the spiritual nurture of young peope: parental responsibility in perspective

The blog post 3 Common Traits of Youth Who Don't Leave the Church sparked some interest around the web. This post  is worth a second look.

The first and second traits, "they are converted" and "they are equipped" deserve an "Amen". Sure we can quibble about what it means to be converted and equipped, but in the end I am not sure much will be gained. The third trait is a bit more troublesome, "Their parents preach the gospel to them" places too much responsibility on the parents in lieu of the faith community.

 Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is written to the nation of Israel. It is the nation as a whole, the faith community, who is instructed to impress the commandments of the children, to talk about them and bind them on their foreheads. Parents ought to teach and pass on the faith to their children; the community has a responsibility as well. Young people catch an understanding of the Christian faith from their parents, churches, youth groups and other social units. Parents without a strong church community supporting, encouraging and participating in the spiritual nurture of their children face a daunting challenge. This is why it is essential that youth workers divert their attention from working primarily with youth to equipping their congregations to disciple young people and fully integrate them into the life of the community.