God always intended that our formation in the Christian faith would be at the heart of family life. As they enter the promised land, Moses tells the families of Israel to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength’ (Deuteronomy 6:5) and to keep these commands on their hearts, to ‘impress them on their children. Talk about them when they sit at home and when they walk along the road, when they lie down and get up’ (Deuteronomy 6:6–8).
Reading a devotion together is wonderful, but God’s vision also sees families sharing faith – and Jesus meeting us – through life’s everyday activities. We show love by sharing not only joys, but also struggles and disappointments, and by bringing all these things to Jesus in prayer.
As leaders in family ministry, the team at Grow Ministries is always asking: ‘How can we support parents in this journey?’ For some, family faith conversations haven’t been a part of their own story. It is our responsibility in our congregations to provide parents with the support they may not even be asking for!
HOW CAN WE SUPPORT PARENTS TO PASS ON FAITH?
- Give parents a plan:
We know that parenting these days is often reactive, yet we desire to be more proactive. Therefore, giving parents a plan will give them a system of support, consistent influence and a steady flow of relevant information and resources.
- Show them how it works:
Parents need to be influenced as much as children do and they desire to be engaged in a process that will help them take the best next step. As leaders, we have the opportunity to educate and create a network of support for families to connect with.
- Tell them what to do:
If we are to truly partner with parents, we need to provide them specific instructions or resources to use each week. Sometimes parents have a lack of vision, but often they just don’t know where to start.
NEW RESOURCE WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FAMILIES
To support congregations in their partnership with parents and families, Grow Ministries has created a new resource that will help parents to nurture the faith of their children. It’s called Woven Together, with the aim that it will encourage families to make faith conversations and practices part of their everyday life without it being too arduous.
Woven Together draws us into God’s big narrative by beginning at Genesis and continuing through to Revelation in one year. In it, we see how God’s story of love and redemption is woven through the lives of the people in the Bible, and we hear how his story is also woven through our lives, in our families.
It is designed to be simple. A simple story to read. A prayer to say. A blessing to give. A rhythm to develop within the lives of those you love.
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