RAISING KIDS TO LOVE THE CHURCH
Children of the ministry are not volunteers; they are conscripts. But even they can grow up enjoying their experience.
Marshall Shelley
October 1, 1988
Serving a church. Raising a family. Too often they seem like competing demands. Are pastors who are committed both to their families and the church forced to shortchange one or the other? The latest book in THE LEADERSHIP LIBRARY answers with a resounding no! The Healthy Hectic Home by LEADERSHIP managing editor Marshall Shelley offers the accumulated wisdom of people in ministry who have found ways to balance their dual calling to church and family. The following excerpt from that book deals with the pastor's challenge of providing a positive church experience for his own children. What do Alice Cooper and Cotton Mather have in common? Not much, except that both grew up as sons of ministers. The same is true of Aaron Burr, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Walter Mondale, John Tower, Marvin Gay, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Sir Laurence Olivier. Other "preacher's kids" include Albert Schweitzer, Christian Barnaard, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. There is no guarantee, of course, that any child, whether born to a preacher, professor, plumber, or prince, will decide to live in a way that brings honor to God and joy to parents. Nor can pastoral couples ensure even that their children will find church a place to enjoy rather than endure. Some factors are beyond parental control-critics, conflict-but parents can help prepare children for church life, interpret what's happening, and create an atmosphere that makes church life much more appealing. Let's look at some of the key elements in helping kids have a healthy experience in their church life. Orienting Children to the Ministry
Some orientation can help children handle the realities of life in a ministry home. If they are prepared, they aren't as likely to be jolted by difficult people or ...
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