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March 2008 |
Messiah - April 2008 |
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Your Passion Becomes Their Passion “Like father, like son”
and “Like mother, like daughter” may not apply very often to you and your
teenagers. But you’re having more of an influence on your kids than you may
realize. We’ve always known that parents’ faith is important for kids’
spiritual development. Now some landmark research shows just how crucial your
beliefs are. The National Study of
Youth and Religion recently found that three out of four religious teenagers
consider their own beliefs to be similar to those of their parents. What’s
more, 77% of teenagers who belonged to a congregation said they expected to
be part of a similar congregation at age 25.
It’s up to parents to
take the lead with faith discussions in your home. When you’re passionate
about your beliefs, that passion will be contagious. Academic studies and
real-life examples prove that parents who strive to live out a devoted
Christian faith raise kids who tend to do the same. Read on for tips and
ideas about developing and passing along this passion. |
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Helpful
Hints NSYR
researcher Christian Smith, author of Soul
Searching, offers this advice for parents of teenagers: 1.
Don’t be afraid
of your kids or afraid of teaching them. Don’t worry about not seeming
“cool” when you relate substantial truths. Teenagers desire to be challenged
in their faith walk. 2.
Work on your
overall relationship with your teenagers. Organized youth groups are
important, but kids benefit the most from significant bonds with mature,
loving adults. Kids long to have respected grown-ups spend time with them
“through the stuff of their ordinary lives,” Smith says. 3.
Play an active
role in youth ministry. For better or worse, you’re the most important
“pastors” your kids will ever have. Instead of handing off all the
responsibility of spiritual development to your church or a youth group, look
for ways to get involved with these faith-formation efforts. |
Here
are some more results from the NSYR: ·
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Only 8% of teenagers said they’re “spiritual but not
religious.” ·
Teenagers who say their
parents love, understand, or pay attention to them are more likely to be
religiously devoted than are their peers who say their parents don’t love,
understand, or pay attention to them. ·
Of the teenagers who attend worship services, 70%
rate their congregation as a “very good” or “fairly good” place to discuss
serious issues or problems. (National Study of Youth and Religion; Soul Searching) |
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