What might parents and carers believe about faith, and what key truths do they need to know?
Session 2.2 · Note 7
Key Truths Parents Need to Know
One of the most powerful things we can do is to help parents and carers understand that because they are the experts in their own families and know their children the best, they really are more effective at sharing faith with their children than the church ever can be.
One of the things that can stop parents and carers believing that is when they have some wrong ideas about faith and discipleship. Other parents and carers may be new to it all and so think the church will be better at it than they could ever be. So it’s important that we share key truths about God and faith so that parents and carers can be confident that however new this is, they can do it.
Key Ideas
- These are some assumptions about God and faith that we’ve come across:
- I’m not good enough for God
- I don’t know enough to help my child on their faith journey
- The church knows a lot more than me so they should help my child, not me
- There are activities I have to do like bible reading and faith at home
- The truths parents and carers need to hear are:
- God has given you a place of significant influence in the spiritual lives of your children that can’t be replicated or replaced. Influence happens through personal connection and you have a stronger personal connection with your children and teens than anyone else. The church cannot be as effective as you are.
- God knows what parenting is like. He has designed it so that sharing faith with your children can happen in the midst of ordinary, up and down, busy life. What kids need to see is a real relationship with God close up so they can work out what it is and how to do it themselves. You are ideally placed to do this. Faith is always an up and down journey. There’ll be good bits and hard bits – and that’s OK and normal.
- There’s no one right way to ‘do’ faith with your family. You know your family best and spend the most time with them, so will be able to work out what will help your family journey with God and build it into your everyday lives.
- Faith isn’t about being good enough or knowing enough. It’s about being on a journey with God, and learning as we go - and if you’re on a journey with God, even if you are just at the beginning of it, you can take your kid on it too. Even if you don’t know much, you can support and encourage your kid - just like you do when they start ballet lessons, or take up karate - and share what you know.
- Church is there to help us all on our journeys with God – to encourage, challenge and resource us – but can never be as effective as you are.
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