Hello everyone, this is Ric Olsen from city of Orange, The Beacon church. Welcome to Family Ministry Conversations.
If you’re anything like me, when you hear the idea of the father’s role versus the mother’s role in spiritual formation of children, it kind of seems odd. And I grew up in a single parent home.
My mom was a single mom, and so knowing what it’s like to grow up in a home without the presence of a father figure, I know the implications of that. Specifically in the terms of the spiritual formation of a child, it’s important for several reasons.
The role of a father extends beyond the borders of our own homes. It extends into the faith community itself.
Spiritual Formation of a Child
One, I think of my daughter, and it’s setting a standard for the kind of man that I want my daughter to be interested in marrying as she gets older and the kind of guys that I want for her to date. And so I want to set a very high standard for the expectations spiritually of how that leadership takes place and what she should expect from the young man that she might become interested in in the future.
And at the same time, I also want my sons to feel like there’s a respect for my relationship with the Lord so that they would too. As they are surrounded by friends and colleagues that may or may not have the same interest and values, I want them to look and see not that spirituality is cool but I want it to be something that they desire to be part of their lives because they see the role that spirituality plays in the role of myself or the role of the father in the family.
The Importance of Role Modeling
I think that role modeling is super important. And I think it also plays out to the place where we need to be sensitive to families with single moms and that there are families where young boys and young girls need to be surrounded by other men who can come in and model those things for them as they move forward.
And I think not only for single moms is it important for all the men of the church to participate as a community together because I think it’s important for my sons and my daughter to be able to see that I’m not the only one. That there are also other men who love Jesus and are committed and want to follow Him.
The Role of the Father Goes Beyond the Home
So the role of a father extends beyond the borders of our own homes. It extends into the faith community itself. And being a spiritual parent to other children, to other families, is important as well.
Fathers have a unique role in guiding our children. And moms have an equally important and unique role in guiding our children. And you can’t overestimate the importance of being a spiritual leader in the family.
Ready to help parents create an environment for spiritual growth?
Ready to help parents create an environment for spiritual growth?
