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"Faith@Home!" Begins with The Blessing!
There's a movement spreading across the country called the "faith@home" movement. Why?
For years churches have simply not asked the question, "What are the outcomes of what we do?" That's because it's easier to ask, "How
many came?" than to try to measure things like the change in a person's heart or the depth of someone's faith.
But here is something that is being studied - "What is it that seems to make faith "stick" for children moving from grade school to high school to
college?" The answer is very challenging - especially if you're serious about seeing your child maintain a strong faith through their childhood all
the way through their teen and college years. In short, more then 50% (some studies show higher) of children attending Sunday School today,
will not be attending church or walking in their faith when they get to high school!
So why is it that we're losing so many kids in these crucial years? One thing to understand is that for years, we've encouraged parents to drop
their children off at church - and in the process leaving the spiritual training of the children to volunteers or church staff. Yet current studies
(like the Reveal Study) show that (as hard as it is to admit) church attendance is not a key factor in what makes faith real and lasting with our kids!
That's not to slam the church in any way. Most churches are doing a tremendous job DURING THE ONE OR TWO HOURS a week they have
a child.But one hour a week (and "regular attenders" to church often only go twice a month!) show that dropping a child off and hoping for the
best isn't a strategy for spiritual success for your child!
It's crucial to understand that while "outsourcing" the spiritual training of our home isn't seeing kids stay strong in their faith --
but there are two things that you can do in your family that can make a tremendous difference in their embracing a life-long
relationship with Christ!
The first thing that clinical studies are showing for teens who have a thriving faith is that while they were growing up, they did some kind of service
as a family. That could be a missions trip together, helping serve a meal at a homeless shelter, volunteering to build a hous, serve at church together, or show up occasionally to encourage the people at a nearby nursing home all helped! Service really cuts ice with kids when it comes to
their faith. And what's the second thing?
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Second is kids with a thriving faith, as they got older, tended to come from homes where there was "intentionality" in the home. Meaning, those kids
came from homes who tried to live out Deut. 6:6-7 "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach
them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when
you rise up." In short, while it's incredibly important (and biblical) to attend church - IT'S THE PARENTS WHO ARE TO BE THE CONSISTENT
SPIRITUAL TRAINERS IN THEIR HOME!
But how do you do that? Especially if you're like Cindy and me, and you didn't come from a Christian family that took steps to live out their faith at home.
HERE'S THE EXCITING NEWS THAT IS INDEED TURNING INTO A MOVEMENT OF PARENTS AND CHURCHES ACROSS THE COUNTRY!
You can learn to be the spiritual trainer in your home! Doing "faith@home" isn't for experts only or people who have been to seminary or missionary families! It's for every family - including
yours! Want to see how easy it can be to start a tradition of "faith@home" evenings - just once a week - at your home?
Then click on the button below and you can download a "Get Started!" PDF I wrote to encourage families to get in the game when it comes to being the spiritual trainers in their home! These
are the kinds of things we did in our home, and included are a number of resources you can follow up with as well.
And now one last thing. Here at StrongFamilies, we talk a lot about the biblical "blessing" that God created as a tool for transferring unconditional love and affirmation to our
children. WHEN YOU POUR THE FIVE ELEMENTS OF THE BLESSING INTO YOUR CHILD'S LIFE - YOU'RE LAYING A FOUNDATION FOR THEM TO EXPERIENCE GOD'S
LOVE! It is so much easier for a child to believe there's a God who loves and cares for them, when they see that love poured through parents who "bless" their children! In fact,
many of the outstanding "faith@home" models that are helping parents today (from Mark Holman's "faith@home" studies, to Brian Haynes "Legacy Milestones" to Ryan Rush's
"Faith Breakthroughs" to our own Kurt Bruner's "HomePointe Model," the biblical blessing of children is used by all of these experts and models as a starting point for faith
transference! (Meaning, if your kids don't know you love them - really love them - it's really tough for them to care about this guy named Jesus who really loves them!)
So, again, click on the button to the right to find a number of fun, easy, biblical, powerful ways to teach
your children important lessons about their Lord, God's word, and get started doing "faith@home" right now! |
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