by
Gregory A. Johnson
Our children are both adults now. They have brought much joy and encouragement to Becky and me. It seems like it was yesterday that they were born—time sure does go fast. Both Austin Gregory and Kelsey Ann have matured to be good and hard-working young adults. I believe they both will have positive impacts upon society, being model citizens of God’s Kingdom.
The best advice I can give to parents today is to raise your children under the influence of the church. With all of its imperfections, the church is still the finest place to raise children. Becky and I raised our children in church. Not only did they grow up in the front row of the sanctuary, but we also included them in the ministry.
Austin was two years old when Kelsey was born, and I was preaching revivals and ministering as a fill-in pastor within the district in which I was credentialed. Many times I would be contacted by the district superintendent to preach at one church Sunday morning and then drive hundreds of miles across the state to preach at another church on Sunday evening. Becky and the children always went with me. Many times we left the house before sunrise to get to the Sunday morning church, drive all afternoon to get to the Sunday evening church, and drive home after the service, arriving after midnight. It was a challenge, but we went together as a family and ministered. Many of the churches were small and could not pay us anything. Many did not have nurseries. From behind the pulpit, I would see Becky in the front row with Austin by her side and Kelsey in her arms. We did this for a couple of years before pastoring our own church.
Kelsey was two and Austin was four years old when we pastored our first little church. On our first Sunday, we had six people in service—four of them were us!
From mission trips and city outreaches to shut-in and hospital visitations, we included our children in point-of-need ministry as they grew. We went to church together, and we ministered together, both inside and outside the walls of the church building and the confines of a church service. I recommend that for all Christian homes.
Let me give you a list of my recommendation to parents:
