Parenting cannot be delegated.
God is clear in both the Old and New Testaments that parents are responsible to raise their children in such a way that points their attentions and affections towards the one true and living God (Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Ephesians 6:4). This truth cannot be denied, nor can it lawfully be ignored.
This responsibility does not rest primarily on the pastor of your church, nor on any kind of youth leader, Sunday School teacher, or Christian School educator. While others may play a small part, the responsibility of parenting cannot be delegated to any one of them.
Children are blessings from God, for parents to enjoy and to raise for the glory of God (Psalm 127:3–5). While we expect children to have a certain level of immaturity—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—our goal is to bring them along into greater depths of maturity the older they get, and teach them how to continue that growth long after they “fly the coop.”
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