After two years on the mission field, we were discouraged. We had quit our jobs and sold our home to serve in Thailand with Foursquare Missions International (FMI). We taught English and shared the gospel with adults, but only led two people to Christ. Surely there had to be a more successful way to respond to the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.
During a season of praying and crying out for God’s help, we stumbled across a verse that changed our trajectory. In Psalm 78:4, the writer speaks of the need to “tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord” (NIV). We realized that, though we had no children of our own, nor any experience working with young people, we needed to “lower” our sights. And so thinkSMALL was born.
Barna Research shows that 85 percent of American Christians come to faith between the ages of 4 and 14—the same period when children are most vulnerable to exploitation. Yet most churches’ evangelism focus is on teens and adults—fishing on the “other side of the boat,” away from the abundant harvest.
We began thinkSMALL in 2007 as a “mom and pop” evangelism ministry in Thailand. Over the next few years, it evolved into a multifaceted, interdenominational, church-mobilization movement. Our thinkSMALL teams have now trained more than 900 churches in eight nations, including almost 500 churches in Thailand. The country leads the world in child sex trafficking, though along with child abuse and child drug use, the issue is a worldwide problem. We see this as a calling for the church.
Since 2007, our ministry has witnessed more 365,000 people—including over 48,000 adults—make decisions to follow Christ. More than 84 percent of them have entered a long-term discipleship program. We now serve in eight nations in Asia, Africa and beyond. This blessing all occurred because we use a biblical strategy, Jesus’ tactics and the ongoing guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Our thinkSMALL “church training” teams mobilize and partner with churches in local schools, slums, cities and villages. Our unique outreaches help children learn how to resist trafficking, abuse and drugs. They include interactive games, puppet shows, videos and “body mapping,” where children identify places on their bodies that should not be touched by others.
The ministry has been so welcomed that the gospel is shared in nearly every outreach. As one Buddhist school principal told us, “Children need to have every ounce of power possible, and if you can offer that through Jesus, you go ahead and do it!”
Children discover how Jesus wants to be their ultimate friend, their ultimate protector of body, mind and soul. After an altar call, a follow-up program leads them into discipleship.
In thinkSMALL we are not only working to prevent a problem today but to eradicate it tomorrow by raising up a generation that knows and walks with Jesus. After all, the root issue is ultimately spiritual. With thinkSMALL, we want to combat the darkness and bring the immediate light of Jesus. By meeting a community’s urgent need, we are able to address its eternal need as well.
The ministry has been so welcomed that the gospel is shared in nearly every outreach. As one Buddhist school principal told us, “Children need to have every ounce of power possible, and if you can offer that through Jesus, you go ahead and do it!”
We plan to relocate to the U.S. this year to also bring this ministry to North and South American churches who have expressed the need to reach, protect, empower and mobilize the youngest generation for Jesus.
While our ministry name is thinkSMALL, we also believe it is important to think big. We never dreamed we would end up being a part of so many children’s lives. Yet as our experience illustrates, God can do far more than seems humanly possible if we will simply say yes and trust Him to show us the next steps.
This article was written with Andy Butcher, a freelance writer in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
