It All Begins at Home (Part Two)
by Jim Newberry
In the last post, we reflected on the importance of the restored relationship between fathers and children, and the potential role we might play in helping usher in that restoration. I would like to pick-up where we left off by looking at the great Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. As I mentioned in the last post, most of our evangelism / discipleship efforts in youth ministry tend to focus on our events and programs. But I think this passage provides us one picture of how we might reculture evangelism / discipleship.
Obviously the big idea was for God’s people to love Him with all their heart, soul and strength. But look at the pattern by which children learned to do this. “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.”
When was the last time you heard of students in your youth ministry that had these kinds of experiences with their parents: talking together (yeah right!); going on walks together, sitting together, lying down together, sharing symbols together. Can’t we create these kinds of experiences for youth and parents?
Look – I know it’s problematic. I know students would much rather be on an event with their friends than with their parents. But do we see our events really forming the faith of youth over the long haul? I know not all students’ parents are believers and incapable of leading their children in this way. So is this the job description of our volunteer leaders or do we just have them leading table talk and driving vans? The Israelite children learned about a covenant relationship with Yahweh by going “along the way” with the parents and adults of their community. Maybe we should look at this too?
Jim Newberry is Pastor of Student and Young Adult Ministries at Christ Community (Evangelical Free) Church in Leawood, Kansas. He will be leading a breakout session at Shift titled Reculturing Evangelism / Discipleship.
In the last post, we reflected on the importance of the restored relationship between fathers and children, and the potential role we might play in helping usher in that restoration. I would like to pick-up where we left off by looking at the great Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. As I mentioned in the last post, most of our evangelism / discipleship efforts in youth ministry tend to focus on our events and programs. But I think this passage provides us one picture of how we might reculture evangelism / discipleship.
Obviously the big idea was for God’s people to love Him with all their heart, soul and strength. But look at the pattern by which children learned to do this. “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.”
When was the last time you heard of students in your youth ministry that had these kinds of experiences with their parents: talking together (yeah right!); going on walks together, sitting together, lying down together, sharing symbols together. Can’t we create these kinds of experiences for youth and parents?
Look – I know it’s problematic. I know students would much rather be on an event with their friends than with their parents. But do we see our events really forming the faith of youth over the long haul? I know not all students’ parents are believers and incapable of leading their children in this way. So is this the job description of our volunteer leaders or do we just have them leading table talk and driving vans? The Israelite children learned about a covenant relationship with Yahweh by going “along the way” with the parents and adults of their community. Maybe we should look at this too?
Jim Newberry is Pastor of Student and Young Adult Ministries at Christ Community (Evangelical Free) Church in Leawood, Kansas. He will be leading a breakout session at Shift titled Reculturing Evangelism / Discipleship.
Labels: conference
posted by Jim Newberry at 7:59 AM
1 Comments:
Ashley Irwin said...Sounds great.
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