Term Paper

“The Missional Call to At-Risk Children”

Presented to

Profs. Julie Ma, Theology Department

Oral Roberts University

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Class

MISS 333–Theology of Missions

by

Lydia Conroy

April 20, 2023

 INTRODUCTION

There is a call to missions throughout the scriptures. From the fall, God’s

redemption plan displays through prophecy and fulfillment in scripture. God’s heart has

always been for the redemptions of the nations, not solely the chosen of Israel. Missions

to at-risk children are one-way believers can participate in their missional call. Children

are the next generation's leaders and are vulnerable to their surroundings. If they see

the right direction, they are likely to continue to shine their light on the rest of the world.1

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT MISSIONS

Discipleship

Depending on what denomination one resides in, church culture typically

encourages youth and students to travel on missions for the kingdom of God. However,

the church does not often highlight the scripture's call on believers in its longevity.

Found in Matthew, Jesus is on the Mountain of Galilee along with the eleven disciples

and states:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I
have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.2

Matthew 28 is a well-known passage, but not well followed. The writer, Matthew ends

his gospel with this very account; he is hinting at our missiological call to go out among

all nations, just as Jesus said.

One key theme in this passage is the word Jesus uses, “disciples.” He does not

say converts; instead, he wants us to create followers, including children. Christian

1
Unless otherwise noted, all scriptural quotations in this paper will be from the English Standard Version.
2
Matthew 28:19-20.

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ministry should be a process of relationship, not spiritual moments. Jesus calls us to go

beyond sharing his world and truly teaching it.

The Whole World

The following implication of the call to missions is in Matthew: “And this gospel of

the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations,

and then the end will come.”3 Within this verse, Jesus states another statement that

involves the entire world, not just the Jews and not just adults. Israel has always been

central in the Old Testament, but it never diverted the universality of the gospel.4 When

Jesus says this, he is on the Mount of Olives and discussing with his disciples the signs

of the end of the age. Jesus tells them not to be led astray because many will try to

claim his name.5 He continues to discuss the future of wars and tribulations but to hold

fast to the faith when others fall away, saying, “...the one who endures to the end will be

saved.”6

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, he used people to spread the good news.7 Jesus

was not the only one who preached the gospel; logically, if one looks into his statement

that the “kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world,” it implies that his

followers are to be the ones that do so.

Jews & Gentiles

Acts “highlights the potential of child-focused missional encounters to catalyze

significant demonstrations of kingdom transformation”8 Paul and Barnabas preach the

3
Matthew 24:14.
4
Walter Kaiser, Missions in the Old Testament: Israel as a Light to the Nations (Michigan: Baker
Academic, 2000), 49.
5
Matthew 24:5.
6
Matthew 24:6-13.
7
Luke 9.
8
Stuart Christine, “Children, Marginalization, and Mission: Reflections from Philippi to Favela,”
International Bulletin of Mission Research 43 (2019): 279.

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gospel among many people, and the Jews become jealous and rivaled against Paul.

Paul replies, "...It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you

thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to

the Gentiles.”9 Paul then says to the Jewish leaders that the Lord commanded him. He

says, “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends

of the earth.”10

Within this text, Paul is applying Isaiah 49:6, “...I will make you as a light for the

nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth,” to all of Israel.11 Walter

Kaiser, the author of Missions in the Old Testament, looks at Acts from a wide lens and

claims that Paul based his heart on the Gentiles from the books of the Old Testament.12

Paul’s ministry was preaching to the Jews so they could preach to the Gentiles.

Similarly, churches today are to preach to Christians so that Christians can reach the

Gentiles in their everyday life.

Jesus came to make disciples and have them go out and spread the good news.

In Matthew 28, he then leaves and tells his disciples to become teachers and create

disciples. Paul then takes this approach even further by equipping Jews to reach

Gentiles. Therefore, as followers of Christ, Christians are to go into all the nations

preaching the good news to adults and children.

At-risk Children

A child is one that is below the age of eighteen years old.13 Typically, this age

range is due to laws prohibiting those underages from making the final decision. During
9
Acts 13:46.
10
Acts 13:47.
11
BibleRef, “Acts 13:47,” BibleRef.com.
12
Kaiser, Missions, 77.
13
Christoffer H Grundmann, “Children and Christian Missions: Historical Aspects and Missiological
Challenges,” Mission Studies 33 (206): 165.

3
this time, the child is to be under the care of an adult who guides them through life.

When a child hits eighteen, they gain significantly more opportunity and freedom.

However, not every child has a good influential adult in their life.

An at-risk child is in an environment of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or premarital

sex.14 Resnick Burt and Novick attribute three risk factors: family environment, poverty,

and neighborhood.15 Ashiraf, the founder of a children's center that will be discussed

further in this essay, says, “Children become at risk when involved in family conflict,

including family breakdown.” He continues that children may be under physical or

mental pressure that forces them to be unsupported, isolated, or experience significant

social or economic disadvantage.16 They are “struck down by poverty before they are

born, their chance for self-development blocked by irreparable mental and physical

deficiencies,” says Eagleson.17 At-risk juveniles in abusive situations will likely replicate

the patterns around them, making the biblical call to children greater.

The Impact of Ministry on the Youth

As seen through Jesus’ teachings, the gospel is to be spoken in all nations and

to all people; therefore, one must include children in this gospel mission. Theoretically,

children are future adults, but they are also much more. They, too, belong to God and

deserve proper pastoral care.18 In Proverbs, it says, “Train up a child in the way he

should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”19 Referring back to Matthew

14
Barry Gane and Jimmy Kijai, “The Relationships between Youth Ministry and At-Risk Behavior in Youth,”
The Journal of Youth Ministry 13 (2015): 14.
15
Ron Bruner, “Through Thick and Thin: Common Ground for Ethical Conversations with at-Risk Youth,”
The Journal of Youth Ministry 12 (2013): 72.
16
Tamale Ashiraf, Personal Interview, Director of Vision of Hope Children’s Center, 2023.
17
John Eagleson, “Final Document,” in Puebla and Beyond: Documents and Commentary, ed. John
Eagleson and Philip Scharper (1979): 32.
18
Grundman, “Missiological Challenges”, 178.
19
Proverbs 22:6.

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24:13, “...the one who endures to the end will be saved.” If it is true that one invests and

trains their children in the ways of Christ, they are likely to endure until the end.

Nevertheless, so much of the missional focus is on adults.

Children are vulnerable and, in their early years, most influential. They should be

integrated with the church in the early years and learn profound things about God, like

“respect, responsibility, self-control, honesty, compassion, thankfulness, perseverance,

humility, loyalty, and faith in God.”20 Often they are assumed not to know the Lord in a

personal way; however, they can comprehend things of God:

If children are to be taken really seriously in missiological thinking, the focus

cannot any longer remain on the conversion of individuals and on strategies for
numerical growth of the Christian congregation. The focus has to be on how to
foster genuine joy, curiosity, and excitement in God by the children of the world,
heeding the charge of the Apostle Paul, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and
weep with those to weep" (Rom 12:15), because that is the way children relate to
life.21
While it is typically age appropriate to associate God with someone who helps them and

relieves pain, children can still understand God's relational aspect and the identity

connected to him, creating a solid case for why they should be under the proper

influence.22

Barry Gane, the author of “The Relationships between Youth Ministry and At-Risk

Behavior in Youth,” sees the need for ministry in the lives of children. Adolescence is a

time of exploring new ideas, such as drugs and alcohol, but those exposed to youth

ministry are less likely to participate in at-risk behavior. He states that it is “imperative”

that youth ministry is in the church because of the strong evidence that it positively

20
Ashiraf, Personal Interview.
21
Grundman, “Missiological Challenges”, 179.
22
Mike Severe, “Exploring Adolescent Faith Articulation among At-Risk Urban Youth,” Christian Education
Journal 17 (2020): 221.

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affects their lives.23 Along with Gane’s urge toward Youth Ministry, he offers several

recommendations, including involving the youth in evangelistic outreach, intentional

leadership, and the encouragement of parental involvement in the church.24

WHY ONE SHOULD DO MISSIONS

As demonstrated, Christians are to proclaim the good news among all people,

but one aspect often missed is that the heart of God was for missions before Jesus

came. As seen in both the Old and New Testament, God the Father saw the need to

save his people and had a plan since Genesis for Jesus’ arrival.25 Jesus came for the

poor and oppressed, revealing himself to the unlikely.26

Redemption

Starting back in Isaiah's prophecy was the plan for the Lord to bring redemption

among his people, and Jesus shows to be the willing fulfillment of that promise.27 God

the Father planned to “bind up the brokenhearted,” and he cared long ago.28 God had a

mission from the beginning.

New Covenant

The next example of God’s heart for missions, in general, is his promise of a new

covenant.29 In the text, the Lord says that he is creating a new covenant unlike the one

made in the Sinai desert.30 With this covenant to come, God’s past covenants would be

completed and perfected.

23
Gane, “At-Risk Behavior,” 16.
24
Gane, “At-Risk Behavior,” 16.
25
Genesis 3:15.
26
Julie Ma. Mission Possible: the Biblical strategy for reaching the lost. (Oxford: Regnum Books
International, 2016), 103.
27
Luke 4:17-21.
28
Isaiah 61:1–2.
29
Jeremiah 31:31-33.
30
Exodus 19.

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 In Matthew 26:28 and Luke 22:20, Jesus is at the Lord’s supper with the

disciples; that is where he tells the disciples that his blood is the price for the new

covenant. Jesus’ blood would be poured out for their sins to fulfill the promise in Judah.

In 2 Corinthians 3:6, Paul writes to the Corinthian church about how the blood of Christ

is sufficient. Through his blood, he forgave sin, and a new covenant emerged. The new

covenant was no longer one of “letter” but rather one of “spirit,” and Jesus sent the

advocate to give life.31

God’s heart was always to save his people, and he demonstrates this through

the blood sacrifice of his son to create a new and sufficient covenant.

God’s Heart for Children

If God has the heart to save his people, he has a heart for children. Jesus

demonstrates his love for children in Matthew, saying, ‘“Let the little children come to me

and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”’32 Jesus also said,

“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me

receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”33

The kingdom of God belongs to children. How beautiful is it to see the almighty creator

of heaven and earth take delight and pleasure in the helpless and meek? Not only did

he come for the sick and the sinners, but all the gentle and vulnerable children of the

world.

At-risk children, the most vulnerable of all, need Christ-like influence. As scripture

says, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be

better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in

31
2 Corinthians 3:6.
32
Matthew 19:14.
33
Luke 9:48.

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the depth of the sea.”34 God loves children, and they are to be protected and led in the

ways of Christ, especially at a young age when their environment shapes them into who

they will be in their adult life.

“Who is the greatest?” the disciples ask. “Children,” Jesus replies: “Truly, I say to

you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of

heaven.”35 At the time, it would have been shocking to hear that children were the

greatest when their status was the lowest, meaning they had no say in the impact of

their lives. The greatest in the kingdom is the one who denies their abilities and

becomes dependent on God: “Only with that kind of honest humility and dependence on

God can anyone come into His kingdom.36 God has a missional heart, and his heart

values raising children to become disciples who can raise more followers of Christ.37

A light for all the world

Ending with the demonstration of God’s heart for missions in children displayed

in the Old and New Testament is the call for his followers to be the light of the

world.38Isaiah 42 says:

I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and
keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to
open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from
the prison those who sit in darkness.39

The text indicates the Lord had a missional heart by declaring his people as “a light for

the nations.” If believers are to be light, they should be one for developing vulnerable

children, especially those who do not have a parent guiding them in the ways of the

34
Matthew 18:6.
35
Matthew 18:1-3.
36
BibleRef, “Matthew 18:3,” BibleRef.com.
37
Ma, Possible, 111.
38
Rich Robinson,“The Top 40 Messianic Prophecies,” Jews for Jesus, 2020.
39
Isaiah 42:6-7.

8
Lord. The Lord does not imply that he will save his people and be done, but rather that

he will bring forth a covenant and have his people spread the good news beyond them

to children.

Matthew 12:15–21 is the very fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Matthew, the

author, highlights the messiahship of Jesus and that he alone was their redeemer.

Christ fulfills the missional heart of God the Father and as God’s chosen servant. Then

tells us to go therefore and be lights of the world:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people
light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in
the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may
see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.40

From Jesus, believers receive this light and are to shine a light among all nations that

will never go out.41 By Jesus’ light alone, the “nations walk,” and “its lamp is the Lamb.”42

Believers are the light to the children in a dark environment.

MISSIONAL CALL TO AT-RISK CHILDREN

Now, after discovering the missional heart of God for children and beyond, how

can one apply this to their own life? There are disasters worldwide, but one mission

Christians have is to help children. Children are sex trafficked, abused, and abandoned,

and there are organizations in place that allow the Christian community to help. Along

with this, faith allows children to understand life with proper coping strategies that allow

them to overcome their circumstances. If children do not receive influence in their

40
Matthew 5:14-16.
41
John 8:12.
42
Revelation 21:23–24.

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adolescence, then as adults in crisis, they will search for meaning in negative

attributes.43

When it comes to faith-based organizations, their success rates tend to be

higher.44 Often they contain comprehensive services that result in highly profitable

outcomes, and the upcoming paragraphs look at some ministries that have benefited

children.45

Niños de México

Niños de México is a non-profit missions organization that specifically focuses on

the at-risk children of Puebla, México, with their vision being “To be a Christian mission

focused on caring for orphans.”46 Niños de Mexico sees the need of the thousands of

children who have been orphaned, abandoned, and abused; “All of them need Jesus,”

and faith-based organizations like them have the opportunity to share lessons about

Jesus. Their mission is “to share the Gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ

with as many people as possible by raising at-risk children in México to love God and

grow to be mature and educate spirit-filled Christians with the ability and passion to

evangelize their culture.”47

Janet Ross, the internship coordinator, says that children become at risk because

of parents who are at work due to poverty and leave their children unsupervised and

vulnerable. In other circumstances, at-risk children are those whose parents have died,

abandoned them altogether, been in prostitution, or been in an adulterous relationship.48

43
Jennifer Kyle, “Spirituality: Its Role as a Mediating Protective Factor in Youth at Risk for Suicide,”
Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health 15 (2013): 49.
44
Stephen V Monsma, “Faith-Based Interventions for at-Risk Latino Youths: A Study of Outcomes,”
Politics and Religion 6 (2013): 319.
45
Monsma, “Interventions,” 337.
46
James 1:27.
47
Niños De México,“What We Believe,” Niños De México.
48
Janet Ross, Personal Interview. Intern Coordinator for Niños de México, 2023.

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Based on Ephesians 6:1-4, parents' biblical call is to raise their children in the

instruction of the Lord. However, if these children do not have parents to do so,

ministries like Niños de Mexico step up by preparing activities and lessons addressing

spiritual themes, along with training them in prayer.49

Niños de México’s love for children has allowed them to create multiple children’s

homes with eleven to fifteen youths and two house parents: “If children are not cared for

and shown proper ways to live and function in society, we will create environments of

possible repeated victimization and generational abuse.”50 These children have been

through the worst of the worst and are likely never to be reunited with their families. At

Niños de México, they emphasize the need to teach their children to pursue an

education, the Lord, and to live independently. Those who reunite with their families

often re-enter the cycle of abuse, so the organization aims to teach the children how to

live independently in the light of Christ.51

Within this organization, there are numerous ways to get involved ranging from

working on the site or donating. In the summer, they offer internships to applicants

interested in serving alongside the house parents. The internship is a great way to

consider serving there long-term. The organization also offers short-term missions,

one-time donations, or monthly sponsoring. Ross says that children can be helped

through VBS or other children's ministry programs and volunteering in after-school

programs.52 Even if one does not feel called to travel beyond their hometown for their

49
Ross, Personal Interview.
50
Ross, Personal Interview.
51
Niños,“Believe.”
52
Ross, Personal Interview.

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missional work, they can still create an impact through their financial donations or by

getting involved in an organization near them.53

Vision of Hope

Vision of Hope is a children's center in Masaka, Uganda. The founder, Tamale

Ashiraf, was raised by a single mother and abandoned by his Father. As he grew up, he

came to love the street children around him and slowly invited them to stay with him

until he created the children's center. At the children's center, over fifty are fed and loved

by Christ's followers.54

Uganda is considered one of the youngest countries in the world due to the vast

amounts of children ratioed to adults. Along with the high volume of the minor

population is the increase of street kids. These children are on the streets of Uganda

with no family or food. Vision of Hope aims to “be a channel of hope to the helpless

children, by expressing the love of God to them, making a warm environment to restore

hope and producing young responsible citizens.”55

Within the children's center, they learn about Jesus, practice making crafts to

increase their variety of skills, learn how to raise hens, help young girls with menstrual

struggles, and are financially encouraged to obtain an education. Socio-emotionally,

Vision of Hope helps children tackle complex emotions, and physically they are helped

by treating sick children and educating them on a healthy lifestyle. Ashiraf longs to open

a hospital one day that is entirely free so that he can continue to help the hurting

children of Uganda.56

53
Niños,“Believe.”
54
Vision Of Hope Children’s Centre Uganda, “Vision of Hope Children's Centre Uganda,” Vision Of Hope
Children’s Centre Uganda.
55
Vision Of Hope, “Children's Centre Uganda.”
56
Vision Of Hope, “Children's Centre Uganda.”

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 Uganda is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the American dollar is

three times more valuable than their currency; it is manageable to help these children

financially. Within the children's center are multiple projects to which individuals can

donate, along with a child's sponsorship. One child in need of a sponsor is

seven-year-old Madrine. Madrine joined Vision of Hope in August 2021 and looks as old

as two years due to their malnourished body growth. Madrine was abandoned at four

years old, and one day a woman brought her to the children's center, where she is now

receiving the care she needs and where she is loved: “Currently, Madrine’s life is a

communal testimony that everyone talks about, Madrine can now walk, smile, and she

is healthy. It took us four months to see her with a hopefilled smile.”57

Believers can help children like Madrine, a child outcast to the streets that a

faithful follower of Christ picked up. Tamale says that there are many ways one could

help the children: be a volunteer and invest time, restore hope to children under risk, get

involved with other parents in the community, discipline one’s children thoughtfully,

examine one’s behavior towards the children around them, educate oneself and others

on how to provide a warm environment to all children, teach children their rights and

differentiate children rights from children discipline, support prevention programs and

organization doing this, and know what child abuse is.58 Aid toward children is not far

from one’s reach, and it is possible to be involved in at-risk children's missions as a

believer.

CONCLUSION

57
Vision Of Hope, “Children's Centre Uganda.”
58
Ashiraf, Personal Interview.

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 Believers have a call to missions, which is theologically evident through the Old

and New Testaments; one can apply it through ministry to children. Children are the

future and the next to carry the gospel to the nations. Followers of Christ should invest

in children's lives and teach them to be disciples. Two organizations that excel in the

field are Niños de Mexico and Vision of Hope; they raise at-risk children under

Christ-like influence and give them the tools to become independent individuals.

Believers need to be involved in the lives of children, and they can do so by donating

their resources and time. Believers should participate in missions with at-risk children

and be the light absent in their lives.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Crossway Bibles. ESV: Study Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway
Bibles, 2007.
Kaiser, Walter. Missions in the Old Testament: Israel as a Light to the Nations. Michigan:
Baker Academic, 2000.
Ma, Julie. Mission Possible: the Biblical strategy for reaching the lost. Oxford: Regnum
Books International, 2016.
Articles
Bruner, Ron. 2013. “Through Thick and Thin: Common Ground for Ethical
Conversations with at-Risk Youth.” The Journal of Youth Ministry 12 (1): 72.
Christine, Stuart. 2019. “Children, Marginalization, and Mission: Reflections from
Philippi to Favela.” International Bulletin of Mission Research 43 (3): 274–82.
John Eagleson and Philip Scharper, “Final Document,” in Puebla and Beyond:
Documents and Commentary, ed. John Eagleson and Philip Scharper (Maryknoll,
NY: Orbis Books, 1979), 32-39.
Gane, Barry, and Jimmy Kijai. 2015. “The Relationships between Youth Ministry and
At-Risk Behavior in Youth.” The Journal of Youth Ministry 13 (2): 5–19.
Grundmann, Christoffer H. 2016. “Children and Christian Missions: Historical Aspects
and Missiological Challenges.” Mission Studies 33 (2): 163–86.
Kyle, Jennifer. 2013. “Spirituality: Its Role as a Mediating Protective Factor in Youth at
Risk for Suicide.” Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health 15 (1): 49.
Monsma, Stephen V, and Corwin E Smidt. 2013. “Faith-Based Interventions for at-Risk
Latino Youths: A Study of Outcomes.” Politics and Religion 6 (2): 317–41.
Severe, Mike. 2020. “Exploring Adolescent Faith Articulation among At-Risk Urban
Youth.” Christian Education Journal 17 (2): 221.
Websites

Vision Of Hope Children’s Centre Uganda. “Vision of Hope Children's Centre Uganda.”
Vision Of Hope Children’s Centre Uganda, http://visionofhopeuganda.eu5.org/.

Niños De México. “What We Believe.” Niños De México,

https://ninosdemexico.org/about/what-we-believe.

Robinson, Rich. 2020. “The Top 40 Messianic Prophecies.” Jews for Jesus,
https://jewsforjesus.org/learn/top-40-most-helpful-messianic-prophecies.

15
BibleRef. “Acts 13:47.” BibleRef.com, https://www.bibleref.com/Acts/13/Acts-13-47.html.

BibleRef. “Matthew 18:3.” BibleRef.com,

https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/18/Matthew-18-3.html.

Interviews

Ashiraf, Tamale. March 17, 2023. Personal Interview. Director of Vision of Hope
Children’s Center.
Ross, Janet. March 17, 2023. Personal Interview. Intern Coordinator for Niños de
México.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How do children become at risk?
2. What can we do to help?
3. What impact does a faith-based children’s ministry have on children?
4. Why should we care for children?
5. What are the benefits children receive from ministry?
6. What is the outcome difference between at-risk children in secular charities and
Christian ministries?
7. What is our biblical call to children?

16