Family Ministry Moments - November 2024
Kids Ministry Serving Opportunities
11 AM Worship Hour
- 1st - 2nd Grade Kids Life Group Leader and Assistant Leader
- 3rd - 5th Grade Kids Life Group Assistant Leader
Contact me if you are interested in learning more about these opportunities!
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A few years ago Lifeway Research published a huge study about discipling children who will have a strong faith into adulthood. The study was published in a book by Jana Magruder called Nothing Less. They identified 10 spiritual influencers that have an impact on your child's spiritual health. I did a series of podcasts on these influencers a few years ago. You can find the first episode at https://ohbcfamilies.podbean.com/e/episode-1-modern-parenting/
The spiritual influences are things you would expect–parents who encourage prayer, serving, Christian music, and missions are important influencers; however, there was one influence that blew the others away. The one that moved the needle the most in the area of spiritual health was Bible reading.
Parents who encouraged Bible reading in their homes were far more likely to have children who stuck to their faith into adulthood. Barna Research indicated in 2019 that the church dropout rate among college students was 64% (https://www.barna.com/research/resilient-disciples/). There is an epidemic among Christian families that must be addressed, but waiting until children are in college is too late! We must address this problem early, preferably starting when children are toddlers.
When children are little it is easy to introduce them to the Bible. Many parents I know have a bedtime routine that includes reading. Reading the Bible and praying naturally fits into this time. As children grow, life gets very busy and times like this can become more difficult. Parents must make Bible reading a priority. I have seen some families
incorporate a family devotion time at a time that is convenient for them, like dinner time, or in the morning before everyone heads out the door. In our stage of life, we now have three teenagers, the routine that we like is to have a family prayer time before bed and then encourage everyone (even the adults) to go do a devotion or Bible reading and personal prayer time.
Do we do this every night? I wish, sometimes we forget or our schedule gets messed up. The point is not to be legalistic about it, the studies indicate that regular (meaning most of the time) Bible reading has a great impact on children’s faith. So the challenge is for parents to find what works for their family with the time they have.
While this study is very enlightening, we don’t need a study to tell us that God’s Word is important. God’s Word testifies to its importance. Mediate on these familiar verses:
- Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
- Matthew 4:4 - “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work
Do you want a strong faith? Do you want your children to have a strong faith? Read God’s Word!!!