Vance Frusher
Children's Pastor, Wheaton Bible Church
from chapter five, Passing the Torch of God's Truth From Generation to Generation
(to be released 4:00 pm, Friday, March 27th, at the Midwest Teaching & Discipleship Convention)
Most ministry programs, such as Sunday school and youth group, tend to be age and stage based. This breaking apart of the family keeps the family from growing spiritually together. In developing discipleship programs in the church, there are some key principles to keep in mind:
Support in your ministry what the parents are saying in the home. This can be done by giving parents the opportunity and tools to teach the lesson prior to the church teaching the lesson. This can be as simple as giving the parents the home materials a week ahead as opposed to after the lesson was taught.
Find a curriculum that teaches a common theme to all ages each week. This makes it easier for parents to take the lead in the home. Instead of having discussions on a different concept with each child, the entire family can be involved at the same time, a truly multigenerational discipleship experience.
All curriculum needs to be God centered and biblically rooted versus a character development plan for children. This issue is hard to overcome as many curriculums equate application with character development. Though Scripture does provide life applications, God’s Word is about God. It is about what He is doing. And as a person learns about the greatness of God, one cannot help to love Him and worship Him. This leads to a true changing of one’s behavior as the foundation is in God and His work in our lives.
Ministry Programs for Children and Students with Their Parents and Grandparents:
The best way to live out the multigenerational phase of ministry is by having Sunday morning worship services be multigenerational. Many churches believe in a two step process for Sunday: Worship together as a family and participate in a dynamic Sunday school class.
Is your Sunday morning worship service multigenerational? Do you have all ages coming together to worship, sitting under the authority of God’s Word, and participating in the Lord’s Supper? For some churches, children have been apart of their worship experience for years. It is part of their culture. Other churches strongly encourage children not be in the worship service. I would argue that this is a theological issue. God’s Word speaks to the gathering of the faith community. Children can be and are followers of Christ. They have a right and need to participate in the body of Christ. This gathering of the body of Christ, including children, may take on a different look and feel based upon your church culture, but it needs to happen at some point on a regular basis.
Some other programs that can be effective in ministering to all generations together are Family Fun Events. Some examples of these are a seasonal themed event, like Christmas, during which the family comes together to do a craft and a program follows that includes a drama and some activities that bring the families together. Communion class for families becomes more effective when parents and siblings are included. Together they learn as a family of the great love God demonstrated to them through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When it comes to these family events, there is no one size fits all. Look at the culture of your church and community. What are some events and milestones that are important? You are probably already celebrating these key times already. Just look for ways to include the whole family so that they can grow together.
Many Churches are starting Multigenerational Small Groups. These groups include all ages of children, students, and adults. The entire family unit participates, not just the adults. The curriculum has a general teaching time that has an activity that appeals to a large age span. Many groups will use the Family Time curriculum available on www.famtime.com. The leaders adapt the lesson to the specific dynamics of the group. These groups have worked well in churches desiring multigenerational discipleship ministry.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Saturday, March 7, 2009
The Role of the Family in God’s Plan for the World
Dr. Rob Rienow
Family Pastor, Wheaton Bible Church
from chapter one, Passing the Torch of God's Truth From Generation to Generation
(to be released 4:00 pm, Friday, March 27th, at the Midwest Teaching & Discipleship Convention)
We desperately want to see people repent, believe in Christ, grow in Him, and engage in Kingdom ministry. But how are we doing? Are we seeing the gospel of Jesus Christ advance in our communities and in our nation?
Thom Rainer’s research[1] reveals a disturbing answer. He surveyed Americans to determine what percentage of the population considered themselves to be Christians based on having put their faith in Christ. He found that 65% of the US population born before 1946 identified themselves as Christians. In shocking conclusion, among those born between 1977 and 1994 only 4% identified themselves as having put their faith and trust in Christ.
Our natural instinct is to look at the church and institute a new program to solve the problem. But this crisis is not first and foremost a crisis of the Christian church. It is a crisis of the Christian family. In the late 1800s, there was a clear understanding that the call to disciple children and teenagers was the responsibility of parents and grandparents, and it was a role that could not be delegated to anyone else. However, during the 20th century, Christians began to reflect the secular culture and adopted the model of delegation parenting. Do you want your kids to learn to play the piano? Get them a tutor. Do you want them to learn basketball? Get them a coach. Do you want them to learn about Jesus? Get them a youth pastor.
In the summer of 2004, this crisis became personal for me. I had been a full time youth pastor for 11 years. My heart and soul was with the ministry. While I was giving everything to families at church, I had absolutely no plan to evangelize and disciple my own children. Sure, I spent time with my kids, but in my heart and mind, Jesus’ command to “make disciples” didn’t apply to them. When God showed me this, my heart was broken in a deeper way than ever before and I asked Him to help me embrace my primary Great Commission in the world: the discipleship of my own children.
Personal repentance quickly spread to pastoral repentance. I had been ignorantly leading an unbiblical youth ministry. But the Bible is not silent on the method. Through the Scriptures, God gives His ordained method for “making disciples” of the next generation; and we have ignored it to the peril of our children’s souls.
What is that method? How has God ordained that the Great Commission be advanced to the next generation? First, parents are to take the primary responsibility for the evangelism and spiritual formation of their children. Second, children and teens are to be welcomed and included in the full faith community.
The fundamental question that this book seeks to answer is this: “What is the role of the family in the Great Commission?”
There are three theological foundations that are essential to answering this question:
Foundation #1: God created families to be discipleship centers.
Foundation #2: The biblical purpose of parenting and grand-parenting is to impress the hearts of children with a love for God.
Foundation #3: The family is God’s primary engine of world evangelization through the power of multi-generational faithfulness
God’s desire is to fill the Earth, and ultimately the New Earth, with worshippers of Christ. The Bible teaches that His primary means of accomplishing this is by those who love Him raising their children to love Him, who in turn would raise their children to love Him. The Bible paints a picture of larger generation after larger generation going forth to fill the Earth with worship and being a blessing to all nations.
[1] Thom Rainer, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary School of Evangelism., http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=6704
Family Pastor, Wheaton Bible Church
from chapter one, Passing the Torch of God's Truth From Generation to Generation
(to be released 4:00 pm, Friday, March 27th, at the Midwest Teaching & Discipleship Convention)
We desperately want to see people repent, believe in Christ, grow in Him, and engage in Kingdom ministry. But how are we doing? Are we seeing the gospel of Jesus Christ advance in our communities and in our nation?
Thom Rainer’s research[1] reveals a disturbing answer. He surveyed Americans to determine what percentage of the population considered themselves to be Christians based on having put their faith in Christ. He found that 65% of the US population born before 1946 identified themselves as Christians. In shocking conclusion, among those born between 1977 and 1994 only 4% identified themselves as having put their faith and trust in Christ.
Our natural instinct is to look at the church and institute a new program to solve the problem. But this crisis is not first and foremost a crisis of the Christian church. It is a crisis of the Christian family. In the late 1800s, there was a clear understanding that the call to disciple children and teenagers was the responsibility of parents and grandparents, and it was a role that could not be delegated to anyone else. However, during the 20th century, Christians began to reflect the secular culture and adopted the model of delegation parenting. Do you want your kids to learn to play the piano? Get them a tutor. Do you want them to learn basketball? Get them a coach. Do you want them to learn about Jesus? Get them a youth pastor.
In the summer of 2004, this crisis became personal for me. I had been a full time youth pastor for 11 years. My heart and soul was with the ministry. While I was giving everything to families at church, I had absolutely no plan to evangelize and disciple my own children. Sure, I spent time with my kids, but in my heart and mind, Jesus’ command to “make disciples” didn’t apply to them. When God showed me this, my heart was broken in a deeper way than ever before and I asked Him to help me embrace my primary Great Commission in the world: the discipleship of my own children.
Personal repentance quickly spread to pastoral repentance. I had been ignorantly leading an unbiblical youth ministry. But the Bible is not silent on the method. Through the Scriptures, God gives His ordained method for “making disciples” of the next generation; and we have ignored it to the peril of our children’s souls.
What is that method? How has God ordained that the Great Commission be advanced to the next generation? First, parents are to take the primary responsibility for the evangelism and spiritual formation of their children. Second, children and teens are to be welcomed and included in the full faith community.
The fundamental question that this book seeks to answer is this: “What is the role of the family in the Great Commission?”
There are three theological foundations that are essential to answering this question:
Foundation #1: God created families to be discipleship centers.
Foundation #2: The biblical purpose of parenting and grand-parenting is to impress the hearts of children with a love for God.
Foundation #3: The family is God’s primary engine of world evangelization through the power of multi-generational faithfulness
God’s desire is to fill the Earth, and ultimately the New Earth, with worshippers of Christ. The Bible teaches that His primary means of accomplishing this is by those who love Him raising their children to love Him, who in turn would raise their children to love Him. The Bible paints a picture of larger generation after larger generation going forth to fill the Earth with worship and being a blessing to all nations.
[1] Thom Rainer, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary School of Evangelism., http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=6704
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Family Education—Jewish, Greek or American:
Family Education—Jewish, Greek or American:
Molding a Model of Christian Family Life Discipleship
Gregory C. Carlson, Professor of Christian Ministries, Trinity International University
from chapter three, Passing the Torch of God's Truth From Generation to Generation
(to be released 4:00 pm, Friday, March 27th, at the Midwest Teaching & Discipleship Convention)
The family today hears much about shaping and discipling the next generation. But the call for discipleship in the home is muted by the seeming confusion and inactivity of parents. Solid observations from respected researchers assert that parents have great potential in developing spiritually healthy young people.
How can it be that even though we have more sermons and exhortation, more materials and methods, that we still do not see vigorous discipleship by parents? Could it be that we are not patterning our ministry in the home after a comprehensive model?
That is exactly what this chapter proposes! We need to look at the lessons we can learn from ancient Jewish education. These lessons may help us then frame the nurturing of our own families.
The practices of the Jewish home show strength and wisdom.
“The religious rites of the Hebrew people were occasions for pedagogy. Household ritual provoked wonder, reverence, and joy, as well as questions.”[i] We could seek to establish regular (but not legalistic) times of focus upon God and His Word, His Work, and His Ways.
Almost always the family was viewed in a way that we today describe as “the extended family.” This means we should look at creative ways of inter-generational education.
The home had all the generations learning together. Not until after the exile did Jewish people establish schools in which a learned scribe was educating the young away from the family context. Even then, these scribes sometimes had the training in their own homes or in the homes of wealthy patrons.[ii] The model of having children away from parents in a “school” happens at the end of the Old Testament, but the blending in the New Testament for home and school both guided by a spiritual leadership is still very dependent upon the home.
Conversations, working together, eating together and generally living life were more prevalent in Jewish homes. It’s hard to have conversations when you rise up (referring now to Deuteronomy 6) when dad is gone long before kids wake up. Equally difficult is having the conversation about God and the word on your heart when mom doesn’t get home until after kids have done their homework and supper is over and they are in bed.
Natural and informal education was practiced. “The education of this period was natural and informal instead of formal. The nomadic life of the patriarchs did not permit the founding of schools.”[iii] This has deep implications for us in Christian education in the church and home. It is probably why we also have such difficulty with Christian education in the home. We model at church very little informality, bemoan how people talking in the “fellowship hall” won’t come to our classes for “teaching,” and on it goes. The complete disregard for informal training in the church almost puts it at odds with Christian education in the home.
The establishment of schools. The inadequacies of the family education promoted the development of the schools, just as today. Orphaned children were entirely deprived of an education. Similarly, many children whose fathers were living would also be neglected because the parents were too preoccupied in their daily work earning a livelihood, or because the fathers themselves might not be conversant with the elements of Jewish learning.[iv]
Sound familiar? This presents the challenge for our present school education to involve and promote parents. To take over all education of children in the church without parental influence is something neither Jewish or Greek educators were able to do. And they had the government for the most part supporting their efforts!
[i] Hayes, Edward L., “The Biblical Foundations of Christian Education,” in Introduction to Biblical Christian Education, edited by Werner C. Graendorf. Chicago: Moody Press, 1985, page 26.
[ii] Graves, op cit., page 126.
[iii] Eavey, C. B. History of Christian Education. Chicago: Moody Press, 1964, page 46.
[iv] Ibid., page 43.
Molding a Model of Christian Family Life Discipleship
Gregory C. Carlson, Professor of Christian Ministries, Trinity International University
from chapter three, Passing the Torch of God's Truth From Generation to Generation
(to be released 4:00 pm, Friday, March 27th, at the Midwest Teaching & Discipleship Convention)
The family today hears much about shaping and discipling the next generation. But the call for discipleship in the home is muted by the seeming confusion and inactivity of parents. Solid observations from respected researchers assert that parents have great potential in developing spiritually healthy young people.
How can it be that even though we have more sermons and exhortation, more materials and methods, that we still do not see vigorous discipleship by parents? Could it be that we are not patterning our ministry in the home after a comprehensive model?
That is exactly what this chapter proposes! We need to look at the lessons we can learn from ancient Jewish education. These lessons may help us then frame the nurturing of our own families.
The practices of the Jewish home show strength and wisdom.
“The religious rites of the Hebrew people were occasions for pedagogy. Household ritual provoked wonder, reverence, and joy, as well as questions.”[i] We could seek to establish regular (but not legalistic) times of focus upon God and His Word, His Work, and His Ways.
Almost always the family was viewed in a way that we today describe as “the extended family.” This means we should look at creative ways of inter-generational education.
The home had all the generations learning together. Not until after the exile did Jewish people establish schools in which a learned scribe was educating the young away from the family context. Even then, these scribes sometimes had the training in their own homes or in the homes of wealthy patrons.[ii] The model of having children away from parents in a “school” happens at the end of the Old Testament, but the blending in the New Testament for home and school both guided by a spiritual leadership is still very dependent upon the home.
Conversations, working together, eating together and generally living life were more prevalent in Jewish homes. It’s hard to have conversations when you rise up (referring now to Deuteronomy 6) when dad is gone long before kids wake up. Equally difficult is having the conversation about God and the word on your heart when mom doesn’t get home until after kids have done their homework and supper is over and they are in bed.
Natural and informal education was practiced. “The education of this period was natural and informal instead of formal. The nomadic life of the patriarchs did not permit the founding of schools.”[iii] This has deep implications for us in Christian education in the church and home. It is probably why we also have such difficulty with Christian education in the home. We model at church very little informality, bemoan how people talking in the “fellowship hall” won’t come to our classes for “teaching,” and on it goes. The complete disregard for informal training in the church almost puts it at odds with Christian education in the home.
The establishment of schools. The inadequacies of the family education promoted the development of the schools, just as today. Orphaned children were entirely deprived of an education. Similarly, many children whose fathers were living would also be neglected because the parents were too preoccupied in their daily work earning a livelihood, or because the fathers themselves might not be conversant with the elements of Jewish learning.[iv]
Sound familiar? This presents the challenge for our present school education to involve and promote parents. To take over all education of children in the church without parental influence is something neither Jewish or Greek educators were able to do. And they had the government for the most part supporting their efforts!
[i] Hayes, Edward L., “The Biblical Foundations of Christian Education,” in Introduction to Biblical Christian Education, edited by Werner C. Graendorf. Chicago: Moody Press, 1985, page 26.
[ii] Graves, op cit., page 126.
[iii] Eavey, C. B. History of Christian Education. Chicago: Moody Press, 1964, page 46.
[iv] Ibid., page 43.
Monday, March 2, 2009
March to Sunday School in March
Remember that phrase from last century? March was the month in which every church had a campaign to encourage everyone to go to Sunday School. We have now gone beyond the point of the Sunday School being the exclusive instrument for teaching and making disciples in the church but maybe the “March to Sunday School in March” would be a good idea to preserve. Perhaps we could call it something like “March to Discipleship in March” and we could encourage everyone: children, youth, and adults, to be involved in a discipleship experience in the month.
This could include, in addition to Sunday School, adult small groups, adult Bible studies, children’s church, midweek children’s, youth, and adult ministries, youth events, mentoring and discipleship relationships. Let’s start with us. If you are a parent, set aside opportunities this month to spend one-on-one time with your children (yes, even your adult children) and provide guidance in their spiritual development. From the other perspective, if your parents are still alive, set aside time to talk to them, share your spiritual journey and allow God to use their spiritual insights to help you in your walk with Christ. Let’s encourage everyone to dedicate himself or herself to a teaching and disciple-making activity in March!
March is always a monumental month for GCSSA. This month we are preparing for a three-day event in which believers from all over the country will be converging on Arlington Heights to prepare themselves to pass on God’s truth to the next generation. Workshops will be presented by our nation’s ministry leaders on children, youth, and adult small groups, on discipleship within the family, mentoring, and intergenerational discipleship.
At 4:00 pm on Friday, March 27th, during the convention, the first GCSSA Teaching & Discipleship Resource, Passing the Torch of God’s Truth from Generation to Generation, will be introduced. It’s being co-authored by six GCSSA workshop leaders and includes chapters on multigenerational church programs, family discipleship, generation to generation mentoring, and discipling children and youth at home.
This month we’re going to be including selections of this new GCSSA resource in the GCSSA blog. Many of these selections will be a challenge to your teaching and discipleship program and preconceived ideas about teaching and discipleship. So, as you read these selections from the new GCSSA resource, please feel free to make comments and respond to each other. I would love for this book to serve as a source of a rich discussion about how to best pass on our faith.
And don’t forget to register for the 2009 Midwest Teaching & Discipleship Convention. The two keynote speakers, Bryan Loritts and Darren Whitehead, will inspire you and the workshop leaders will increase your ministry. This is the last week to receive the pre-registration discount and I want you all to be there!
-Paul
Paul J. Loth, Ed.D.
Executive Director
GCSSA
This could include, in addition to Sunday School, adult small groups, adult Bible studies, children’s church, midweek children’s, youth, and adult ministries, youth events, mentoring and discipleship relationships. Let’s start with us. If you are a parent, set aside opportunities this month to spend one-on-one time with your children (yes, even your adult children) and provide guidance in their spiritual development. From the other perspective, if your parents are still alive, set aside time to talk to them, share your spiritual journey and allow God to use their spiritual insights to help you in your walk with Christ. Let’s encourage everyone to dedicate himself or herself to a teaching and disciple-making activity in March!
March is always a monumental month for GCSSA. This month we are preparing for a three-day event in which believers from all over the country will be converging on Arlington Heights to prepare themselves to pass on God’s truth to the next generation. Workshops will be presented by our nation’s ministry leaders on children, youth, and adult small groups, on discipleship within the family, mentoring, and intergenerational discipleship.
At 4:00 pm on Friday, March 27th, during the convention, the first GCSSA Teaching & Discipleship Resource, Passing the Torch of God’s Truth from Generation to Generation, will be introduced. It’s being co-authored by six GCSSA workshop leaders and includes chapters on multigenerational church programs, family discipleship, generation to generation mentoring, and discipling children and youth at home.
This month we’re going to be including selections of this new GCSSA resource in the GCSSA blog. Many of these selections will be a challenge to your teaching and discipleship program and preconceived ideas about teaching and discipleship. So, as you read these selections from the new GCSSA resource, please feel free to make comments and respond to each other. I would love for this book to serve as a source of a rich discussion about how to best pass on our faith.
And don’t forget to register for the 2009 Midwest Teaching & Discipleship Convention. The two keynote speakers, Bryan Loritts and Darren Whitehead, will inspire you and the workshop leaders will increase your ministry. This is the last week to receive the pre-registration discount and I want you all to be there!
-Paul
Paul J. Loth, Ed.D.
Executive Director
GCSSA
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