What pastors should know about parents. The 2022 Orange Report produced with Parent Cue reveals that more than fifty percent of Christian parents feel that their church could be more supportive of their parenting. About fifty percent of parents also say that pastors/clergy don’t understand the realities of their lives or value them as parents. […]
There’s a disturbing dysfunction in the body of Christ – a pastor/parent disconnect. Research identifies that “congregations and families are not collaborating adequately in children’s faith formation,” that “many churches are not explicit in their support of parents as children’s faith formers,” and that “many churches are uncertain about how to support family faith … […]
Questions without answers. Cultivating family faith … I remember when I heard about the Hemorrhaging Faith report and discovered that only one in three Canadian young adults who attended church weekly as a child still do so today. Half of the young adults who no longer attend church have also stopped identifying themselves with the […]
Do you have a vision for future children’s ministry? Pastor and author A. W. Tozer said, “We need a baptism of clear seeing. We desperately need seers who can see through the mist – Christian leaders with prophetic vision. Unless they come soon, it will be too late for this generation. And if they do […]
Children’s ministry regional facilitator Harry Bryans says, “The Global Church is experiencing a discipleship crisis where as few as 10% of youth in our Christian families and churches are considered as having a clear and resilient faith, and increasing numbers are leaving the church. Many parents and church leaders are left feeling devastated, defeated, and […]
Children’s ministry threatened! Veteran researcher and author George Barna revealed in May 2022 that only 12% of children’s pastors and youth pastors, and 4% of Christian parents of preteens have a biblical worldview.* These are American findings, yet the statistics probably apply to all developed nations. While there’s no similar research in Canada, Australia, New […]
The Multi-national Children’s Ministry Report (2021) has identified that “there needs to be clearer communication, greater clarity and a stronger sense of purpose amongst all who are involved in children’s faith formation to best serve children in the seasons ahead.” Stated succinctly – it’s time for parents, pastors, teachers and others to develop a new […]
An international team of academic researchers and ministry practitioners from Brazil, Canada, the UK, and the USA are asking, “Do we need a new plan for children’s ministry?” If you’re a church leader, school teacher or Christian parent, that’s a stop-you-in-your-tracks question. What have the researchers discovered to make this question the title of their […]
The Canadian Children’s Ministry Report 2021 identified that like it or not, the pandemic exposed a tragic reality; “even good Christian homes struggled to build spiritual formation into the daily rhythms of life.” The apathy or unwillingness of parents to disciple their children shouldn’t be ignored. Parents need to be the driving force in the […]
Is COVID-19 shifting children’s ministry? The origin of the phrase “Every cloud has a silver lining” seems to be John Milton’s poem “Comus.” It means we can find something positive in even the worst events or situations. So is COVID-19 shifting children’s ministry in positive ways? I believe it is. Learning and innovating. To begin, […]
