Let's Talk Grandparenting Ministry - Future Generations Ministry!

For several years I've been talking about Grandparenting Ministry; not necessarily ministry serving grandparents, but ministry which engages, equips and encourages grandparents to pass on a heritage of faith. Cavin Harper describes this ministry as a; "Future Generations Ministry", because it is about future generations and helping them remember all God does, so they are able to faithfully and obediently follow Him.

Isn't This What You Want for Your Children's Ministry?

For the past eight years – since I became a grandma – I have talked, quite a bit actually, about why it matters for those of us who serve in Children’s Ministry, to focus on engaging, equipping and encouraging grandparents to pass on a heritage of faith to their grandchildren.  

Today I’m sharing with you part of my family’s growing “Prayer History” to illustrate why this is so important. I posted this on my other blog – grandma’s cookie jar, but want to share it with you as well.

Why Should You Support Grandparenting Ministry? Because Grandparents Are Primary Care Givers . . .

There are many reasons why pastors and church leaders should be strong supporters Grandparenting Ministry, but let's just look at one reason today (we will look at other reasons in future posts). This reason is because 7% of children are being raised by their grandparents - this adds up to about five million children . . . enough to fill Yankee Stadium 100 times over (according to grandparents.com).

Yes, 13% of grandparents are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren . . . which means you likely have grandparents in your church who are raising their grandchildren. Do you know who these grandparents are? What are you doing to support and encourage them?

Intentionally Pass on a Heritage of Faith with Generations Quest!

When you look at the world around you, do the parents and grandparents in your ministry feel afraid? Do they wonder how the children they love will possibly grow up and still choose to love, know and walk with God when all around them they are influenced to do everything but?

I admit, there are times I wonder these things for my three sweet grandsons. They are influenced by nearly everything in their lives to choose everything other than following God. But, then I'm reminded of the truth. The truth is as much as I love these boys, God loves them more. As much as I want them to know, love and follow God, He wants them to do these things even more. While I can not make them choose to know, love and follow God, the One Who loves them most is able to do what I can not.

However; knowing this truth - and it is the truth - does not relieve me of my responsibility to be faithful to pass on a heritage of faith to my grandsons.

Get Ready to Equip Grandparents & Parents Like Never Before!

If you had a resource you could make available to the grandparents and parents in your ministry which would equip them to engage the children they love in reading God's Word, understanding God's Word and applying God's Word, would you recommend it and make it available to them? If this resource would help families develop a strong, "Family Faith History", would you recommend it and make it available to them? If it cost less than a bag of chips each month, would you recommend it ad make it available to them?

Well . . . stay tuned! In the coming month I'll be announcing and releasing just such a resource! Get ready! Things are about to change when it comes to helping families pass on a heritage of faith!

It Is All About to Change!

When the grandparents in your church think about your church, do they feel like they are truly being engaged as grandparents? Do they feel like they are really being equipped and encouraged to disciple their grandchildren? Do they feel like the opportunities for them at your church are primarily focused on Bible study classes, get-togethers, luncheons and hymn sings and is more of a “Senior Saints” Ministry than it is a Grandparenting Ministry which engages, equips and encourages them to pass their faith to their grandchildren?

A Senior Saints Ministry primarily functions for those who are retired (over the age of 65) and is mostly focused on fellowship. A Grandparenting Ministry focuses on those who are grandparents (the average age a person first becomes a grandparent is 47) and strives to engage, equip and encourage them to pass on a heritage of faith to their grandchildren. Do you see the difference? Does your church truly have a Grandparenting Ministry?

Most churches have ministry to young parents, parents of elementary age children, parents of teens and even possibly parents of college-age children, but once they become grandparents, there tends to be nothing for them until they are old enough to retire – for twenty years or more – and then it is often focused on fellowship, not passing on a heritage of faith to their grandchildren.

However; this is all about to change!

Equip Parents/Grandparents to Be Intentional in Passing on Their Faith

Do the parents and grandparents in your ministry know what it looks like to be intentional about passing on their faith to the children they love? This is an important question for us to think about, and for us to find the answers, so we are able to help them be focused and intentional when it comes to passing on their faith. One way we they this, and the most important thing they do to do so, is when they have the great privilege and joy of pointing their children/grandchildren to Jesus. But what does this look like and what do they do after the children they love believe in Jesus?

I believe it begins with equipping them to know how to equip their children and grandchildren so they are people who are able to grow in their own walk with Jesus – for themselves. Yes, there is much parents and grandparents can – and should – do to help them, but there comes a point when their children/grandchildren need to learn to grow in their own walk with Jesus; they can not just depend upon the adults in their lives who love them to give them what they need to grow. Which means, a great place for you to being helping parents and grandparents, is with helping them know how to help the children they love develop a love for God’s Word! How do parents and grandparents do this? Consider the following . . .

Please Share & Consider Helping . . .

It looks like this coming Summer of 2017 is going to be a very busy one for my nieces . . . I'm very happy today to share with you some information about another niece, Leah, and the mission trip she is taking this Summer.

When my children were teens, it was very important to my husband and I for them to serve on short-term mission trips. Our daughter went to serve with Native Americans in South Dakota, to Mexico, Costa Rica and the Bahamas. Our son went to serve with Native Americans in South Dakota, to Nepal, Thailand, England, France, Spain, Italy and the Island of Rhodes. Whether they go on to serve full-time in missions or not, giving young adults the opportunity to serve others, especially in a cross-cultural setting - is extremely valuable. It is my prayer my grandsons will go on mission trips when they are older.

My niece Leah is going on a mission trip this summer, and I will let her tell you all about it . . . 

Equip Parents & Grandparents - Give Them Resources . . . Illustrate My Own!

One of the best things you can do to see children reached for Jesus and then help them grow in their walk with Him, is to equip parents and grandparents, so they are able to pass on a heritage of faith to the children they love. No matter how much time you put into your Children’s Ministry, you will never have as much time, and therefore as much influence, as the parents and grandparents, so it only makes sense to spend time, significant time, focused on intentionally equipping them so they are able to pass on their faith.

This is not to say anything else you do does not matter, because it does. You will always have children who do not have believers for parents or grandparents; clearly those parents/grandparents will not be able to pass on faith. You will also have parents and grandparents who think it is the church’s job to teach their children and are not willing to do it.

But, you will also have parents and grandparents who will teach their children and grandchildren the Bible; they just need to know how to do it and what to use. This is why it matters so much for you to be intentional when it comes to training parents and grandparents and when it comes to finding and recommending resources which they may use at home to pass on a heritage of faith.

To help you with this, I’ll focus in the coming months on resources you may share with the parents and grandparents in your ministry. Today I’m starting with a resource I wrote – it is one parents and grandparent could use with their children/grandchildren to help them learn about Jehoshaphat and how he chose to obey and follow God.

The Legacy Grandparenting Summit - Year Two!

I’m sure grandparents in your ministry – or parents – agree with me about how grandparents play a unique and profoundly influential role in the lives of our grandchildren – second only to parents – yet we are one of the most underserved groups in the church. We grandparents today do not consider ourselves to be “seniors” in the traditional sense. We are generally healthier and more vital than any other generation of grandparents in history. As twenty-first century grandparents, we are just as likely to be rocking to our favorite tunes as we are to be rocking in our favorite chairs.

So, today I’m very happy to let you know about the second annual Legacy Grandparenting Summit, which is a national conference for today’s Christian grandparents who want to be inspired and equipped to pass our faith to our grandchildren. Last year grandparents were able to hear from Chuck Swindoll, Josh McDowell and a number of other wonderful speakers . . . this year there is another excellent line-up of speakers, including Tony Evans, Tim Kimmel and Steve Stroope with music from Steve Green and comedy from Ken Davis – you will not want to miss this summit!

What I'd Teach My Granddaughters & What I Will Teach My Grandsons

I posted the following today on my grandma blog - grandmascookiejar.net - but I believe the message is important for us to pass on to the children in our Children's Ministries - and to their parents and grandparents as well, so I'm sharing it with you today, too.

I do not have any granddaughters, but if I did, I would absolutely teach them to be happy God created them to be girls. I’d teach them God knew what he was doing when He created them to be girls and He did not make a mistake. I’d teach them to know and firmly believe God has good plans for them, and He has given them the gifts they need to be happy and fulfilled as girls.

I’d teach them if any of those gifts were in the area of leadership, they should embrace them. They should be happy. They should work hard to do the best job they could as leaders wherever God placed them . . . including in whatever church they should become part of when they grew up.

I would teach them if God gave them leadership gifts then He intends for them to use them; and when they did use them, it absolutely did NOT make them pushy, bossy or someone to be rebuked for using the gifts God gave them. (Of course, they need to use their gifts in a gracious way . . . no matter what gifts God gave them, and having leadership gifts does not mean they have to be pushy, bossy, etc.)

I would tell them they very well may run into people – even in the church; or should I say, sadly most likely in the church, who do not believe women should serve in leadership positions. People who will try to discount them. People who will rebuke them for using the gift God gave them. People who will try to make them feel like they have done something wrong for speaking up and using the gift God gave them.

Helping Families Pray Through Psalms for Their Families

One of the most important things we can do for the families in our churches is to provide, and let them know about, resources which will help them pass on a legacy of faith to their children and grandchildren. Parents and grandparents are more influential in the lives of their children and grandchildren than we are, so everything we can do to help them make the most of the opportunities they have, the better it will be for their families and for the children they love. 

So, today I want to let you know about a resource you could use and recommend to the parents and grandparents in your church. This year I’ve been praying through the book of Psalms for my family. Each week I have a different passage from Psalms which I work through, praying specifically and intentionally each day focusing on a different portion of the passage for the week.

This week I’m praying through Psalms 107 – with the focus upon praying the following . . .

A Three-year Old, Sacrifice & Big Hero 6

I wrote this morning on my other blog - grandma's cookie jar - about the animated movie, Big Hero 6 and how it tends to be a favorite with my grandsons . . . no big surprise as there are super heroes, robots, bad guys who get caught and excitement. It also has a solid message of family, friends, relationships and sacrifice . . . which I’m surprised to say, my three-year old grandson understands.

Friday when his Poppa was bringing him home after work for a sleep-over, he apparently had much to say about how Baymax (the robot) sacrificed himself for Hiro. “Sacrificed”??? What three-year old knows what this word means and is able to identify a character who sacrificed themselves and for whom they sacrificed themselves?

Apparently this three-year old can!

Please Share Your Prayer Histories . . .

I’m working on a new book – The DNA of a Praying Grandparent. If you have a bit of your family history about how God has answered your prayers and you would be willing to share it, (or how God has answered the prayers of your praying grandparents) please email me – lyndagcj@gmail.com

Thank you!