Family Driven Faith Pt. 2

  I finally finished Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham this week.  Chapters seven through ten were just as good of a read as the rest of the book.  For me though, chapter nine almost made me stop reading.  It wasn't that Baucham was saying anything wrong but more because I am married to a youth pastor and am passionate about the function of the church.  But more on that in a minute...

Chapter seven focuses on how our homes should be God's territory.  Baucham illustrates ways to use all of our senses to make an impression of God on our children.  I like this as a teacher because in our education classes we were taught how to teach to different types of learners.  Some of our children learn primarily through hearing, some through doing, some through seeing, and so on.  Using their senses to engage them in learning about God works.  If it works in educating about math or reading, why wouldn't it work in teaching our faith in Christ?  Family Worship is set up by Baucham with seven steps to starting your own time of family worship.  He then lists seven blessings of family worship that I agree with wholeheartedly. 

Chapter eight is a reminder of how our families are being sacrificed for prosperity.  Prosperity in and of itself is not a bad thing but wealth and worldly success can quickly become an idol.  Our families need to be our number one priority, over activities and over our jobs.  The part that was most significant for me was the section on page 161 titled "Being a Wife and a Mother Is an Honorable Calling".  I am a stay at home mom and some days feel very insignificant.  Baucham reminded me of the impact that I can have on J and H through staying home and being their mom.  I have an impact on Jon by taking care of our household and by taking care of the "small" things like laundry and meals. 

Now for Chapters nine and ten.  In chapter nine, Baucham points out what he believes to be flaws in the contemporary model of church and in chapter ten he talks about radically departing from the norm.  I agree that there are flaws in the way church is done but there has to be a balance.  Yes, the parents are the primary disciple makers of their children but that does not negate the need for youth ministers or a student ministry.  In chapter nine, Baucham pretty clearly lines out his disagreement with youth ministry and all age segregation in the church.  But here is my main argument for youth ministry: not every student will have Christian parents or have Christian parents who are willing to disciple their families.   Baucham does state that that argument is probably the most compelling for him for having student ministries.   While I think our church should guide parents on how to disciple their children, I know reality is that most will be "too busy" or think that they do a good enough job.  This is where youth ministry is effective at discipling those who aren't being discipled and reinforcing Truth for those who are. 

While I agree with Baucham on most points, I think there has to be a balance in our church.  We do not need to be completely age-segregated but to do away with the nursery, for me at least, is not practical.  As a mother of a very wiggly and active 8 month old, I am grateful to have a nursery where the workers are allowing her to interact with other children and who are teaching her a short lesson, while I can fully participate in worship.  J is learning how to sit still in church and has done quite well in services at different points.  Soon he will be pulled into church mostly full-time with Jon and me.  I think there are points that having all ages together is great and edifying for our children but by having age specific times, we are allowing different depths to Bible Study. 

Overall Family Driven Faith is an really good book that has really challenged me to be more purposeful with J and H.  I agree that we should be "doing what it takes to raise sons and daughters who walk with God" and Jon and I strive to do just that in our household.