Spiritual Vision Conference

As most of you are aware, we are spending a lot of time this summer implementing family ministry elements at Bush Memorial. Our goal is to be able to take these elements and be able to share them with other churches that are making a transition to a family equipping ministry model.

Part of that entire approach to the summer is a fourteen week series I am preaching at Bush on the 12 Memorial Stones that represent the statutes and testimonies that we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren. The series is based on Deuteronomy 6 and the narrative of Israel’s entrance into the promised land found in Deuteronomy 27 and the book of Joshua.

Central to this theme is the idea that the people remember and obey when generational faithfulness happens, and they do not know the Lord and do what is evil in His sight when generational faithfulness is not practiced (Judges 2:6-11). The notes from these messages will be posted here each week, and audio and video of the first two weeks are available through the Legacy office.

The first Family Ministry event of the summer took place on May 31st. We kicked off the entire summer with a Spiritual Vision Conference. Kara Stephens, the Director of Children’s Ministries at Bush put the conference together and has led several churches through this material. It was a wonderful start that laid the groundwork for the entire summer plan. I would like to share with you some of the key principles presented in the conference in hopes that they will spark ideas for others and encourage those who are leading transition.

Kara started the conference with three basic points upon which we must all agree in order for the other principles to have real meaning.
We want our children to be Godly—to love God alone and serve God alone.
We are willing to let our children suffer in order to follow Jesus, and let God build them up in due time.
We will measure success by God’s standards, not our own.

After agreeing on these core values, parents and grandparents were led to examine the last year of spiritual development in each child’s life by asking 25 questions like, “Have you facilitated your child’s daily worship?”

The next element in the conference is to develop a vision for the next year of spiritual growth in each child’s life by asking 25 questions like, “What specific steps can you take to help your child learn God’s word?”

Each family then worked to develop a plan to turn that vision into a reality by weekly working on these six spiritual disciplines: Worship, Bible Study, Scripture Memorization, Prayer, Giving, and Church Attendance.

I am thankful for your prayers and financial support that make this kind of generational, life-changing ministry possible for all of our partner churches. You are having an impact in the lives of young people though Legacy.

For more information on having a Spiritual Vision Conference at your church, please contact us.