Take it to the House
First Free is a church that loves and values children. This is evidenced by our long history of supporting children’s ministries through the budget, staff support, and our facility. We prioritize teaching the Bible in our church—and this is also a value of the children’s programming. When children are in the building there is excellent teaching happening! You see this same priority in our youth ministry as students are discipled in their faith. There is nothing more important than for children, teens, and adults to hear, understand, and apply the gospel wherever they are in life.
While this is what we should be doing as a church, there is a lot of discussion today on the correct balance of the role of the church and the role of the parents in the discipleship of children. As a church we are engaged in this discussion, as is our denomination. The keynote speaker at the EFCA Midwest District conference in February was Mark Holmen who has authored several books on this topic and he made several points that are worth mentioning.
· God has given parents the responsibility to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. This is not a gray area in Scripture! As early as Genesis 18, God says about Abraham, “I have chosen him that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” Moses confirms this in Deuteronomy 6 as he commands Israel to love God with everything in them, “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children.” God has established the family as the primary place his followers are made.
· Parents also entrust part of the training of their children to the church. There are many benefits when children attend Sunday School with their peers and it is good to give children an opportunity to learn from others in the church about the things of God.
· The church has occasionally taken the reigns away from parents in this area. Programming for children that fills the family calendar year round, no communication to parents about what children are learning when they are at church, and the church taking the initiative to talk to children about dating, sex, movie choices, and social issues without bringing parents into the discussion have all contributed to an overemphasis on the church’s role. Some parents hand over the training of their kids to the church as the “expert” and in many cases the church has been all too eager to take that role!
Holmen urged church leaders to remember their call as a partner to parents. He gave practical ideas for ways to better partner with parents at every stage of the child’s life. He encouraged us to consider ways to come alongside parents to encourage and equip, understanding that many parents are looking to the church for help in this area.
These are things we have been talking about here at First Free! From the nursery to high school ministry, we want to be about encouraging and equipping parents to do this job well. We want to help parents in this challenging role of discipling their children, not try to do it for them.
Because we want to tell you more about our philosophy and commitment to this, we have planned a parent event, Take it to THE HOUSE, for Monday, April 16, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Please come to hear from Pastor Josh, Judy, and others about practical ways to disciple your children. We hope to see lots of dads and moms there…it will be worth your time!
Pastor Josh and Judy
