“The Bible presents a family-centered, church-supported strategy to disciple
young people, and this needs to shape how we minister to them.”
parents the responsibility to teach children, and that
often happens today in partnership with educational
institutions (Luke 6:40).
The Bible presents a family-centered, church-supported
strategy to disciple young people, and this needs to shape
how we minister to them. Philosophically, for the past 50
years, the evangelical church has operated as if church was
the greatest influence in a child’s life, done little to equip
parents, and ignored grandparents and education.
• “Many of the church leaders talk about the impor-
tance of the family, but in practice, they have written
off the family as an agency of spiritual influence. Their
assumption is that if the family is going to be influ-
enced, it is the organized church that will do the influ-
encing, primarily through its events—worship services,
classes, special events, etc. This philosophy causes the
impetus behind youth (and children’s) ministry to be
fixing what is broken—that is, to substitute the efforts of
the church for those of parents since most of the latter
do not provide the spiritual direction and accountabil-
ity that their children need. But there is a procedural
problem here: kids take their cues from their family,
not from their youth ministers. God’s plan was for the
church to support the family and for the family to be the
front-line of ministry within the home.” 1
• Churches have said to families, “Bring your children to
us. Let us teach them about Christ, and we will include
you in the process. Help us develop Sunday school,
small groups, retreats, and Vacation Bible School. The
message we are communicating to families is that the
church should be the focal point for nurturing faith in
their children.” 2
Many well-intended church leaders have a theology of
ministry that does not reflect the pattern or practice of
Scripture. Many families rely too heavily on the church for
the spiritual training of children without doing much disci-
pleship at home, and the results are not good. The ministry
of parenting and grandparenting is God’s primary evange-
lism and discipleship vehicle for children, which is why it is
so critical that you devote serious energy to it and develop a
multi-person disciple-making plan for your church.
Most churches put all their energy into the few hours they
have with children on Sunday mornings and Wednesday
nights, but my encouragement is to develop a four-person
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strategy to reach and disciple young people built around
parents, grandparents, education, and the church. If you
are interested in learning how to do that, Renewanation can
help through our church revitalization process.
CHARACTERISTIC #6: AN UNWAVERING
COMMITMENT TO THE AUTHORITY AND
SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE (2 Timothy 3:15-16)
How do young people come to faith and grow in faith? Paul
states, “and how from childhood you have been acquainted
with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise
for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.”
One of the most helpful passages on the sufficiency of
Scripture from the New Testament is 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
Paul instructs Timothy about the authority and sufficien-
cy of Scripture, which is able to lead a person to salvation
in Christ, grow them into Christ-like maturity, guard from
false teaching, and provide direction for life decisions. Paul
says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training
in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent,
equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:15-17).
Paul says the Bible is profitable and useful for:
• Teaching with the Bible what is true. The Bible is given
for instruction about what is true and false such as the
meaning of manhood and womanhood, marriage, and
what is right and wrong. According to the Bible, teach-
ing is not concerned with facts to be learned but truth
to be lived. One reason God has given us the Bible is to
teach children what is true. Therefore, if we want chil-
dren to have biblical beliefs, we must commit to reading
and discussing the Bible with them. God gave us the
Bible to educate a child in truth.
• Convicting with the Bible (for reproof) when there is
sin. The Bible generates conviction; it makes people
aware of what God requires. The Bible exposes sin.
Our children are sinful by nature. They lack confor-
mity to God’s law, and God has given you the Scrip-
tures to transform the heart of a child. It is God’s ways,
not ours, that children must obey. The Greek mean-
ing of the word reproof is the legal process of being
found responsible for a crime. God has given us the
Bible to convince our little law-breakers they have
broken God’s law, and apart from Christ, they stand
condemned. Conviction is important because there