Chances are, if you are reading this post, you are some sort of ministry professional.
Whether a youth pastor, volunteer leader, children’s ministry director – or a mix of all those things – your job is to disciple the next generation in your church.
Have you ever stopped to wonder who came up with this idea in the first place?
Over the past few decades, we have seen a shift towards the “professionalization of the church.”
Stay with me – you’ll see why this matters.
Beginning in the late-1800s, churches started to separate people by age. This is when “Sunday School” became popular – church ministries to youth came a little later.
Why this sudden move towards teaching younger generations separately from the church?
For good reason.
They felt they would learn more, connect more with the Gospel and attend church more regularly if they were with people of their own age.
As these programs grew in popularity, they needed to be staffed – and so churches across North America (and beyond!) started to hire youth pastors, Sunday School directors, form committees & write curriculum – to ensure the next generation was being properly discipled.
The need for these “ministry professionals” grew & grew – until today, it is rare to find a church where someone – whether paid or volunteering – isn’t overseeing ministries to the next generation.
While I believe in the power and value of these ministries (they’re my job after all!) – I have often thought that we are missing something.
Any thoughts on what that might be?
You probably guessed it –
What about the parents?
You see, as these ministries have become powerful and popular – offering everything from Sunday morning childcare, theological teaching, midweek programming, age-appropriate conferences, and summer camps & excursions – parents have often been left by the wayside.
Whether intentionally or not, we have sent the message to families – “Leave the work of discipleship to us.”
Unfortunately, over the past number of years – and especially in the recent pandemic – we have seen this approach isn’t working.
Faith training is meant to be a partnership – and parents have the most important role to play.
Timothy Paul Jones, one of my favourite authors on family ministry, says this:
Sometimes, it may feel as if professionalized programs would be an easier solution, but no church program can develop in a child what parents are able to engrave in their children’s souls day-by-day.
Timothy Paul Jones
As we move back to the basics this fall – we have to shift our focus.
Instead of saying, “we are the professionals”, we need to say “we are the partners.”
We need to set parents up for success in discipling their families – providing them with support and resources – and championing them to do so.
So, how do we become partners? What does it look like to partner with families to disciple their kids? Here are some ideas:
- Ask parents what topics their kids need to learn about! Add a question to your Family Ministry Survey to ask them – “What topics are you struggling to teach your kids about?” and work them into your yearly scope of teaching.
- Set parents up for success by letting them know what you’ll be teaching at church before you ever teach it! Send out e-mails, social media posts, newsletters, or host a parent meeting to fill them in on the topics you’ll be teaching.
- Share resources that accompany what you’re teaching so they can integrate into their daily life. For example, when we taught our Journey through Jonah curriculum, we provided families with a free Jonah Journal to work through at home. It was simple, strategic & provided opportunities for faith conversations.
- Don’t assume parents know about resources for discipleship! Invest time, budget & effort into making sure parents know about resources that can help them disciple their families.
- Give parents opportunities to disciple their own families on Sundays! Incorporate family worship into your church’s schedule, and give parents tools to discuss and teach their kids what’s happening in the sevice – not just you!
- Consider wokring with parens through the basics of the faith. Our Teaching Theology to Kids course is great for parents & pastors – and on Friday, we’ll be sharing a special discount code for you to walk through it together!
David Walters Although I had a children’s ministry for 50 plus years. I seldom ministered to the children alone. I had conferences for the whole family usually lasting for three days. I Covered infants children teens parents children and youth pastor’s and the senior pastor as well. The children, teens and parents were invited to join Gods army. Most meetings ended up with revival. I ministered to 3 Generations as children grew up married and brought their own children to my conferences.