Partner with parents.
- Biblical Support
- Deuteronomy 6 – God’s Design
- God has chosen parents to be the primary faith trainers in their kid’s lives.
Practical Support
- “The most important social influence in shaping young people’s religious lives is the religious life modeled and taught to them by their parents.”
- “The moral and spiritual nature of every human being is predominately shaped by his or her family experience.”
- “Religious life in the home is more influential than the church.”
- “In the context of healthy relationships, children tend to embrace the beliefs and values of their parents.”
The sweet spot of ministering to families is to partner with parents. Begin ministering to families today:
1. Pray for a heart for families.
- “The overwhelming majority of Christian parents are not actively engaged in any sort of battle for their children’s souls.”
- 2008 Family Life Study – 40,000 Christian families active in church
- The main hurdles for parents are time and training.
2. Think T.I.E.
- Train – Parent only, sit down, listen and learn.
- Involve – Parent with child, model and learn together.
- Equip – Parents grab and go, do activity later
3. Engage Kids
- 70% of teens leave the church (for a season) between ages 18-22
- How can you help kids view church as essential to their lives?
4. Talk encouragement and drip vision.
Table Talk: Based on your upcoming ministry event, which TIE element could you incorporate to better partner with parents? How would you approach your Minister about it?
Family Ministry Models:
- Family-based– Events are for the entire family
- Family-integrated– Family stays together for all church offerings
- Family-equipping– Orient all ministries of the church to partner with parents.