"For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?" (I Timothy 3:5). No matter your calling in the service of the Lord, whether it be a missionary, pastor, layman, etc., God has not called anyone NOT to raise their children. It is as much of a missionary's duty, and even more so, to raise up his children by the word of God just as it is for every one else in the church. Too many times missionaries have the misconception that God has called them to be missionaries and not fathers. You are a father the moment you have a child, and it is your responsibility to teach them God's word and to train them. Boarding schools, grandparents, or other relatives should not be given the task to raise children they did not produce. That goes against God's plan .

My children are as much of a mission field as going overseas to a far country. They need the gospel and need to be discipled. Who better to do that then their parents themselves? In I Timothy 3:4-5, it is required that a pastor rule his own house and keep his children under subjection or obedience. If a man can't lead his own three or four children to the Lord and disciple them to please God and obey Him, how can he teach a congregation of fifty or more people to live for the Lord with only preaching to them for a couple hours a week? I think that there is a good principle in Matthew 16:26. If you go out and win the world for Christ but lose your own soul, what have you gained? And how can you win the world for Christ and neglect your own children? If that is the case, it is better not to have children then to have children and see them die and go to hell. Think of the testimony a rebellious child leaves in the church, especially the preacher's son. In I Samuel 2:12-36, Eli, though he was faithful in his service to God, did not do a good job at all raising his children. In fact his children were so wicked at the temple of the Lord, that "...men abhorred the offering of the Lord." (I Samuel 2:17). What a sad testimony the high priest and his sons left for the nation of Israel.

Samuel committed the same sin as well. Though he faithfully served God, he did not raise his children up right. In fact his children were so bad, taking bribes and used dishonest judgment, that the elders of Israel rose up and asked Samuel for a king to rule over them versus Samuel's sons. If Samuel had only taken the time to teach his own children to love God and fear Him, Israel might not have been in the big mess that the got themselves into with the reigning of kings. Instead, Samuel could have passed on his godly leadership to his children and have them continue to minister to the people about the things of the Lord.

Children can be a great asset to the work of the Lord if their parents would take the time to put them over the ministry. I have personally seen how useful children can be for the Lord even at a young age and how quickly they can mature and have a desire to please God and want to serve Him. It is even greater to see them return to the mission field as full-time missionaries. All it takes is for mom and dad to take their responsibilities as parents seriously, raising them for the Lord and not neglecting them. Your children are your closest and most important mission field. Devote your life to them.

If you feel it would be an encouragement or a blessing to someone, you have the Stilwell's permission to forward this article in its entirety. They just ask that you include this note at the bottom of the article with their name and e-mail address (Jeff and Kim Stilwell, jkstilwell@juno.com) in case someone wishes to contact them. Thank you.

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