Family Driven Faith

That's the Title of the Book I'm reading. (Seriously, I should have finished it a long time ago, but I only read it on the elliptical, and well, I haven't exactly been consistent with that lately...and a friend recommended another very good book, and...and...)

There are so many goodies in this book. I will share a couple. (I don't agree with everything the author has to say, but then, when do any of us?)

Writing about the rate at which Christian kids leave the faith once on their own (75% after their freshman year of college) the author states that the current thinking in which we parents outsource the discipling of our kids to "the professionals" of the church youth group:

Talk to a college pastor about the freshman fallout rates, and he will tell you, "We do the best we can, but by the time we get them from the youth ministry, it's too late." Talk to a high school pastor and he'll tell you, "We have to do a better job in our junior high ministry." Of course, the junior high pastor is going to blame the children's minister, who will, in turn, pass the buck to the preschool minister. I believe there is a more fundamental question that we must ask. Could it be that we have established systems designed to meet the wrong needs and attack the wrong problems?"

(emphasis mine)

Well, since most youth groups are really competing as an entertainment entity, I'd say, yes, we are after the wrong problems. Last time I checked, kids in this country are not exactly suffering a lack of entertainment options.

And this, about the whole idea of outsourcing that which God has called parents to ensure:

"...you visit a church, your teen goes off to the youth service, your little one goes off to children's church, the baby goes to the nursery, and you and your spouse get a great seat in a plush auditorium with first-class music, professional drama, a relevant, encouraging, application-oriented, non-threatening talk, and you get it all in just under an hour."

Now, in Hawaii, if you get air conditioning you've scored, but you get the basic idea. The problem here is that the family is not together at all--even in church.

Both of these examples highlight the point the author makes which is this:
We can't very well be surprised at who our children turn out to be once they are out on their own, when we have had little or no time/influence with them while they were in our care.