Alive Update: Parental Involvement in Youth Ministry

lightstock_113995_small_user_3586528Change is nothing new. We live in Florida, so if the weather’s stormy, wait five minutes and it will be different. But one thing does not change; we parents have a God given responsibility to train our children. Ephesians 6:4 says it this way:

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Though the ALIVE youth ministry is undergoing some significant modifications, the foundational principle of parental influence is still intact and integral to our vision for the youth of Metro Life Church. The goals of parents and leaders are the same—to see our young people grow in their love for God, each other and the lost; but parents will continue to bear the bulk of influence in their teens’ lives. In fact, the youth ministry should come along side parents as we work out this long-term redemptive plan for our kids. After all, parenting doesn’t end at that magical age of 18!

With this in mind, we want to help our teens as they transition from the childhood command of obedience to parents into a lifestyle of honoring God. The changes in the ALIVE ministry will support these goals:

  • Help families to build a biblical worldview into their lives and parenting
  • Encourage parents to point their children to God and what He is doing in and through them—without provoking them to anger (Boy, do we need help here!)
  • Provide equipping to parents so that they can parent in faith, not controlling out of fear
  • Support parents in not only being faith-filled but faithful

We can all agree that we need the Spirit of God to move, and we need each other in order to see our vision and dreams for our kids fulfilled, bringing them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord! Though the weather with teens may be a bit stormy at times, capriciously changing from day to day, we can rest in the truth that our God does not change, and He loves our children more than we do! Let’s dig out those raincoats and umbrellas and weather these teen years together.

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