Generations

In today's generation, more and more parents are relying on the church as their kids' source of information on how to have a relationship and mature in Christ.

I'd contend I didn't grow up in that but did watch alot of friends grow up in that. Sure, I was at church twice a week hanging out with close friends and the youth pastors. But there was another part of me that was being led by my dad. The Bible clearly gives dads a responsibility to lead the family in the ways of Christ. That's exactly what he did for me. I saw him in alot of areas of life, how he acted, and I tried to model my attitudes like his and still think about those things today.

If my dad would have counted on my church for everything, to raise me and mature me in Christ, I would've had a pretty screwed up life. We went to a "megachurch" as they are called, and I was having a good time, though it was rough trying to get to know alot of people, mostly because I was shy. Then we went to a smaller church. I got to know the first youth pastor really well, but then he was fired. I questioned it, I had no idea why a church would make a pastor lie to his youth students just so the church looked good. Of course once he left, the whole program left and we had a new youth pastor a short time later. Again the church hated different things he did, so he left to become pastor at another church. The break in me happened when I saw two more things. One "business meeting" during church (Oh how we youths loved those), I heard the elders basically call youth worthless. There was a budget of "$0" for the youth department. Then, to top it off, a few months later I found out the pastor had an affair with the church's secretary. It really screwed me up for a bit. Of course, I haven't stepped foot in that church since then and probably won't unless God changes my heart.

The point of all of that is that, had my dad depended on the church to be my sole source of Godly information and the only source of learning to live a life in Christ, I'd have walked away after that (like many of my friends did). But because he guided me through different things without the help of the church, I have seen God's work in my life in so many ways.

If this generation continues to rely solely on the church for things, we will continue to see a decrease in the population of the Sunday crowd. We can build buildings, have great youth programs, have a Starbuck's, heck even a golf course, but if we don't have fathers willing to lead their families in their daily lives, very little will change. Sure, the church youth group may be more relevant when it comes to worship music and messages. But Christ's example can be followed by anyone, including a 99 year old grandfather. Christ's example is Christ's example, it is not dependant on the culture we live in.

In the end, God will not hold churches like The Village solely accountable for not ensuring the maturing of its people in Him. No, he will hold the Christian dads accountable. It is my hope that I'll remember how I was raised and not how the culture views raising Christian children and be a dad focused on raising my kids in Him whether or not my kids love their leaders or not.

Kids are a gift from Him. It is a ministry that every parent can take on, and it's my hope that my ministry (whenever that begins!) will be one that glorifies God.