Reactivate the Family: Enlist parents to act as partners in the spiritual formation of their own children.

When you think about the word family, it’s typically a concept that is universally embraced as something to believe in. However, when that unit is broken down and we consider our confidence in parents, the optimism dwindles. If you really want to partner with families, you have to choose to act on the potential that every parent has. Reactivating the family simply means helping parents actively participate in the spiritual formation of their own children.

When you work toward reactivating the family, you have to:

• Act like every parent is your partner. What would happen if you decide that every parent in your community is your partner? Parents should know that because they’re important to God, they’re important to us. The vast majority of parents have one thing in common—they love their children. It may not be a perfect love, and there may be varying levels of dysfunction, but most parents love their children the best way they know how.
• Act like every parent can be a better parent. Every parent has the potential to grow and engage with their kids. This doesn’t mean setting unrealistic expectations for your parents but instead, partner with every parent just where they are. The goal isn’t to engage parents to do everything, but to engage them to do something more. The idea of engaging parents into an integrated strategy of the church is built around the belief that what happens at home is as important as what happens at church.
• Act like every parent will do something. Sometimes we set the expectations so high that parents don’t feel they can measure up and then disengage altogether when it comes to partnering in their kid’s faith development. We have the potential to give parents a clear picture of what their kids can become when they partner with the church. Even the best parents need consistent voices in their lives that encourage them to stay in sync with a strategy to create a strong rhythm in their homes. Give parents a plan, show them how it works, and tell them what they can do today.
• Act like every parent you meet is coming to your church this Sunday. How are you leveraging your influence to yield the greatest impact? Churches are in a unique position to give families hope and direction because most parents would love to know that people other than themselves think about their families. Sundays can be the catalysts that give families new beginnings every week, making everyday faith a reality. When parents gather together on Sundays, it can reenergize their hearts, refuel their hope, and reactivate their families. Every parent needs the church as their partner, so start believing this to be true and act on it.

To read more about how to refine the message in your ministry, check out Think Orange by Reggie Joiner.