Vice Versa or Versa Vice?

I have been thinking about youth ministry and parents a lot lately. I am not sure why...probably for a few reasons. One of which has to do with the fact that our youth ministry here in Destin, FL has a regular showing of students whose families are not exactly encouraging or modeling good lifestyles (let alone Christian ones).

We get these students for a few hours a week but their family gets them for somewhere in 60-70 hour range (if you minus sleeping and school). Their influence is so huge. I feel like our only real hope is to reach their parents. Yeah, yeah, I know...God is bigger than their parents. I agree. He can save and change them. But take into account a few things:

1) Parents are still the number one influence on teens
2) There is a big jump in students accepting and living under the Lordship of Jesus into adulthood who have 4-5 adult Christian influences in their lives who pour into them a bit
3) Students with self destructive families and self destructive personal habits tend to have friends who accept them and likely have similar habits. Which....means you are asking them to break from their circle of friends which is extremely difficult for them, or any teen, to do. This is not impossible though and we need to think deeply about how to resource these students in this way through our ministries...to help them live into a new transformed community.

With all of this said, I have begun serious discussions with our children's minister and with some other ministry professionals and veterans. I am trying to figure out how to do family ministry. I do NOT want to get rid of or downplay youth or children's ministry but I do want to see a vital DNA change. Which is this:

To have the church (children's and youth ministries) be a resource TO parents as opposed to

Having the parents being a resource to us.

Do you know what I mean? Does this make sense?

I think that Biblically the parents have a mandate to raise their children in the faith. However, I think there is a subtle opinion (not pointing blame at anyone) that the church is mainly responsible for the formation of our youth and children. So...to that end...I hope to figure out a way in the Lord to make some DNA changes here in Destin.

Labels: Family, Parenting, Programs