- Whereas God intends for parents to serve as the primary spiritual instructors of their children (Deuteronomy 6:4-9), and
- Whereas God intends for those He calls as ministers to equip His people for service (Ephesians 4:11-13), and
- Whereas many parents in church fail to fulfill their responsibility for the spiritual development of their children (Judges 2:10, 14), and
- Whereas the church makes its greatest impact upon unbelieving youth and families when its own youth and families are healthy spiritually (1 Timothy 3:1-13), and
- Whereas we as church and organizational leaders too long have failed to equip parents for their vital role in the spiritual instruction and leadership of their teenage children,
Therefore,
- We call for youth ministers to take on their rightful role as pastoral ministers to parents, acknowledging parents as the primary spiritual leaders of their children and serving parents in that role.
To further define this role,
- We call for youth ministers to champion the call for churches to pray for parents and to mobilize parents to pray for their teenagers.
- We call for youth ministers to spend intentional time each week administering and communicating ministries that impact the home.
- We call for youth ministers consistently to involve parents with leaders and resources that equip parents for biblical parenting and primary discipling of their children.
- We call for youth ministers to acquire training in family ministry to be equipped to respond to families in crisis and to refer when necessary.
- We call for youth ministers to include events and experiences that bring parents and teenagers together when it best achieves ministry purposes.
- We call for churches to call youth ministers in agreement with this document and to support and encourage existing youth ministers to make a transition toward parent ministry.
- We call for senior pastors and church leaders to incorporate the spirit of this document in the church’s ministry with parents of children of all ages.
Authors of this Document (22)
Dr. Richard Ross - Team Leader, Professor of Student Ministry, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Jeff Diebold, Student Pastor, Frederick Blvd. Baptist Church, St. Joseph, MO
Lenny Martin, Student Pastor, Good Shepherd Community Church, Boring, OR
Ronnie Adkins, First Priority of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
Jim Burns, Founder - Youth Builders
Rick Lawrence, Executive Editor, GROUP Magazine
Cathy Bell, Student Ministry Volunteer, Montgomery Evangelical Free Church, Hillsborough, NJ
Matthew Bell, Student Pastor, Chelten Baptist Church, Warrington, PA
Toni Fleischmann, Student Ministry Volunteer
Jeff Jordan, Student Pastor, Freeman Heights Baptist, Berryville, AR
Shane Kennard, Student Pastor, Park Central Baptist, Dallas, TX
Samuel Kee, Student Pastor
Jimmy Hester, Senior Director of Student Ministry Publishing, LifeWay Christian Resources
Mark Matlock, Founder - Wisdom Works Ministries
Sue McAllister, Southeastern Regional Coordinator, National Network of Youth Ministries
Josh McDowell, Author/Speaker, Josh McDowell Ministries
Connie Neal, Author / Speaker
Randy Phillips, President - Promise Keepers Passages Conferences
Mike Potter, Founder - Parenting Teenagers
Gus Reyes, Ethnic Evangelism Consultant, Baptist General Convention of Texas
Barry St. Clair, Founder - Reachout Ministries
Bob Waliszewski, Editor - Plugged In Magazine, Focus on the Family
(The above was developed by a group of youth ministry leaders during the National Network of Youth Ministries Forum in Glorieta, New Mexico, January 11-12, 2004.
© The National Network of Youth Ministries, 2004. Duplication and distribution of this document is encouraged.)
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