How to Share the Gospel with your Kids -

Discover 5 practical ways to share the gospel with your kids. Learn how to teach children about Jesus with simple, everyday faith conversations.

As Christian parents, our deepest desire is for our children to know and serve Christ Jesus. But sometimes it can be intimidating to know how to best share the gospel story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection with our children in a way kids truly understand. Not only that, but talking about the Christian faith can lead our kids to ask some challenging simple questions that we may feel unprepared to answer.

So what do we do?

In my decade of experience in youth ministry and as a mom of two young boys, I have had countless spiritual conversations with children of all ages about faith in Jesus. In this post, I will give you five practical ways to share the truth of the gospel with your children in a way that is simple, loving, and true.

child reading the Bible and learning how to share the gospel with text below

Why It’s Important to Share the Gospel with Your Kids

In Deuteronomy chapter 6, God gives a clear command to His people:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)

Teaching your children to love God is the most important calling you have as a parent. If you have experienced the love of Christ and God’s forgiveness in your own life, it should be a great joy to share that experience with those you love most – your children, who are children of God.

According to research conducted by the Barna Group, a child’s worldview (the way they see the world) is mostly shaped by age 13. That means the early years are the most formative when it comes to building a Biblical foundation. Knowing this, it’s vital to make sharing the gospel message with your kids a natural part of everyday family life. And the good news? It doesn’t have to be complicated. Let’s look at five practical ways to begin.

5 Practical Ways to Teach Your Kids about Jesus

Live out the Gospel in Everyday Life

Even before your children are old enough to understand the gospel of Christ, they will see the way you live your own life from day to day. When they watch you read your Bible, pray, forgive, and serve others, they will begin to understand what the message of salvation is all about. Living your life for Christ may be one of the most important ways to share the gospel message with not only your children, but all those you come in contact with. Your good example can show them God’s truth in action.

parenting that is learning how to share the gospel with their child

Read the Bible with your Children Regularly

Reading the Bible together is one of the most effective ways to share the truth of the gospel with your children. Setting aside a consistent time to study the word of God as a family gives you the opportunity to read Scriptures about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection together and answer any simple questions your children may have about the Christian faith. This time also helps your children become more familiar with God’s word and encourages them to set aside their own personal Bible reading time as they grow.

For more ideas on how to start a family Bible time, check out my post here!

Use Everyday Moments to Share God’s Truth

Some of the best spiritual conversations happen in ordinary moments, like on the drive to school, while playing outside, or during bedtime routines. Look for simple opportunities to connect everyday life back to God’s truth. This will remind your children that the gospel message should be the center of their entire lives, not just during church services or family devotional time.

And when kids ask questions (sometimes at the least convenient times!), lean in. Their curiosity is a chance to plant seeds of faith. Even if you don’t have all the answers, take as much time as you can to answer those simple question sin the moment while your children are receptive to what you have to say.

Share the Gospel in Age-Appropriate Language

From a young age, you can break down the gospel story into four simple truths for your children

Almighty God created us in His image.
We sinned and are separate from God (wages of sin).
Jesus died on a cross to save us from our sins (gift of salvation).
One day, we can live forever with Him in Heave (gift of eternal life).

As they grow and mature, more details of the gospel of Jesus can be included in your explanation, but it is important to keep it simple for young learners. Also, be mindful of your child’s attention span – even a 1-minute explanation can be enough for young children.

Pray Together as a Family

Prayer is one of the most powerful ways to disciple your children, so spend time praying with your children as much as you can (power of prayer). Praying together demonstrates to your children the importance of talking to the Heavenly Father in all situations. During your family prayer time, be intentional about praying for your children’s salvation and the salvation of others in your life – this will have an incredible impact on your children’s faith.

teenager with bible open reading about the gospel

The Gospel Truth for Parents

Although sharing the gospel message of Jesus with your children is a lifelong journey, there should still be a time in your child’s life when the truth of the gospel is explicitly taught. Don’t fall into the trap of relying on your pastor or children’s church leaders to do this – it is our primary job as parents to make sure our children understand the message of salvation and have a chance to respond in faith when they are ready.

If this feels overwhelming, I completely get it. Before I began working in youth ministry, I felt completely unqualified to share the gospel of Christ with anyone. But I quickly learned that wasn’t the case. All I needed was a little training, and that’s all you need to effectively share the gospel message with your children.

A Simple Tool: The Roman’s Road

If you’ve never heard of the Roman’s road to salvation, it is a simple evangelism tool that explains the gospel story using five passages from the book of Romans in the New Testament:

Everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23) (wages of sin).
We deserved death, but God offers us eternal life (Romans 6:23) (got of eternal life).
We can receive eternal life because Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8).
If we confess Jesus as Lord and believe He was raised from the dead, we can be saved (Romans 10:9-10).
Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).

Use these 5 verses with children (and adults) of all ages to clearly explain the gospel of Jesus and present an opportunity for them to respond in faith. To make it easier, I’ve created a free set of Roman’s Road bookmarks to have these verses on hand when an opportunity to share your faith arises, or give them to others as a reminder of the simplicity of the gospel message.

children reading their bibles together and learning how to share the gospel

Trust God in the Process of Discipling your Kids

Remember, sharing the gospel message with your children is a process. Don’t be discouraged if they seem uninterested or resistant, but continue to live out the gospel of Christ in your own life and look for small moments to share truths about Christ’s love whenever you can. Ultimately, we as parents cannot force our children to walk in faith. We must be dependent on the guidance of the Holy Spirit to turn their hearts toward God’s truth and truly believe in the truth of the gospel for salvation. So keep praying, keep loving, and keep sharing the light of Christ to your children and know that He is with you every step of the way.

Hide God’s Word in your heart as a family with these 20 Bible verses that are easy for kids to memorize!