Transferring Faith to the Next Generation | 25 Year One | Week 1
Opening
Invite your group to share if Deep and Wide has impacted their lives so far this year. Where do they believe God is inviting them to participate in the 25 year vision of the church?
Overview
In order to consider the next twenty-five years of Waymaker.Church, we first need to ask ourselves why we need to care about future generations. Proverbs 13:22 tells us that “a good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children.” A good person is someone consistently seeking to live out and pass on God’s wealth, way, and worship to others. We care because God holds the elder generation responsible for spiritually forming the emerging ones.
Parents modeling faith and cultivating strong relationships with their children are the strongest indicators of whether or not children will continue in the faith when they are grown. But Christian families often miss faith transference by neglecting, relinquishing, or mishandling their role in intergenerational discipleship. Instead we need to step up to the plate and embrace our responsibility to invest in the emerging generations. We can do this by criticizing less and investing more and also asking God to turn our understanding of generational investments into an organizing passion.
Discussion Questions
- What kind of relationship do you have with the younger people in your life?
- How do you model your faith for others?
Practice
Matthew 19 13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. 14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
The mindset, model, and motivation of the elder generations are crucial factors in transmitting faith. Spend time together as a group contemplating where you are in each area and where God is inviting you to grow.
Mindset– Is this neglectful (low connection/low boundaries), passive (high connection/low boundaries), authoritarian (low connection/high boundaries), or directional (high connection/high boundaries).
Model– Are we authentic and open?
Motivation– Spirit-led and Jesus-centered.
Closing
Take turns praying over each others as the Spirit has directed in your time together.