Date of Award

3-2023

Document Type

Project Portfolio

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Department

Seminary

First Advisor

Jeffery Savage, DMin

Second Advisor

Donna Wallace, DMin

Third Advisor

Ken Van Vliet, DMin

Abstract

This project seeks to address the following NPO: Christian parents in today’s culture need resources and training to face the challenge and have conversations with their pre-teen children about matters of God and faith. Today's Christian parents often struggle to share their faith and values with their children. Parents feel that their own relationship with God is too shallow, that their calendar is too full, and that their relationship with their children is inadequate. Several reassurances surfaced from this research. First, parents and extended families really do have an impact on the faith of their children. Of course, involvement in a church family is of great importance, but the focus of this research is on helping parents grow in their interactions and involvement with children’s faith development. This project seeks to invite, inform, and equip parents to play a greater role in the spiritual formation of their children. The author’s vocational background is as a parent of six children from age 9 to 21, a veteran of children’s ministry, and an aspiring professor of children’s spirituality, spiritual formation, and leadership. The product of this research will be an accessible book designed to motivate, inform, and give practical action steps to parents who long to engage in spiritual formation with their children. The Shema and other key texts from Deuteronomy and the Psalms will be presented to help inspire and cast a hopeful vision. Definitions will be established for concepts such as spirituality, spiritual formation, and faith. Basic information will be shared related to developmental theories and brain formation in pre-adolescence. Practical applications include improving parent child communication, making holidays meaningful, finding ways for pre-teens to become contributors to the church, and engaging in stories of scripture, family experiences, and church history.

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