Are children necessary in a Christian family? In a recent article Dr. David Schrock, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Seymour, Indiana says, “In truth, the Great Commission must begin with our own families. In Christ, be fruitful and multiply takes on greater significance—we are to make disciples of those outside our families and we are to have […]
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Family Ministry: Adoption–Living in a Story That’s Bigger Than You
In a recent Desiring God blog post, Dan Cruver writes these words: “The eternal Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — existed forever in the communion of love before time began. But when the three Persons of the Trinity created the heavens and the earth, the story of the Trinity broke into human history […]
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Family Ministry: Do You See Who Your Children Really Are?
Believe it or not, your children’s first and foremost identity is not to be your children. Your children were created for a far greater identity—an identity that will last into eternity. Inasmuch as they embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, your children were created to be your brothers and sisters. And so, every child in […]
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Family Ministry: Teaching Your Children the Big Story of God
I have a long list of books that I recommend on a broad range of subjects—apologetics, family ministry, church history, and so on. But there’s a much briefer list on which it’s far more difficult to gain a spot: books I use with my own children. This new book by Jim Hamilton, The Bible’s Big […]
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Family Ministry: “As it Were a Little Church,” The Puritan Model for Family Discipleship
Even in the latest models of family ministry, there are components that can be traced back centuries before the recent surge of family ministry books and conferences. Among the Puritan heirs of the Reformation, there was a clear model for family discipleship that could be learned and transferred from one context to another. Brief, daily times […]
[Read More...]Family Ministry: The Centrality of Womanhood in Redemption
“It was male human nature that the Son of God united to his divine person; it was a female human person who was chosen to be his mother. In no woman has human nature been raised to the dignity which it possesses in Jesus of Nazareth, but to no male person has there been given […]
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Family Ministry: Living in the Right Story
Accused by a member of Parliament of always repeating “the same old story,” British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once retorted, “Of course, it’s the same old story! Truth usually is the same old story.” Whatever one may think of Margaret Thatcher’s politics, her words carry with them a reminder that can transform the lives of […]
[Read More...]Family Ministry: Gut Feelings, the Gospel, and the Big Lie About Nine-Out-of-Ten
“So, tell me,” I ask, “why do you want to transition your church toward family ministry?” “Well,” the pastor begins “nine out of every ten kids are dropping out of church after they graduate, aren’t they? Evidently, what we’re doing right now isn’t working.” “Mm-hmm,” the children’s director agrees. “Eighty-eight percent is what they said […]
[Read More...]Family Ministry: Three Facts That You May Not Know About the Parents in Your Church
I recently wrote an article for D6 Family entitled “It’s Time to Engage!: Three Facts You Need to Know to Launch an Incredible Family Ministry.” Here’s an excerpt from the article: The animated feature The Incredibles is a favorite movie in our household—and one of our favorite scenes is the family meal early in the […]
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Family Ministry: Video Games and Pornography, Why So Many Young Men Are Addicted
In an enlightening and well-crafted article “Fake Love, Fake War: Why So Many Men Are Addicted to Internet Porn and Video Games,” Russell Moore writes: “If you’re addicted to sugar or tequila or heroin you want more and more of that substance. But porn and video games both are built on novelty, on the quest […]
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