We do an awesome job of reaching children, but Southern Baptists are missing the most strategic individual when it comes to bringing entire families into the kingdom of God. The biblical record reveals tremendous success in reaching whole families by first introducing fathers to Christ. The Book of Acts shows a 3 to 1 ratio of successfully reaching families through the father, versus the woman of the house: Cornelius assembled his house and also invited friends to hear Peter (Acts 10-11); the Philippian jailor obeyed the gospel message along with his household (Acts 16:31-34); Crispus, the leader of the synagogue believed the Lord along with his household (Acts 18:8). That’s three men vs. one woman, Lydia, who came to know the Lord along with her household (Acts 16:15). We might assume the patriarchal character of the first century was the primary factor in the family evangelism narrative, but 20th century statistics show the same family trend. A
2003 article published by Baptist Press reveals numbers that correlate with biblical record. Quoting a prior work by Focus on The Family Publishing, Polly House wrote:
“Did you know that if a child is the first person in a household to become a Christian, there is a 3.5 percent probability everyone else in the household will follow?
If the mother is the first to become a Christian, there is a 17 percent probability everyone else in the household will follow.
But if the father is first, there is a 93 percent probability everyone else in the household will follow.”
Yes, it is far easier to lead young children to Christ, but without their fathers’ example of faith and commitment to Christ, those children are likely to abandon their faith (See Thesis #5). Putting these facts together, what strategies ought to change within our evangelism programs? Are there ministries and messages that attract and challenge men? Does the church décor let men know they are welcome, or do the Sunday School classrooms look more like the ladies lounge?
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