This was the discussion question in RED: In your post, please address the following items:
Reflect on what it means to equip families to disciple their own children.
In reviewing Jones’ Foundation 5, pick a couple of ways we as leaders can help equip the parents of teens in our churches.
Please reply to student 1 and student 2, please be positive when replying
Student 1
Equipping Families Discussion
Reflecting on what it means for families to be equipped to disciple their children
Since I had no role models to look up to as a kid, this has been a constant source of frustration. No one ever had the opportunity to disciple me. After my children were born, I made it a point to avoid a similar fate for them. According to my conviction, having a family-friendly church is one of the finest ways we can help families raise godly children. Put it another way, and we need to stop keeping young people apart from the rest of the congregation. When families gather to worship and hear God’s word, it is easier for them to have difficult conversations that might otherwise go unaddressed. Our “faith walks” are discussed in foundation 5 of this week’s reading by Paul Jones. He argues that by creating these walks, we may have discussions about different perspectives on creation and God’s role in it. We can form our children’s faith as parents.
Jones also emphasizes that “growing in faith” occurs uniquely for each individual. As a mom of several children, I’ve had to learn this the hard way. My eldest kid became a follower of Christ at the age of nine. Although my second oldest is 12 years old and does not have the same situational mentality as my oldest, he was fully aware of his decision to follow Christ and live his life accordingly. This “has much to do with the varied patterns of social and intellectual growth,” Jones explains.
In my perspective, as a youth leader, your primary responsibility should be to the parents. The church’s assistance is essential for parents who want to begin disciplining their children. And by support, I don’t mean separate; families should be together, as said before, in worship, in the word, and communion. We can urge parents to pray together, dine together, and undertake a devotion together daily. Families become more cohesive as they spend more time together. To help families better comprehend, I typically offer the following example. If you look at a triangle, “God” is at the top of this triangle, “parents are on the bottom left, and youngsters are on the bottom right. As parents and youth focus on their connection with Christ, they become closer together, making disciplining simpler. And yet the closer they are to the bottom of the triangle, the harder it is for discipleship to take place as they are further away from God.
Student 2
The first few steps in equipping families before they begin to disciple their own children is making the Word of God central, making prayer a priority, and inviting the Holy Spirit to work within them, the church and their youth. [1] No spiritual fruit will be produced if God’s Word is not central to everything and anything we do or teach. “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples (Jn. 15:7-8 NIV).” Prayer is so powerful, and will bear much fruit if asked when we fill ourselves with the Holy Spirit. Even when we do not know how or what to pray, the Holy Spirit is there to guide our hearts. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Rom. 8:26-27).” Youth ministers must emphasize to parents to pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5:17) because it is so powerful. Scripture is filled with prayers and I wish I could talk about them all but will conclude with this one from Mathew 7:11 that states, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
Prayer is also a part of Jones’ “Faith Walk” idea in discipling our youth. Prayer, as mentioned above, is so powerful but can easily be overlooked. Parents even need a reminder to pray, not only for their teens but with them. [2] I could not believe that even in my own Sunday school class I went without prayer for the first three Sundays. I was reminded by my mentor in the lesson plan and that was all I needed to make sure prayer was again a priority because of its great power, especially when bringing up children in the way of the Lord. Youth ministers must remind parents to pray with and for their teens everyday, and multiple times a day. [2] An additional way for youth ministers to help equip parents is to provide them with questions to ask their teens after watching a movie or listening to a song together, as a few examples. [2] This may seem cheesy, but parents know when their teens will be most receptive because they were teens like them once also. Let it be known to parents too this fact, that their teens are miniature versions of them and that they should use this knowledge when deciding when the best time for them to ask the questions.
[1] Jeremy Radar, “Essentials of Middle School Ministry”, Liberty University, 2010, https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/243686/pages/watch-essentials-of-middle-school-ministry?module_item_id=29667757
[2] Jones, Timothy P. Family Ministry Field Guide: How Your Church Can Equip Parents to Make Disciples. Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Pub. House, 2011., 161.