Ministry With Parents In Churches
FBC believes in the importance of family. They are committed to working in ministry with parents, regardless of their stage of lifeor situation. They believe that parents are the primary spiritual leaders in the lives of their childrenand adolescents, and we wish to assist you in this endeavor.
This page is intended to serve as a resource for you as a parent because we understand that parenting is a difficult job. You're on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even when you're sick and don't want to be. It seems like your children go between phases faster than you can ask, "Who are you?"
Despite this, you are expected to be prepared to deal with anything and everything that may arise at any time. They get to witness the awe and wonder kids feel when they discover something new. When they witness our children begin to discover who they are, it is one of the most rewarding experiences they can have as parents.
If what ails children’s spiritual growth is mostly parents not understanding what to do, they’ve got some practical parent ministryideasfor you to partner with parents immediately.
Imagine that you’ve become sick with some rare ailment. No doctor appears to grasp your symptoms or their reason. You spend months and sometimes years going from doctor to doctor, attempting to find a treatment for your ailments. A dermatologist addresses your rash, an endocrinologist handles your hormones, and an internist treats your organs.
If only these physicians would interact with one another and treat your full existence, they’d discover that you have an uncommon allergy to doctors!
Odd anecdote, but maybe it makes a point for children’s pastors when it comes to treating what ails familiesnowadays. They have children’s ministers who treat children, youthministers who treat teenagers, and pastors who treat adults. Does anyone ever stop to take a look at the full body that they call the family? they need to care for the complete family as one organism rather than focusing on specific components alone.
The typical view in Christianeducation addressing families has traditionally been that to “strengthen the whole you must strengthen the parts.” But families need more from churchlifethan segregated activitiesand the occasional all-churchactivity. In fact, many of the church's activities actually serve to separate family members from one another. They're aware that something is wrong with this picture, but coming up with a solution appears to be difficult.
The majority of children's ministries are nearly entirely focused on people. Many children's ministry professionals treat parents as an afterthought. Yes, they truly hope to make a positive influence in the lives of the families of the children. Despite the fact that they wish to assist parents in teaching their children about God, their answer has been to throw on yet another program that doesn't really include parents connecting with their children. It is preferable to take a biblically-based, "family-friendly church" strategy rather than this additive approach. If they want to be true partners with parents, they must adopt a new way of thinking about their roles.
Putting Together A Parental Team
Over the years, Christian educators have signaled to parents that they are the only ones who are capable of instilling faithin children. This is a mistake. Parents have received their message: simply drop off your children on Sunday morningsand they'll take care of the rest.
If they want to have a substantial impact on children's faith, they must modify the message they are receiving. Educating and disciplining their children is supposed to be the primary responsibility of parents. It is their responsibility to assist parents in their endeavors. If parents refuse to carry out their responsibilities, the church is forced to assume the primary role. Nevertheless, this is meant to be the exception rather than the rule.
Encourage Your Children's Parents To Take The Lead
Re-educate parents on their responsibilities as the major faith-shapers of their children. Many parents lack the self-assurance and abilities necessary to properly assume a leadership position. As a result, give parents a boost of confidence by assisting them in seeing their position from God's perspective through ministry with parents.
While transferring responsibility for children's spiritual upbringing to their parents, they must provide them with the resourcesthey need to support their children's spiritual development.
What Is Family Life Ministry?
A brief summary of what family life ministry is all about is that it seeks to strengthen all types of families in order to enable the individuals who are part of those families to appreciate and serve the Creator of everything.
Conclusion
They must establish and encourage realistic expectations for ministry with parents. However, while it is true that parents are to be the primary teachers and disciplers of their children, it is also true that the church has an important role to play as well. The likelihood that parents will want them to partner with them decreases when they do not feel fully loved and supported by the church as a whole increase.
