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I met Gowan Pamphlet (1748–1807) when he was sitting on a bench outside a cemetery. It wasn’t really Pamphlet, of course; it was a man named James Ingram, who portrays the colonial-era Baptist preacher at Colonial Williamsburg. Ingram spoke about the lives of the enslaved represented in the cemetery and the African Baptist Church they worshiped in. I walked away wanting to know more about Pamphlet and his theological legacy. Unfortunately, we know little about Pamphlet’s early life. The earliest reference to him is an ad in the Virginia Gazette from July 3, 1779, that accuses him of stealing a horse, which was an offense worthy of hanging. In that account, he’s listed as the property of Jane Vobe, a tavern keeper in Williamsburg. Yet what we know about the rest of Pamphlet’s life is remarkable. He was a faithful pastor who preached freedom from sin through the gospel of Christ as he worked for liberation from the sin of slavery. Pamphlet was in the first generation of black evangelical leaders who gained respect among their white brethren without abandoning their distinct ethnic identity. Providential Opportunity In the 18th century, the Great Awakening spurred a fresh generation of white Christian efforts to engage African Americans with the gospel. That’s how Pamphlet was converted to Christianity, beginning a life of service to Christ as he ministered to free and enslaved people of African descent. Based on historical records, it’s likely that Pamphlet’s conversion experience came before his transfer of ownership. Yet his owner offered opportunities for her slaves to learn to read and write by using the Bible through the Bray School, one of the earliest institutions for black education in North America. Vobe also took her slaves to worship services at Bruton Parish, which was part of the Episcopalian church. There’s no evidence that Vobe ever opposed slavery. However, her willingness to allow the people she enslaved to be educated enabled Pamphlet to gain the skills that would allow him to become a leading Baptist figure. Through God’s providence, he became one of the first black ordained ministers in the United States. Risky Calling Entry into the gospel ministry came with hardship for blacks. Historian Robert Semple reports that a black preacher named Moses Wilkinson, Pamphlet’s predecessor in Williamsburg, “was often taken up and whipped for holding meetings.” Yet Wilkinson’s courage in the face of persecution set an example for Pamphlet’s ministry to free and enslaved blacks in Virginia. After Wilkinson’s Methodist ministry took him to New York and Nova Scotia, Pamphlet helped build the congregation Wilkinson founded into the nation’s first black Baptist church. Pamphlet began preaching on the wooded land of the Green Spring Plantation even before he was granted his freedom by David Miller (Vobe’s son) in September 1793. Pamphlet never experienced safety as he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ for at least two reasons. First, Virginia didn’t establish religious freedom until July 1786, so as a Baptist in a state aligned with the Church of England, Pamphlet could have been punished for religious dissent. Nevertheless, historian John Asplund records Pamphlet’s Baptist church as founded in 1781 with about 200 members. Second, gatherings of that size would have been a concern to slave owners for fear of a possible uprising. Yet Pamphlet remained faithful to his calling. Perpetual Resistance Resistance seemed to come from every direction. The General Association of Baptists in Virginia “advised that no person of color should be allowed to preach, on the pain of excommunication.” Some, like Pamphlet, continued to gather and preach and were excluded from fellowship on those grounds. Pamphlet never experienced safety as he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet Pamphlet’s ministry was effective. And he continued to pursue unity with other Christians, even the white Christians who had rejected his ministry based on his race. Thus, in 1791, Pamphlet’s church petitioned the Dover Baptist Association for admission. The black congregation, now known as First Baptist Church of Williamsburg, was admitted into the association in 1793. It’s remarkable that despite such pervasive resistance, Pamphlet’s desire for Christian unity and mutual accountability drove him to pursue inclusion in the Baptist association. His leadership was instrumental in showing that good faith and an iron will could help other Christians to consider the implications of their evangelical doctrine on social and civic life. Notably, since black Christians had come into fellowship with white, slave-holding Christians, questions about how slave-holders treated their Christian brethren became inescapable. Virginia Baptists had to explore how church discipline should be implemented on white believers who were reluctant to treat black Christians fairly. When Pamphlet and his congregants showed up at Baptist meetings, they advocated for church procedures that ensured slaves were treated as coheirs and brothers. Historian Charles Irons notes that in matters of church discipline, “black evangelicals could expect . . . far more respect for their persons than they enjoyed in any civil setting.” Nevertheless, white men were often the final arbiters on matters of church discipline. Theological Challenges The presence of black evangelicals like Pamphlet challenged their white colaborers to consider the way a biblical view of marriage could be applied to slavery and plantation life. For example, in 1793, the Dover Association had to modify its strict stance on divorce and remarriage in cases “where men and their wives, being slaves, [were] so far removed to each other, as not to have it in their power to discharge the mutual duties of man and wife.” Instead, the local church was to use judgment regarding the permissibility of remarriage. Since black Christians had come into fellowship with white, slave-holding Christians, questions about how slave-holders treated their Christian brethren became inescapable. This train of logic was never taken to its final destination, however. Most white Christians in the association were content to relinquish the decision on the permissibility of slavery and the surrounding practices to the state. This hesitation exposes the danger of allowing civil authorities to resolve moral questions the church was called to address. Pamphlet’s legacy is profound. By engaging with the Dover Association, First Baptist Church of Williamsburg paved the way for other Baptist congregations to form in Portsmouth and Petersburg. Additionally, Pamphlet trained churchmen like Simon Gulley, Israel Camp, Lewis Armstead, T. Maise, Benjamin White, Thomas Mars, and James Roberts, who were noted contributors to early black evangelical life and the Dover Association. Moreover, during Pamphlet’s pastorate, First Baptist Church of Williamsburg grew to 500 members and became an exemplar for reaching black communities with the gospel. Pamphlet’s encounter with the freedom of the gospel informed his passion to share the message of redemption and hope. He joined a biracial movement of evangelicals that offered true freedom even amid the injustice of chattel slavery. Gowan Pamphlet’s body has long been in his grave, but his legacy still has the power to inspire the church.

Around 40 million American adults who used to attend church have stopped coming. After 25 years of continual growth, the number of “nones,” or those who claim no religious affiliation, now outnumber the number of people who attend church. It’s a shift that rivals the First and Second Great Awakenings—and among this “Great Dechurching” cohort, Gen Z takes a disproportionately large share. Or do they? Several reports published in 2025, including one from Barna, indicate Gen Z may be returning to church in a “historic reversal.” But the data is murky: A late 2025 Pew Research Center report finds little evidence of a major change in church attendance. Though there’s real religious excitement among Gen Z adults, data scientist Ryan Burge observes, “We will eventually become a country that is 40-to-45 percent ‘nones.’” How are pastors, especially those who work with children and teenagers, supposed to minister in such a pivotal moment in American history? We must first accept a hard truth: We cannot continue to do children’s and youth ministry as we’ve done them and expect different results from today. Keeping Kids Christian: Recovering a Biblical Vision for Lifelong Discipleship by Cameron S. Shaffer, senior pastor of Langhorne Presbyterian Church, offers a compelling blueprint for generational ministry in an age where people are abandoning institutions. It’s a vision that emphasizes the importance of the church, families, and intergenerational relationships in a culture more isolated, lonely, and disconnected than ever. Ordinary Means Too often, pastors begin with how they’ll do ministry and try to back into why. Shaffer challenges us to reverse this order and begin with our theological convictions. We must start with our beliefs about how God saves and work outward from these beliefs to how we’ll put them into practice in our churches. In the face of an everchanging, liquid modernity, we must remember that God doesn’t change. His means of justifying and sanctifying his people haven’t changed either. One of Shaffer’s key beliefs is that God has designed the family as a primary avenue for passing down the faith to the next generation. God’s charge to Israel at Mount Sinai that they should “teach [his words] diligently to [their] children” isn’t a temporary arrangement (Deut. 6:7). God has designed the family as a primary avenue for passing down the faith to the next generation. Throughout Scripture, we’re told (Proverbs, Ephesians, 1 John) or shown (Judges, 1–2 Kings, Acts) that fathers and mothers are the leading influence on their children’s faith, for good or ill. Shaffer is Presbyterian and explicitly argues that “the church needs to treat its kids as Christians” (35). Nevertheless, those who hold to believers-only baptism can agree that the family’s influence shapes an individual’s faith before, during, and long after he or she participates in any church program. Yet kids without Christian parents aren’t without hope. Shaffer reminds us that God has designed cross-generational relationships in the church to meet this need. Those who leave their biological family behind to follow Christ will receive new fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers (Matt. 19:29). A web of thick, healthy relationships between older and younger Christians in the church gives kids a place to belong and adults a catalyst to live sanctified lives for others to imitate. The “communion of saints” isn’t just a core belief of Christianity; it’s a foundational practice for how we minister to each other, including to our children. Challenges of Church Culture Shaffer’s blueprint is well tailored to small-to-medium-sized churches. Pastors at large churches, however, may balk when Shaffer remarks, “The prioritization of [standard youth and children’s ministry programs] fueled the great dechurching” (19). As churches grow in size and complexity, healthy church operations are vital to ensure pastors care for their people well. Programs often become a necessary backbone for stable ministry. Shaffer isn’t opposed to programs in absolute terms. He’s really arguing “they should be downgraded in importance and treated as risky for faith retention” (19). While still critical, he’s making a case for caution that’s supported by anecdotal and empirical evidence. A healthier model for ministry to young people emphasizes the primacy of the ordinary means of grace and the family’s centrality in discipleship. Departing from “the way we’ve always done it” can be scary. But it opens doors for creative ministry that equips parents with tools and training for discipling their families. That approach packs a much bigger punch than participation in a highly polished program for two hours on Wednesday night. Shaffer offers suggestions for how children’s and youth ministry can complement parent-equipping generational ministry, such as how to incorporate children into Sunday worship without overwhelming parents or children. He also suggests prioritizing hiring staff for the men’s and women’s ministries before growing the staff for youth and children’s programs. Strategic discipleship of parents is important. Courage to Change Change is difficult, especially when it comes to raising kids. At first, an exhortation to parent-equipping generational ministry might feel like an attack on parents. Shaffer recognizes the challenge of leading change, especially in something as deeply personal as parenting. Moving too quickly might convince parents they’re failing and should rely on the experts. But that’s exactly what Shaffer is trying to avoid. Therefore, he encourages a cautious approach to change, beginning with deep prayer and involving careful conversation over time. Shaffer encourages a cautious approach to change, beginning with deep prayer and involving careful conversation over time. Shaffer’s suggestions for implementing his approach are helpful but a little abstract. I’d love to see churches that implement this vision share their results, especially what did and didn’t work. Proven case studies would help busy pastors figure out how to adopt the family-centric approach. Everyone leading ministries for youth and children wants kids to become healthy Christians. Yet Shaffer is right that some popular ministry approaches have lost their focus on deep discipleship as they’ve tried to broaden participation. A well-leveraged, family-centric approach is an effective way to make discipleship the main emphasis of our ministry to young people. As C. S. Lewis writes, “Put first things first and we get second things thrown in: put second things first & we lose both first and second things.” Cultural trends like the Great Dechurching and deconstruction threaten to draw young people away from the Christian faith. Shaffer wants to help churches and families cultivate deep gospel roots. Keeping Kids Christian offers a powerful vision for putting discipleship first in our ministry to the next generation.