THE CHURCH'S ROLE IN PARENTING
Recently reviewing the new book by Dr. Tim Kimmel title, CONNECTING CHURCH & HOME, I found my mind and heart really pierced with the current state of our in-church parenting.
Churches and families need each other. And no, I am not referring to our family’s use of the free child care that the church provides to us a few times every week, and I am not suggesting the need of our church leaders for a deep dig into our pockets as the offering plate passes.
In my role as layman/teacher, I am continuing to witness many families assigned the great responsibility of training up children to those church workers. Parents who depend on the church to do the bulk of the spiritual heavy lifting, are seldom satisfied. No matter how hard we work and try to mold and sculpt behavior in the 2-3 hours of time we have with the kids every week, the co-dependent parents regularly seem to communicate how the church should do more. Jokingly, I wonder if the "do more" is simply their petition to open the doors on Friday night in order to provide another opportunity at free child care.
As Kimmel states in his book, the church is to teach and train, but it’s supposed to be in complement to what’s happening at home, not in place of. There’s the issue.
The role of a parent is to connect to the heart of his or her child in such a way he or she prepares that child to more easily connect to the heart of God. Strong churches don’t make strong families. "Strong families make strong churches."
The best thing churches can do for parents is to equip and encourage them to bring Jesus home.
The best thing parents can do for churches is to bring a carload of family members filled with Jesus back to church each week.
When God’s truth, love, mercy, and grace are what is happening in church on Sunday and in our homes throughout the week, the world will take notice.
MORE INFORMATION from Tim Kimmel’s publisher can be found at:
http://www.randallhouse.com/shop/connecting-church-and-home-a-grace-based-partnership/