RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Fatherhood. What does it look like in today's culture?  Recently, Viacom conducted major research to examine the lives of fathers around the world.  Here's what they found.

Modern dads are forming a new identity for themselves by rejecting traditional parenting roles. 

80% of dads want to be better fathers for their kids than their own dads were to them.

Instead of being seen as detached rule enforcers, modern dads want to be seen as supportive and emotionally involved figures.   They are communicating and engaging head on about sensitive topics.

Fathers are also monitoring their own physical and mental well-being.  Compared to single men without children, today's modern dads are 42% more likely to have regular check-ups, 18% more likely to take supplements and 9% more likely to eat healthy.

Modern fathers are looking for guidance on being a good father.  Studies show that 50% of fathers in America want to be a better father.  But the truth is, the same support and resources for fathers is less than what is available for mothers.  Modern fathers are looking for help.  44% of modern fathers believe that being a good father is the single most important thing in their life.

Modern fathers are looking for ways to have more time with their kids.  45% of fathers feel frustrated about not being able to spend more time with their kids.  The good news is this.  Modern fathers spend an average of 3 more hours a day with their kids on weekdays and 2 hours more on the weekends than fathers did 10 years ago. 

This data presents a great opportunity for churches to influence fathers and help them become a spiritual leader for their children.

Fathers are looking for help.  Your ministry has a wide open door to speak into the lives of fathers. Think about ways you can directly influence fathers.  Provide a parenting class designed for fathers.
Use Milestone classes to give them practical ways to lead their family spiritually.

Communicate with fathers using modern avenues.  Facebook.  Email.  Instagram.  Texting. 

Provide events for fathers and their children.  Father-son cookouts.  Family camp.  Father-daughter dances. 

Invest in fathers by teaching them how to be great fathers.  What is your role as a father based on God's Word?  What parenting style should you use with your kids?  How do you to raise your kids to follow Jesus?  How do you connect with your child on a daily basis?  How do you parent through the different stages of your child growing up.

Call fathers up to be the spiritual leader of their home.  All too often, mothers have to take this responsibility because the father is not stepping up.

More than ever, we need godly men who will lead their families spiritually.  Let's be faithful to encourage and equip fathers to do just that.    

Barbie is soon going to be talking with kids.  Mattel has teamed up with ToyTalk to turn the plastic toy into a girl with a personality and conversational abilities.  The planned release date is November 2015.

Talking Barbie will have more than 8,000 lines of dialogue at her disposal that have been planned out according to conversations the company thinks kids might have with the doll.

And with advanced technology, Barbie will also be able to remember information from previous conversations to bring up later.

Some are showing concern, saying children can't distinguish between artificial intellengence and actual human life as well as adults can.  Professor Peter Kahn said, "In small doses, it just doesn't matter, of course...but the way the world is going, these are not just going to become small, isolated technologies in a child's life.  They will become a pervasive form of interaction."

One of the questions kids may ask is "Do you believe in God?"  The planned response from Barbie may be, "I think a person's beliefs are very personal to them."

This is a great reminder of how important it is to equip parents to have spiritual conversations with their kids.  God has called parents to lead their children spiritually...not Barbie!

I believe preschool ministry must be a top priority in the local church.  Here's 3 reasons why.

#1 - The early years lay a foundation for your entire life.

A recent study shows that a person's career success can be predicted as early as kindergarten.  A group of children were tracked from kindergarten through age 25.  The children who did well when they were kindergartners were far more likely to earn a college degree and have a full-time job by 25.

Those who assessed poorly in kindergarten had a much higher chance of getting arrested, binge drinking and not doing well financially as an adult.

The results confirmed once again that helping kids develop life skills in early childhood is critical for their future.  From an early age, this can determine if the child goes to prison or college and whether they end up employed or addicted.

We must lay the foundation of God and His Word in the hearts of children in their early years.

#2 - It prepares children to step across the line of faith when they get older.  We know that 85% of people who come to faith in Christ do so before the age of 18.  As we teach preschoolers that God loves them and Jesus wants to be their best friend, we plant the early seeds that will grow into saving faith when they are older.

#3 - Parents can be equipped to lead their children spiritually at the most critical time.  Since the above is true, equipping the primary leader of preschoolers must be a top priority as well.  If we can help preschool parents establish their spiritual role, it will make a lifetime difference for the child.

Is preschool ministry a priority at your church?  If we're going to reach the next generation, that's where it will begin.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian recently had their toddler, North West, baptized in Jerusalem at St. James Cathedral.

Archbishop Aris Shirvanian said, “Kim Kardashian’s daughter will be baptized and become a Christian officially and a member of the Armenian church."

Kim's father, Rob Kardashian, was from an Armenian heritage and this has obviously influenced the decision.

Kanye and Kim are an example of a key time when you can reach young families.  When a young couple has a child, many times it causes them to begin searching for spiritual guidance for their new baby.  And often they will come to church looking for assistance.  If you are prepared and ready to help them, you can make make a huge impact in their lives. 

One key to helping young parents is to offer a parent/child dedication.  While I commend Kanye and Kim for seeking to bring spiritual guidance into their child's life, the practice of baptizing babies is not found in scripture.  Anytime someone was baptized, it was after they were old enough to understand the Gospel and make the decision for themselves.

But as you look into Scripture, you do see examples of parents dedicating their children to the Lord.  One example is Hannah dedicating Samuel.

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.  So now I give him to the Lord.  For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.”   
I Samuel 1:27-28

Want to double the impact?  Have a class that parents go through before the dedication.  In the class, not only teach what parent/child dedication means, but also share the Gospel and teach parents how to be the spiritual leaders of their children.

If you are intentional about speaking into young parent's lives at this critical time, you can see parents come to Christ and make Him the foundation of their home.

We have created a parent/child dedication class that includes solid Bible teaching, engaging videos, interactive discussions and more.  We've seen it impact hundreds of young families.  Here's an example of a young family who went through the class.

"All of this and more has come from the parent dedication class that my husband and I attended for our youngest daughter, Mackenzie who is only four months.  My husband has taken his role as a spiritual leader to a whole new level , and my heart is flooded with love for him in a whole new light."

We will be making it available to other churches in the next few months.  If you'd like more information, feel free to email me at dalehudsoncm2@gmail.com.

What if Kim and Kanye showed up at your church looking for spiritual guidance for their child?  Would you be ready to help them?