Suggestions for Parents: Faith Starts at Home

This week I am going to do a five part series on suggestions for parents. This isn't because I think I am a better parent than others. I know that I still have a lot to learn, especially since I only have a 7th grader. My advice may be more like, do as I say not as I do type advice. Each post is a reminder to me of what I should be doing with my own kids.



When I think about the state of parents and their kids faith, I look to the school system. The current school system is for the most part messed up. We have allowed the government to be the major teacher in our students lives. We have allow them to teach not only math, reading and writing but now also sex, job searching and more. Parents have become lazy (not all but some). There are many families who don't even teach their kids to read anymore because they know the schools will do it. We are afraid to talk to our kids about sex, so we let the school system do it. The funny part is, we then become upset at what they are teaching our students.


In the same way, we have relegated the faith development of our students to the church. When they are little, we take them to children's church. When they become teenagers, we send them off to the youth ministry. We give the youth pastor about 3-5 hours per week to change our students into great Christians while we sit on the sidelined hoping that everything works out. The funny part (or sad part) is that if our kids mess up, we blame the church and youth ministry.


I have always believed that the faith of students starts at home. When I talked with my parents, I always told them that they were the "youth pastors" to their kids. The school should be a supplement to what we are teaching our kids at home. The same way the church should be a supplement to the faith we are teaching our kids at home. We ARE the pastors to our kids, no doubt about it. This is a great responsibility that many of us don't fulfill. I am with you.


Now, some of you might be asking HOW? This was always the question for me because when I was growing up we never did much faith development at home. My family encouraged church attendance but I don't remember any specific instances where my parents help me in my faith walk. How can we as parents take the lead role in the faith of our students.

• Be An Example: You kids will learn more from what you do than what you say. If you arent' living the true Christian lifestyle each and everyday, your kids won't either.
• Talk With Your Kids: This might seem simple, it is. Do you know if your students have made the profession of faith or have you just assumed it? I am still surprise when students in our ministry come and tell me they finally accepted Christ, when I thought they had done it a long time ago. You need to talk to your kids about what it means to be a Christian, what are they struggling with and how you can help them.
• Teach Them the Basics: We need to teach our kids how to grow in their faith. We MUST teach them to read the Bible, pray, share their faith and to live the Godly lifestyle. If you aren't sure how to do this, reach out for help.
• Be Consistent: This is the same as when you punish your child. We need to be consistent with how and when we help our kids. This is going to be hard work but you need to keep your head up and lean on God.
• Learn from Others: No one knows everything. We must humble ourselves and reach out to others for help. This could be talking to a neighbor, spending time with the youth pastor, reading differing books and reaching out to family. The phrase "It takes a village to raise a child" is true and will make our life easier.

We you take the lead in your students faith development, you are taking up the call of Christ but you are also taking the whole responsibility on yourself. If you kids mess up, and they will, it will be because of you or at least that is what they will tell you. We need to always be thinking and praying for our children as they grow up. We need to give them to God from the moment we find out we are having them. Our children's lives depend on the role that we as parents play in their life.


Are you doing what you can?