I had no idea what I was looking for in a church even existed!
I’ve posted on this subject before (http://wbmoore.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/young-adults-leave-the-church-in-droves/): modern churches are losing youth and young adults in droves. We are failing to evangelize and disciple them – even with programs aimed at them specifically.
I have long felt the modren youth and children’s ministries are insufficient to the task of evangelizing and discipling children and youth. It was not until recently that I found there is a name for churches which do not have age segregated ministries and work hard to empower the parents to evangelize and disciple their children – its called “Family-Integrated Church.”
Apparently the degree of age separation varies with different churches, but most family-integrated churches apparently do not have age segregated Sunday school. Families learn and worship together. The parents are shown/modeled how to disciple their children.
From what I see, apparently the idea is the family is the unit God chose to use to grow children and youth within, and this should be encouraged. And this is what a family integrated church does.
We attended a church plant yesterday that is family-integrated, http://www.nlceads.org/, and had a great time!
Filed under: God
