Families struggle to keep up with life’s demands. Husbands, wives and parents may understand the need to foster spiritual growth at home, but feel too busy, ill-equipped or ill-prepared to do so.
As a ministry to strengthen families the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) is hosting the Building Faith-Filled Families conference, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24 in Raleigh at Christ Baptist Church and Friday, Sept. 25 in Wilmington at Southside Baptist Church. The events are designed to help pastors, church staff and lay leaders partner with families to help them be more devoted followers of Christ and disciple makers in the home.
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Leaders promise attendees will learn at least four things:
1. Why family ministry is important.
Mark Smith, family pastor at Lakeview Baptist Church in Hickory and author of two books on the family, will cast a vision for family ministry within the local church, explain how churches and families can work together and share some practical advice to help equip and encourage family members to embrace their role as disciple-makers in the home.
2. Why marriage is the foundation for family discipleship.
Although biblical, traditional marriage is facing many challenges from today’s culture, marriage remains the foundation for family discipleship. Eddie Thompson, BSC senior consultant for marriage and family, will share how marriage is related to spiritual growth and why marriage is considered the “frontline” of discipleship. Thompson will also offer practical advice for husbands and wives and will demonstrate how spouses can pray with and for one another.
3. How to disciple children.
Deuteronomy 6 describes a pattern of how parents should teach their children about God and His statutes through the daily rhythms of life. During the conference, Cheryl Markland, BSC senior consultant for childhood ministries, will share how to disciple children at home.
Markland’s presentation will include ideas on how to plan and incorporate devotions and worship times together as a family, as well as how to have “family faith talks.” Markland and others will model what a family devotion time might look like. Markland will also cover children’s learning styles and how that impacts family devotions and worship.
4. How to develop a family discipleship plan.
Most families already celebrate significant milestones, such as birthdays, anniversaries and graduations. Learn how to celebrate these and other milestones as spiritual markers in a family’s faith journey.
Merrie Johnson, BSC senior consultant for youth evangelism and discipleship, will discuss generational disciple-making and how to partner with families to develop a family ministry plan. Johnson will also share advice and resources to help single parents in the disciple-making process. The conference speakers, content and format will be the same at both locations. Registration is open through Wednesday, Sept. 16 and the cost to attend is $15 per person or $20 per couple.
Visit ncbaptist.org/cfc2015.