A church begins to die when it says, ‘They were just children.

— Wess Stafford

But when adults speak up for the vulnerable and the weak, working and demanding that safety and respect prevail, God's little lambs are protected and nourished. They know they are not abandoned; they are loved. And the world becomes a little more like heaven as a result.

— Wess Stafford

Children are ingenuous. They are also blessed with uncanny ability to read a person's character instantly. Even though they are inexperienced and unsophisticated, they often know instinctively who can be trusted and who is the charlatan.

— Wess Stafford

Children are more than we think they are; they can do more than we think they can do. All they need is a vote of confidence from grownups, whom they will ultimately replace anyway. Their dream today will become the realities of tomorrow.

— Wess Stafford

Deep down, I have come to the conclusion that the reason (children) are such a low priority to the great human institutions that seek to control this world, both secular and Christian, is that an invisible battle, a spiritual war, rages over each and every child. It is above us and beyond us and engages the full fury of the hosts of both heaven and hell. Children may be ignored by government, church, and mission – but not by Satan or God Almighty.

— Wess Stafford

Every major movement in world history has recognized the strategic importance of mobilizing children. The Nazis had their Hitler Youth bands. The Chinese Communists had their Red Guards. The Taliban in Afghanistan had their Madras schools to instill extremism in the young. The great omission seems to be unique to Christians.

— Wess Stafford

If God places a child before you, and you are too busy to wield either a positive or negative influence...you just did the latter! You communicated that the child doesn't matter and isn't important.

— Wess Stafford

I have become convinced that the more wealth a country accumulates, the more isolated and lonely its people become. The loneliest are usually the children and the elderly. Children learn what they live, and isolation in the ‘village’ is one of the most destructive messages we daily write on the tablets of their hearts.

— Wess Stafford

I’m convinced that one of the most powerful forces on earth is the prayer of a child.

— Wess Stafford

I spend half my time comforting the afflicted, and the other half afflicting the comfortable.

— Wess Stafford