Why I stopped Doing Large-Group Altar Calls in Children's Ministry

After a children's ministry service that was filled with emotion and the feeling of the presence of God, I had just finished a large group prayer time in which two kids gave their lives to Jesus, and I dutifully filled out the "Response Card" and met the parents of the kids after the service to tell them, "Your child accepted Jesus today!" One parent looked confused and said, "... Thanks ... My son has already done that. But good to know he did it again today." The other parent looked a mixture of joyful and disappointed. "That is wonderful ... I only wish I could have experienced this with her and prayed with her. It's something we've been talking about."  After that day, I started reevaluating how I did "altar calls" in children's ministry. When I say "altar calls," I am referring to a large-group salvation invitation during a children's ministry service. I don't believe this is always the best way to lead kids in their faith journey. Before you cancel me and ban me from the children's ministry community, let me explain.

Here's what I'm NOT saying:

1. I'm NOT saying we should stop presenting the gospel to kids. We should share it as often as we can! The gospel central for why we do what we do every day in children's ministry.
2. I'm NOT saying we should stop allowing kids to respond to God, meet with Him, experience Him, pray, make commitments, and worship. This is one of the most important parts of the children's ministry service: the time when we give kids an opportunity to commune with and respond to God.
3. I'm NOT saying kids aren't capable of making decisions to trust Jesus as their Savior and be redeemed by Him. I believe 100% that kids can understand and respond to the gospel and make commitments to God.

As a children's pastor, I used to help facilitate emotion-filled experiences in which kids may have felt pressured (whether by their peers, their leaders, or the environment) to raise their hands or come forward, whether or not they understood what they were doing. 

I did not grow up in the church, and once attended a church camp with a friend when I was about 8-9 years old. I had no knowledge of the Bible or the gospel, but when they asked who wanted to raise their hand and get saved, I thought, "Sure! Why not?! Sounds great to me!" So I raised my hand. I remember that I had no clue what was happening, then they told my parents, "She's been saved!" I never went to church or read a Bible or did anything to do with God or Jesus after that. There was no follow-up. There was no real heart change, discipleship, or understanding at all. I just didn't want to be the only one not raising my hand. Years later, as a teenager under the mentorship and discipleship of a youth pastor and his wife, I spent months diving into the Bible and asking questions and feeling the nudge of the Holy Spirit as I began to understand the gospel. I gave my life to Jesus at the age of 16, and I was in a church, surrounded by community and spiritual mentors, accountability, and discipleship opportunities. 

While I don't think it harms kids to make a decision for Christ without fully understanding it or receiving follow-up and discipleship, it doesn't nurture their faith journey and provide opportunities for true faith formation. 

Here's why I stopped doing large-group altar calls ...

1. They can be emotion-driven, pressured, or confusing for kids. The environment or the message can cause kids to feel they need to make a decision because they're afraid of going to hell, or because they feel strong emotional responses without understanding. Not only can kids potentially feel like they HAVE to raise their hand or come forward if their friends do, but they could also go the other way and feel embarrassed to come forward. This isn't a negative thing: kids feel more pressure from peers before they develop the confidence of adulthood. Kids can also feel confused. I've had one child who raised her hand to get saved every single week. Not that it's harmful, but it can create spiritual anxiety that leads kids to not have assurance in their salvation.
2. They can lack personal connection, understanding, and relationship. In a large-group setting, kids may not feel safe asking questions or sharing their feelings. Kids can miss out on the relational discipleship and community when they simply raise their hand in a room full of people. 
3. They can lack follow-up and discipleship. A decision to trust in Jesus as Savior is part of a child's spiritual journey of faith formation, but it is just that: a journey. A journey that includes discipleship, growth, investment, mentorship, and community. We need to be ready to nurture a child's faith and provide opportunities for spiritual growth, worship, and service.
4. It can be tied too much to saying the exact right words in the exact right way. We want to make sure kids don't think their salvation is tied to certain words they may or may not have said at some point. There's not one specific "sinner's prayer" or "color book" or "ABCs of salvation" that is the one right way to get saved. If we say there’s a specific sinner’s prayer they should say to begin a relationship with Jesus, later on in life they may doubt they said the exact words for that relationship to stick. Salvation is more about understanding their need for a Savior and trusting Him to forgive and redeem, than getting a certain set of words exactly right.
   
5. They leave out the most important leaders in a child's spiritual life: parents! Parents are the God-designed spiritual leaders for their kids. Faith format shouldn't happen just once or twice a week in a program at church, and parents should be a part of their kids' spiritual decisions. Even parents who aren't believers can be a part of their kids' spiritual lives. We had a parent in one of my churches come to a pre-baptism class with their child, and the parents were saved! It's important to include and invite parents in to their kids' spiritual lives and equip them as the most important spiritual leaders for their kids. Parents and churches can partner together in faith formation to plant seeds, water them, and help them grow as kids grow in their faith.

So if not in large-group altar calls, how do we present opportunities for kids to know Jesus as their Savior and grow in their faith? We can make the Bible the center of everything we teach, and show kids how it's all connected to God's big story. As we teach Bible stories each week, we can show kids how the stories connect to God's big story and show them their place in God's big story: that they are created by God, loved by God, known by God, loved by Jesus, and that they can be forgiven and saved when they trust Him as their Savior. When that happens, they are redeemed and made new through the Holy Spirit and are adopted into the family of God. We can communicate those truths to kids over and over, and give them continued opportunities to respond to God within that context. We can remind them that their faith is journey of knowing God and becoming more and more like Jesus. . We can provide opportunities for them to worship, pray, experience God's presence, and grow in their faith. We can equip and partner with parents to lead and disciple their kids. We can always be ready to talk with kids, answer their questions, lead them, and point them to the only One who can truly change them: Jesus.

So in those times I presented a large group salvation call in children's ministry and joyfully reported to my pastor that "13 kids got saved today!" Do I think it was ineffective, or not real? I don't know. I don't know how many of those kids understood and received follow-up and discipleship. I don't know if their parents are leading and nurturing their faith at home. God could have planted a seed in their hearts in that time that would get watered later down the road in their lives. Do I think it's bad or harmful for those who DO present large-group altar calls? Not necessarily. But I think with some reevaluation, intentionality, and purpose, God can use children's ministry to help grow faith in kids that is powerful and truly life-changing!