Because parents are the primary counselors/educators in their child’s life, counseling and educating children begins with counseling and educating parents. Parents must be equipped to better understand and love their kids. Encouraging video clip for children’s ministers!
HT: Doug Wolter
Thanks Doug!
“If this was happening to me, that would be one thing, but, because it is happening to my child, that puts it in a different category.”
This is the first week of school for our daughter Lucy, and our daughter Rachael starts school in a week. Every time our kids walk into their schools we’re entrusting them into the care of others and into the care of our God. It is a dark, scary world, and sometimes it is hard to let our kids go. Here are two great resources on trusting God with our children and letting them go into Jesus’ care:
The first is from the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation (CCEF) on trusting God when children suffer. There is a bit of banter at the beginning that may not be of interest to http://sojournkids.com readers. If you fast-forward to 5:20 then, you will be at the meat of the podcast.
The second is a video clip of Mark Driscoll, Teaching Pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. On this clip, Driscoll is answering a theological question about the “age of accountability.” I’m encouraged both by Driscoll’s answer and his pastoral heart in this clip:
If you haven’t had a chance to look over the materials presented by Mark Prater and Andy Farmer on Children’s and Student Ministry at Sojourn’s 2009 Counseling & The Church Conference, you should take a look. This session sought to answer the following questions: What is the role of the local church in coming alongside of parents as they seek to raise their children? How should theology drive the ministry structures and the methods used in serving parents in your family ministry? Parents often feel helpless and alone in raising their children from birth through the teen years, so the church must step up and serve a crucial role in coming alongside parents. In these tracks, Mark and Andy looked at how parents are equipped to help their children and teens understand and live out the gospel with the help of their local church community. Mark and Andy are pastors at Covenant Fellowship in Glen Mills, PA.
Download:
Children’s Ministry Session led by Pastor Mark Prater