VENTURA, Calif.  A prominent Christian researcher said he is convinced children are the ones churches should focus their energies and resources upon, according to Agape Press.
In his new book, "Transforming Your Children Into Spiritual Champions," George Barna maintains children develop much of their lifelong behaviors and views before they reach their teenage years.
A person's moral foundations are generally in place by age nine, while a majority of people come to a lasting determination about the significance of Christ's death and resurrection by age 12, Barna said.
Moreover, 80 percent of adult church leaders today had "serious involvement" in church life and training before they turned 13.
"In essence, what you believe by the time you are 13 is what you will die believing," Barna said.
Barna does not discount belief-altering, life-changing experiences among people beyond that age, but claims his research indicates "most people's minds are made up and they believe they know what they need to know spiritually," by the time they become teenagers.
Barna said his research shows that more than 40 percent of the people ministered to during a typical week are children, yet 87 percent of the church finances are spent on adults.
