Your October Resources Are Here!
As you look across the landscape of life, our current culture, and how those things are impacting the ones who you have been called to lead, equip, and shepherd through your ministry’s span of care, you know that it’s no cakewalk out there. Our families are struggling (to put it mildly). So many of the families in our churches are being distracted, derailed, discombobulated, and are left holding on by a thread as they attempt to navigate a myriad of difficult situations, challenges, and circumstances. You don’t have to look hard to be able to see that the parents of the kids and teenagers we have the privilege of ministering to weekly are drowning—being hit by wave after wave of yet another crisis to navigate, fire to put out, or difficult situation to manage. And it’s not just the parents; the children and adolescents whom we are trying to reach, disciple, and point toward Jesus are themselves dogpaddling like crazy just to keep their heads above water. Through it all, parents are often at a loss for what to do, where to help, and how to engage. This growing sense of confusion, anxiety, overwhelmedness, and inadequacy causes the parents in our ministries to freeze up, act out, give up/in, or check out, leaving their children and teenagers to navigate life and spiritual growth on their own. As ministry leaders, part of our role and calling necessitates that we come down off the lifeguard stand, jump in the deep, choppy waters, and do everything we can to come alongside parents and provide them with the help, support, and resources they need to lead their families well.
This month’s M2P resources have been specifically designed to help you and the leaders who serve along with you to dive into this sea of difficult issues and offer parents some much-needed flotation devices so that they can keep from drowning as they swim amongst the waves of difficult issues that will invariably come their family’s way.
Our Blog Articles and Coaching Video will provide you and your leaders with thoughtful insights, creative ideas, and practical steps that you and your ministry can offer families who are (or at some point will be) trying to navigate choppy waters. Our Online Parenting Class Video and this month’s Toolbox Resources are entitled Hope In The Midst Of Trouble (for the parents of K through 5th-grade children) and Facing Challenges – A Family Devotion (for the parents of teenagers). Both resources will provide parents with a practical tool they can use to start (and stay) in the personal and spiritual conversations they need to be in with their kids and teens at home.
And don’t forget to listen to the latest episode of the M2P Podcast with Brian Haynes—a widely recognized pastor, speaker, author, and thought leader in the areas of family ministry and parenting well through the mountaintop moments as well as the difficult times. Check it all out, and let us know how we can better serve you as you seek to serve the parents in your church.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. – Psalm 46:1-3 ESV
The M2P Team
WHAT IS IT?
As we wade into the overwhelming and often paralyzing waters of navigating challenging issues that our families are facing, we want to do everything we can to come alongside parents and provide them with the help, support, and resources they need to lead their families well. To accomplish that goal, this month, we are providing you as a children’s or youth ministry leader with a specific, age-appropriate resource that you can offer to parents to use to start (and stay) in the personal and spiritual conversations they need to be in with their kids and teens.
The Toolbox Resource for the parents of K through 5th-grade children is entitled Hope In The Midst Of Trouble and is designed to help parents provide their children with reminders of God’s goodness, His faithfulness, and His promises. It’s a helpful resource parents can use to open ongoing conversations with their kids—reminding them of God’s character, the hope He offers, and that even if they feel that God is far away, the truth of His Word is everlasting.
The Toolbox Resource for the parents of middle school or high school students is entitled Facing Challenges – A Family Devotion and is designed to help parents provide their teenagers with a reminder that sometimes we need to take some time as a family to pause to seek the Lord together. It’s a helpful resource parents can use to open ongoing conversations with their teenagers—reminding them that the family unit is God’s design to be the primary place for experiencing His love and care. Sometimes, this gets out of whack and needs a reset. But a positive atmosphere in the home can only be achieved when everyone is doing their part to create it.
HOW TO USE IT
- Download Hope In The Midst Of Trouble and Facing Challenges – A Family Devotion and post them on your website.
- Email parents a copy of the age-appropriate Toolbox Resource and encourage them to set aside some time to prayerfully and thoughtfully work through it as a family.
- Print copies of the Toolbox Resource for parents to grab at church and let them know where they can pick it up.
As ministry leaders, there are many things that we can (and often do) have strong opinions about when it comes to “best practices” of shepherding those whom the Lord has placed within our span of care. Be it programming decisions, worship styles, snack choices, or teaching methods, there are just some things where it’s okay to agree to disagree (in a Christ-honoring way). But a few things that every ministry leader can agree upon is that the world is a crazy place, our culture is heading in the wrong direction, life is filled with difficult seasons, and the families inside and outside the walls of our churches are struggling mightily. There are just so many difficult and complex issues that our families are facing today. As we all work to live out our calling and honor the Lord through ministering to the people in our churches who are navigating these difficult issues of life, there are certain things that we need to remember and pay attention to. This month’s coaching videos give you and those who serve alongside you some practical ideas and steps to take as you both lead in ministry and support parents. The craziness of the world and the complexity of issues are not going away—until King Jesus returns—but until that glorious day, let’s all agree to glorify the Lord by doing everything we can to help parents navigate it all in a healthy way that will strengthen their faith and give their kids and teens the spiritual foundation they need to stand on solid ground.
When it comes to helping a child or a teenager think through and deal with the difficult issues of life, there are some practical things that their parents can do to help develop the solid foundation that we all want them to have. Much of what parents can do revolves around building real relationships, having open/honest conversations, and spending time in prayer. This can take a lot of work and can even be a little intimidating for many, but it’s so worth it because just these simple steps can have more of an impact than most parents realize. In this month’s Online Parenting Class, we talk about some specific things that parents can do as they seek to lead their kids and teens through difficult seasons, circumstances, or crises and into a healthy place. It’s not always about teaching and instructing. It’s often more about connecting, listening, being present, and pointing them to the One who created them and loves them deeply.
New blog posts coming this month:
- For Kids’ Ministry Leaders: “Families in Crisis – Sharing the Burden” by Amy Diller
- For Kids’ Ministry Parents: “Heartache and Hope” by Amy Diller
- For Youth Ministry Leaders: “Helping Parents Survive Difficult Circumstances with Their Teens” by Karin Sasser
- For Youth Ministry Parents: “Freak Out, But Stay Calm” by Karin Sasser
To view, click HERE