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