works through families and others in our church in the salvation of our sons and daughters as we instruct them diligently (Deut. 6:4–9).

This isn’t the work of parents alone. It’s our loving service to point all the children in our congregations to Christ and His Word. Indeed, we all must disciple our church’s children, teenagers, and young adults.

No one is born a Christian. We cannot assume the next generation will pick up the mantle. Trends are alarming. Ligonier’s State of Theology surveys routinely show that many professing evangelicals have abandoned biblical truth. This decline will continue if the church does not intentionally and accurately pass down the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

Ligonier has sought to help parents and churches disciple young people from the very beginning. R.C. welcomed young people to learn at the Ligonier Valley Study Center, and we’ve sought to answer questions from students and develop teaching for them. Dr. Sproul was so committed to reaching the next generation that he even wrote children’s books, using the craft of storytelling to give God’s truth to young minds in an accessible way. But these books have benefited not only children. I can’t tell you how many adults have written to tell us how these books have helped them better grasp the truths of God's holiness and mercy.

Ligonier remains committed to reaching the next generation. Recent and upcoming outreaches directed to young people include:

• Providing a classical and biblical education through the undergraduate curriculum of Reformation Bible College, crafted by Dr. Sproul himself;
• Equipping teenagers to defend their faith in Christ through our popular Always Ready apologetics conferences;
• Developing new discipleship videos that provide clear, scriptural answers to the vital questions young people are asking;
• Deepening our range of children’s books through collaboration with several authors; and
• Distributing and translating children’s books by Dr. Sproul. These titles include The Lightlings, which presents Scripture’s overarching storyline of creation, fall, and redemption, and The Prince’s Poison Cup, which introduces the truth of Jesus’ atonement for our sins. You’ll get both books when you give a gift of any amount to Ligonier Ministries this month.

One more ground-breaking project we are working hard on is a children’s curriculum from Ligonier. Targeting a mid-2025 release, this project will provide structured lessons for Sunday schools and families that cover the whole scope of Scripture from kindergarten to sixth grade. Completing this project on time will require new ministry expenditures approaching $1 million.

By God’s grace, the Bible teaching you support is helping young people in many places. As a high school student in Manhattan, Anais listened to Renewing Your Mind on her morning journey to her public school. She told us:

“Renewing Your Mind gets my mind thinking about the light I must be in the darkness that surrounds the kids at school. I truly am thankful for that podcast, as well as Tabletalk, which I read at school also. These have encouraged me to not act like every other high schooler out there but to be a soldier for Christ.”

Ligonier cannot provide discipleship resources to help young people such as Anais without fellow workers in the gospel. Your prayers and donations make an eternal difference. Thank you.