So what does it mean to build a family ministry model for your church? And how can we be certain our model is biblical? Taking a moment to consider the meaning of a “model” in other fields of study may be helpful here. In other fields of study, a model must meet three criteria: (1) […]
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Family Ministry: When Inviting Parents Isn’t Enough
How can your ministry equip parents with the resources they need? In the first place, help parents to see that if they are believers in Jesus Christ, God has already equipped them with his Spirit, his Word, and the community of faith (John 16:12–14; Eph. 4:11–16; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; Heb. 13:21). Through these gifts from […]
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Family Ministry: Why Going Far Requires Us First to Go Near
Family ministry is not a series of activities. Family-equipping ministry in particular flows out of an identity that begins in the homes of ministry leaders. But this doesn’t mean that equipping families should become the identity that drives our ministry. Jesus alone is our identity, and his gospel is our story. Anything more or less […]
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Family Ministry: Your Children and the Hobbit Films
With the much anticipated release of the newest Hobbit film, parents might be asking, “Is this movie okay for my children?” It’s a legitimate question to ask. In a recent interview with Mike Nappa, I walk through various facets of the film and challenge parents to think critically and Christianly. If you are wrestling […]
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Family Ministry: Stop Inviting and Start Involving
Without thinking too hard, you could probably tell me exactly who they are. In many smaller and mid-sized ministries, you wouldn’t even need two hands to tally them. What we’re talking about are the parents who will actually be present at a typical youth or children’s event. What about all the other parents? Well, like […]
[Read More...]Family Ministry: What Happens When Youth Ministers Work With Parents?
John Pond is pastor of students at West Jackson Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee recently provided some engaging thoughts on the value of youth ministers working with parents. He offers four practical things youth ministers can start doing to communicate and work with parents. He encourages youth ministers to (1) communicate regularly, (2) pray with […]
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Family Ministry: Family Ministry is Not the Answer to Your Church’s Problems
Although the concepts behind family ministry are far from new, church-based family ministry has turned trendy in some circles over the past few years. After decades on the back burner of congregational life, family ministry has suddenly become a hot topic. Type “family ministry” into a search engine, and you computer is likely to crank […]
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Family Ministry: Do Parents Take Over Where You Left Off?
The youth head to camp, or a retreat or perhaps a mission trip. When they return, they’re sleep-deprived, hyper-caffeinated, and ready to change the world. But beyond the babbling summary that mom or dad receives on the car-ride home, parents have little idea what triggered such enthusiasm during the week. What information they do receive […]
[Read More...]Family Ministry: What Are Faith-Talks and Why Do They Matter?
::WHY FAITH-TALKS?:: The purpose of faith-talks is to restore Christian parents to their God-ordained role as teachers of God’s Word in their children’s lives. Your ministry may choose some term other than faith-talks, of course. “Family devotions” might communicate the point more clearly in your context; somewhere else, you could go with “family faith-training” or […]
[Read More...]Family Ministry: Two-Day Intensive Training in Family-Equipping Ministry
Do you have a desire to implement family ministry practices in your church? Are you looking to be trained in the ways of family ministry? Do you have two days to spare? Join me in January on the tree-lined campus of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY for a training event which will […]
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Family Ministry: The Grover Principle
“Sunny days, sweepin’ the clouds away. On my way to where the air is sweet. Can you tell me how to get, how to get to . . . ?” If that couplet strikes a chord in your memories of childhood, you were probably an avid viewer of the American PBS program known as […]
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Family Ministry: Have You Taken the TIE Test?
Are you effectively training, involving, and equipping the parents in your ministry to be the main faith influencers for their children? Consider how your family ministry events might be more effective using this TIE Test, which simply asks, “How could this activity Train, Involve, or Equip parents as primary faith influencers? How could it Train, […]
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Family Ministry: Family, the Original Small Group Ministry
Parents are the primary teachers in their children’s lives, even if they don’t know it. Some parents are better teachers than others, but every parent is a teacher when it comes to the children with whom he or she shares a home. Even after decades of family fragmentation, the most significant influence on children’s spiritual […]
[Read More...]Family Ministry: Stumbling Through Family Faith Talks…for the Glory of God
Sankie Lynch, Pastor of Families at New Beginnings Church in Bixby, Oklahoma asks: Do you ever start out with good intentions with your family and end up frustrated and breathing heavily? What correlations does parenting have with high blood pressure and barely missed strokes? What used to be relaxing, calm vacations have now turned into “Survivor: […]
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Family Ministry: Doing Less So That Parents Can Do More
Most parents in churches do believe, at least on the surface, that their children’s existence will persist past this life. The problem is that this tenet of faith doesn’t always make its way into their daily practices of prioritizing household commitments. Parents mentally accept the fact that their children will exist forever, but they do […]
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Family Ministry: Pornography and the Hijacking of the Male Brain
Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, makes this point regarding the phenomenon of nearly-infinite and instantly-accessible pornography: To no one’s surprise, the vast majority of those who consume pornography are males. It is no trade secret that males are highly stimulated by visual images, whether still or video. That […]
[Read More...]Family Ministry: Why Not Reward Spiritual Activities?
In a recent blog post Coleman Ford, PhD student at Southern Seminary, asks the question, “Should we reward children and youth for spiritual activities?” He says, Spiritual activities such as reading and memorizing Scripture, prayer, worship and evangelism are the duty (yes, duty) of all followers of Jesus Christ. These activities do not accumulate merit, […]
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Family Ministry: Why Retention Rates Can’t Determine a Ministry’s Effectiveness
If you’ve spent much time in youth ministry, you’ve probably heard the claim at least a few times: “Nine out of ten youth walk away from the church after high school!” But, as I’ve pointed out elsewhere, there’s good reason to doubt this claim. The infamous nine-out-of-ten dropout statistic was always a false alarm. Most […]
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Family Ministry: Ten Tips for Discipling Your Children
Justin Buzzard, author of Date Your Wife and lead pastor of Garden City Church in Silicon Valley, recently wrote: “Jesus gave his church one mission: make disciples. As a church planter I’m consumed all day with the work of disciple making, but the most important disciple making in my life happens with my three sons. The mission Jesus […]
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Family Ministry: Are You Engaging in the Cosmic Battle for Your Child’s Soul?
Cosmic combat occurs most Friday mornings at a coffee shop a few blocks from my home. If you happen to be ordering your mocha latte during this episode of intergalactic warfare, you might not even notice. Neither arms nor armor can be seen at the epicenter of this celestial struggle. No lightsabers are visible, and […]
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