The church exists to illuminate. The role of the church is simply to turn on a light. Regardless of anyone’s bent on what they think church should be, there is always the common thread of turning on a light. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe the reason some churches have more influence than others is that they are more intentional about putting Jesus on the spotlight? Maybe some churches have lost influence with their communities because they no longer focus on what attracts the hearts of people. Light is inherently inviting! As long as the light is large, the church will be naturally irresistible. Instead of fighting Harry Potter, maybe we should be spending our energies helping kids become intrigued with the mystery of God who made the universe. Maybe we should turn the spotlight on the supernatural powers of a God who can do absolutely anything. In the Bible, when the lampstand is moved, our influence is weakened. In other words, just show the light to others. We tend to drift when the lampstand is used to make political statements. The disciples got sidetracked even in the Gospels. They were hoping Jesus would overthrow the Roman government system that had oppressed the Hebrew people. Oftentimes we believe our mission is to get people to buy into our version of church. Your programs are not sacred. Your church is not sacred. What is sacred is the mission of your church. 70-80 percent of students who grew up in church walk away from their faith after they graduate from high school. The average age of one mainline denomination is over 60. Within ten years, half of that denomination will literally die off. The church is losing its influence with two entire generations.
Parents have a role that is as critical as the church’s role when it comes to influencing the next generation. We have assigned the color yellow to the church because of its call to illuminate, and we have attached the color red to the family because its role is to love and demonstrate God’s character through an unconditional relationship. If you’re a church leader, you have the potential to give every parent hope. You may be in a better position to influence families than many parenting experts. Your perception of parents’ potential to change can drive how you respond to them. Most parents need leaders with a strong sense of belief in their potential and leaders who are willing to become actively involved in helping them understand God’s plan for their family. Both the church and the home are comprised of broken, imperfect people through whom God has chosen to tell His story. What if it’s God’s plan to do an amazing work within the church and the home in order to put His grace on display? If so,then every parent and leader should work to combine the influences of church and home with a very strategic mindset.
If you’re a church leader, your purpose is not to equip parents to have exceptional parenting skills. A parents role is not to impress their children or anyone else with their ability to parent. Their role is to impress on their children the love and character of God.
God is at work telling a story of restoration and redemption through your family. Never buy into the myth that you need to become the “right” kind of parent before God can use you in your children’s lives. Instead, learn to cooperate with whatever God desires to do in your heart today so your children will have a front-row seat to the grace and goodness of God.
Orange Leader– Any leader who connects other leaders and parents in order to synchronize their efforts to build faith in the next generation. Sometimes people think in terms of yellow only; they think that what happens at church is much more important than anything else on the planet. Also, some parents have thought red for so long that they feel the church is not needed. Since Jesus gave his life for the church, it is important. And, since the Bible implies the love a dad has for his family should reflect that same quality of sacrifice, both are high on God’s list of important things.
What would happen if both churches and families started believing in the potential of combining their influence to accomplish the same mission? What if churches started programming as if they believed parents play a critical role in the moral and spiritual development of children? What if the church decided to treat families as if they played a significant role in the future of a generation?
That’s why we need more leaders thinking Orange. Most churches are characterized by random acts of ministry to the family instead of with the family. Family ministry should not be another program you add to your list of programs. It should be the filter you use to create and evaluate what you do to influence children and teenagers. Family Ministry– An effort to synchronize church leaders and parents around a master plan to build faith and character in their sons and daughters. It drives how both the church and the home combine their efforts to influence the next generation. If we really believe that nothing is more important than someone’s relationship with God, it makes sense to combine the influence of home and church.
Simple doctrinal statement: Jesus is who He said He was; What the Bible says is true is true; Everybody is going to be somewhere forever. If those three things are true, then I have a compelling mission both as a leader and a parent to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. That is the win; the measurable! Basically, it is another way of asking you to think Orange.
- Kids need parents who will help them advance in their relationship with God.
- Parents need churches that will help them know how to be spiritual leaders.
- Churches need leaders to do less for kids and more for families.
As a leader, you will have a limited amount of influence in the lives of those who come through your ministry. One day, inevitably, they are going to walk away. You may stay connected to a few for a while but not most. On the other hand, parents will have life-long influence! Doing more for the family requires the church to make and intentional shift from a yellow mindset to an Orange ministry mindset.
If you think yellow, you invest most of your time and resources creating programs for kids. When you think Orange, you invest quality time and resources creating programs for parents and kids. If you think yellow, you are consumed with answering the question, “What are we going to teach kids?” When you think Orange, you are consumed with answering the question, “How can we get parents to also teach what we are teaching their kids?” If you think yellow, you promote what you want parents to know about your programs. When you think Orange, you focus on what you want parents to do at home. If you think yellow, you think what happens at church is more important than what happens at home. When you think Orange, you believe what happens at home is as important as what happens at church.
