Built for More

It was more than 12 years ago, as I was thinking through ways to improve the discipleship process for children in the church, that The Tent was born. The Tent is an annual evangelistic series run by seventh and eighth graders at Ruth Murdoch Elementary School in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States.

The traditional approach to discipling the next generation of Adventists is relatively consistent throughout the North American Division. The primary tool for the discipleship of children is Adventist education. Each year in our schools there are Weeks of Prayer. During these meetings decisions for baptism are often made, and then the students who desire baptism are contacted by a pastor so they can go through further Bible studies.

This approach presents a few problems. First, we inform the students of what their decision for baptism means only after they have made it. Second, we are not studying with students who may already be baptized but still have profound questions about God and the Bible. Finally, we largely limit the children we ask to make decisions to those who can afford and choose to participate in Adventist education.

Reimagining the Process

The first thing I did to reimagine this discipleship process was to begin studying with all the children enrolled in our school. Once a week, I study with the entire fifth-grade class, going through Bible studies called discipleship studies rather than baptismal studies. Whether a decision for baptism has been made or not, or whether a student has or has not already been baptized, they are part of these studies. In the sixth grade we revisit the material with the whole class, this time in small groups, allowing students to delve deeper and explore remaining questions. Each year, students in the seventh and eighth grades write Bible study lessons that they teach the fourth-grade students.

This intentional discipleship process solved the first problem of ensuring that students were prepared to make informed decisions regarding baptism and teaching them to continue deepening the relationship. But there was still no precise mechanism for calling for baptismal decisions from students outside of Adventist schools.

It was to meet this need that The Tent was created. The Tent is a weeklong annual evangelistic series hosted in a large tent on the campus of Andrews University each year, hence the name. It is run by seventh- and eighth-grade students. Each year between eight and 12 different students have chosen to preach.

The ministry collaboration between the school and the local church is beautiful. The junior high teachers are entirely on board. Rosemary Bailey, the science teacher, helps the students prepare to lead music for the series. Brianna Martin, the math teacher, handles the details and the scheduling. Every year families and church members come together to support and contribute to making it happen. And these students, under the leadership of their language arts teacher, Billy Whiting, prayerfully, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, write their sermons.

The Tent is not just sermons, though. The music, greeting, sound, cameras, and setup are all run by students. Each student has a role to play, and it is only by working together that the event works each year. Also, because of the outdoor location and unpredictable weather, prayer plays a critical role. With all its varied and moving parts, The Tent gives the students and the community a picture of what the body of Christ can look like.

With all its varied and moving parts, The Tent gives the students and the community a picture of what the body of Christ can look like.

The Results

Over the years many powerful messages have been shared and hundreds of decisions for Christ have been made. Clear leaders have also emerged. I think of Jack, an extroverted junior high student who found joy in welcoming people each night to the meetings. When The Tent concluded, he joined the greeter ministry at Pioneer Memorial church on the campus of Andrews University. There was Micah, who ran the slides with such enthusiasm that, as an eighth-grade student, he was recruited by Pioneer Memorial church lead pastor at the time, Pastor Dwight Nelson, to run his slides. Lily reluctantly agreed to take on a leadership role and found her passion in organizing details. A music leader in the community emerged when Sebastian discovered his leadership gifts. Chrissy and Ava were so disappointed to have The Tent finish that they volunteered to lead Bible studies for younger kids. Gabi, who oversaw setup and takedown each night, has grown into a leader in every place she has been since leaving elementary school. Amie and Katie left after the seventh grade and began a similar evangelistic series at their new school. Kudzani ran cameras and livestream so well that he has since joined the media team at Pioneer Memorial church. By running the sound, George discovered where he could serve in his church. Ezra, an eighth-grade student, was asked to speak for chapel at Andrews University after sharing his journey at The Tent. And many more preachers have been given multiple opportunities to present their sermons since The Tent, continuing to share God’s Word.

Developmentally, there is something special about this age that sets these kids up for buy-in and success. During this stage of life students can comprehend the symbolism and the truths of the Bible. They are beginning to develop their own questions about theology. It is also a time that children are forming leadership qualities. It is because of this developmental mix that The Tent thrives.

There is also a certain window during which this works; if we waited a year or two, as students entered their high school years, it would be much more difficult to recruit students to take such active roles in all aspects of evangelism. As it stands, year after year, there has been 100 percent participation by the seventh and eighth graders. This also gives the community and each student a clear picture of what could happen if we all were to get involved in ministry.

In a Different Setting

Sometimes it is easy to read things like this and question the relevance to other churches and schools. In my area, there are so many students that we can put The Tent on, year after year, without any child preaching more than once. How does this translate to other contexts? To translate this to another setting, it would be good to look first at the discipleship principles at play in the process.

First, we start by teaching even the youngest students how to develop a relationship with God. Then we introduce them to our beliefs, which helps add structure to their relationship with Jesus. At this stage we give them the opportunity to share who Jesus is and what they believe. And at this phase we have them write and teach Bible studies, and also let them participate in the evangelistic series.

In your context, you may not have 70-plus seventh- and eighth-grade students. You might only have one or two, but if you have engaged them in the process of forming a relationship with Jesus and have taught them what the Bible says, then allow them to share what they have learned and experienced. Provide opportunities for older students to teach younger students, giving them the ability to work alongside you as a pastor, teacher, or parent in presenting the truths of the Bible.

After this, you can take the next step of inviting students to join in evangelism. This might be by writing and preaching a sermon, or it might be an outreach project in your community. Whatever it is, take another principle we have learned with The Tent: Make it so big that God is needed for success. Year after year we have seen God show up at The Tent. He has rerouted storms. He has stopped the rain. He has provided funding. All too often we do ministry that we think we can handle completely on our own, but the mere fact that The Tent is outdoors, vulnerable to the weather, pushes us to rely on God. Of course, weather hasn’t been our only challenge—there have been many—but it has been incredible for these kids over the past dozen years to see that God is alive and well, working to answer our prayers and bless us as we labor for Him. 

I believe that Jesus is coming soon, so let us raise a generation of children who not only love God and know what they believe, but also are ready to roll up their sleeves and step into the fray. I believe that evangelism and discipleship are one and the same. I also believe that every member, regardless of race, gender, or age, is called to join in the mission.