From fright to delight: Share the gospel this Halloween with these tips!

It’s nearly that time of year again… Halloween! The season for ghosts, ghouls and zombies arriving on your doorstep in search of ‘treats’. Which is worse—the prospect of a ‘trick’ or the peculiar experience of trying to make polite conversation with a 6-year-old monster, with fake, plastic teeth? An experience made even more awkward if they’re accompanied by a mum wearing black lycra and spooky make-up.

It doesn’t need to be like this. We can do better than hiding at the back of the house with the lights out on Halloween! Over the years, I’ve come to see that Halloween is a great opportunity to show genuine Christian love to my community.

One of the listeners to the Halloween episode of our Faith in Kids parents’ podcast sent us this message:

"It revolutionised what our church did at Halloween! I also sent it to my Halloween-hating brother who’s got four kids and they listened the night before Halloween, went straight to the supermarket and bought hundreds of sweets, stapled Bible verses into them about how we don’t need to fear death and had their four young kids running around their part of London giving them out to people, so proud of their faith in Jesus who defeats death!"

We will each want to consider how we respond in practice, but let me suggest three general attitudes that could transform how we approach Halloween with our children.

1. Don’t be afraid

As Christians, we don’t need to be afraid of Halloween. We may have reasons not to celebrate it, but we’re not scared of it. Whenever Jesus met the devil or evil spirits, he won. On the cross, he broke Satan’s power of condemnation and death over his people (Hebrews 2:14–15). And he drives out Satan from our lives and sends in his Holy Spirit so that believers can no longer be possessed by demons. Those in Christ are safe. This Halloween let’s remember to thank God for Jesus’s victory over death and every kind of evil.

We can share this confidence with our children by taking them to Bible stories that show Jesus meeting the devil or evil spirits. For instance, Jesus being tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1–11) or healing a demon-possessed man (Mark 5:1–20). Sometimes, these stories are avoided in children’s Bibles, so you may need to read from an adult Bible and simplify the language. 

Often, Christian parents lack the confidence to have these conversations with their children. They know the Bible stories and trust the truth they teach, but they find it difficult to speak that truth into everyday life. Faith in Kids exists for situations like this. We want to be supporting churches, resourcing Sunday School leaders and inspiring parents so that there are more and more influencers who have the confidence to have these beautiful, brave conversations. 

2. Be gentle

Very, very few of the people we know think of Halloween as anything more than a bit of harmless fun. Most of those who dress up, go to parties or knock on our doors are children who don’t know better. We can be gentle in how we approach those who are celebrating Halloween.

When our own children are invited to Halloween parties or they ask to go ‘trick or treating’, we have an opportunity to talk to them first about what Halloween is about. If we choose not to let them join in with what their friends are doing, let’s make sure they are able to explain why they won’t be doing it, in a way that’s respectful and loving. 

3. Be generous

It’s great that the children in our communities want to visit us (even if it is only for sweets!).  Let’s be generous and welcoming, so that other people’s children leave feeling pleased that they knocked on our door. Here are some ideas:

• Take the time to carve a pumpkin, put a light inside it and display it outside. In some places this has become the code for ‘trick-or-treaters welcome here’. Alternatively, you could put up some orange and black balloons or a welcome sign.
• Stock up on sweets and chocolate to give away (and save some for your own children!).
• Consider giving out copies of a gentle, age-appropriate tract that introduces children to Jesus, such as these (which are written for ages 6–12). 
• Introduce yourself. Say hello. Congratulate the children on their costumes. Thank them for coming. Don’t forget to smile!
• Some churches hold alternative events, such as ‘light parties’ or ‘pumpkin parties’. These make it clear that we’re not against having fun; we just choose carefully what to celebrate. This can be a great way to welcome local children by inviting them to a really enjoyable event.

It would be great if those who knock on our doors this Halloween don’t knock in vain. They might leave saying, ‘I’m not sure why Christians keep going on about Jesus, but they do seem to be friendly, generous and happy!’ I’d certainly venture out of the dark gloom of my kitchen for that.

Halloween won’t be the only time our views collide with the majority view of those living around us. As parents we can feel hugely challenged as we raise our children in a world that is hostile to Jesus. Through published books, free downloadable resources, our podcasts and training, Faith in Kids exists to see confident parents and thriving churches raising children together to trust Jesus eternally.  
 

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