“If you love your children; if you would bring down the blessing of heaven upon your families; if you would have your children make their houses the receptacles of religion when they set up in life for themselves; if you would have religion survive in this place, and be conveyed from age to age; if you would deliver your own souls—I beseech, I entreat, I charge you to begin and continue the worship of God in your families from this day to the close of your lives… Consider family religion not merely as a duty imposed by authority, but as your greatest privilege granted by divine grace.”
Our philosophy for youth ministry goes beyond weekly events and activities. We want to be known as a family-based youth ministry, coming alongside parents and helping them train their teenagers in the things of God. However, we do want to be clear that we believe it is primarily the parents who are in charge of their children’s spiritual development. As it says in Deuteronomy 6:4-9:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
With that said, we want to do as much as we can to help parents as they raise their teenagers. This happens through weekly interaction, family visits, and offering as many resources as possible.
Below are some biblically-based resources we have found encouraging for parents. If you have a book, DVD, or other resource idea you would like to share with parents, please contact Ethan.
Articles, Links, & Media
8 Ways to Easily Be Missional
Jonathan Dodson
How Do You Pastor Your Family?
Justin Hyde
What I’ve Learned about Raising Daughters
Dave Bruskas
Six Ways Fathers Pursue Christ in Their Fatherhood
Scott Thomas
Covenant Eyes
Internet Filtering and Accountability
Center for Parent/Youth Understanding
A nonprofit organisation committed to building strong families by serving to bridge the cultural-generational gap between parents and teenagers
Learning My Lines – Walt Mueller
A veteran youth worker who has “spent the last 20 years studying, writing, and speaking about youth culture with a great group of folks at the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding”
Plugged In Online
Reviews of TV, music, movies, video games, etc. from a Christian perspective
Family Worship Guide
Resources for Family Worship
Parenting School (mp3)
Covenant Life Church :: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Free E-Books
Joel Beeke
Contains the theological importance, duty, implementation, objections, and motivations of family worship.
Download FREE PDF
Sexual Detox: A Guide for the Single Guy
Tim Challies
“In this book, I hope to help you reorient your understanding of sex, both in the big picture and in the act itself, according to God’s plan for this great gift. I want to help you detox from all the junk you’ve seen, all the lies you’ve believed.” (read more)
Download FREE PDF
Pastor Dad
Mark Driscoll
Every dad is a pastor. The important thing is that he is caring for his flock well. This book by Pastor Mark Driscoll looks at the ways that a father can raise his children well.
Download FREE PDF
Building Strong Families
Dennis Rainey, ed.
Families have suffered from a lack of attention and regard, and as a result, our churches and society have also suffered. For how can we love others to Christ if we are struggling to love our family as God wants us to love them? With topics ranging from the glory of marriage to passing on a godly legacy, Dennis Rainey has gathered essays from trusted Christian leaders who convincingly share a message that must be heard by all: it is time to rebuild our families.
Download FREE PDF
Recommended Books
God, Marriage, & Family
Andreas Kostenberger
Learn about current issues involving marriage and the family and examine these issues in light of biblical passages.
Gospel-Powered Parenting
William P. Farley
A practical guide to parenting that starts with the differences that the Gospel makes in the lives of those doing the parenting – most Christian books ignore this aspect.
Age of Opportunity
Paul David Tripp
Are you hoping to merely survive your teenagers? With compassion, wit, and wisdom, Tripp uncovers the heart issues affecting families during the often-chaotic adolescent years.
Shepherding a Child’s Heart
Tedd Tripp
Written for parents with children of any age, this insightful book provides perspectives and procedures for shepherding your child’s heart into the paths of life.
Youth Culture 101
Walt Mueller
The book approaches youth culture from a distinctively Christian perspective and contains chapters on a variety of topics including: music, media, sexuality, materialism, drugs and alcohol, and spirituality.
Teenage Guys
Steven Gerali
In Teenage Guys, Dr. Steve Gerali presents the stages of development that adolescent guys go through, providing stories from his own experiences in ministry and counseling as well as practical research findings to equip youth workers and parents to more effectively minister to teenage guys.
Teenage Girls
Ginny Olson
In addition to the traditional issues people commonly associate with girls, such as eating disorders, self-image issues, and depression, author Ginny Olson will guide you through some of the new issues on the rise in girls’ lives.
Teens and Sex
Paul David Tripp
Paul David Tripp unearths popular views of sex and notes characteristics that make teenagers especially vulnerable to sexual temptation.
