1. Launching the Next Generation… …Rescuing a Generation in Crisis! …Rescuing a Generation in Crisis!.

2. If we keep doing the same things over and over again expecting different results what is that called again?

3. . Conference Overview: Saturday Saturday 1:30 pm Launching the Next Generation – (a practical Family Discipleship Plan) 1:30 pm Launching the Next Generation – (a practical Family Discipleship Plan) 3:30 pm Question & Answer Panel

4. Reforming the Church

5. . In the context of the church, the notion of “reform” implies improvements or changes that restore the church to a purer or more biblical state.

6. . Some of what we are doing today in the American church is not working. Albert Einstein: “The manner of thinking that got us into our current dilemma will not suffice to get us out.”

7.  A Major Problem Many householders are being equipped to neither perform the work of the ministry nor to sustain the future life of the church by making disciples of their own households.

8.  Many of today’s contemporary churches are built upon the flawed premise that the primary responsibility for discipleship of all its members rests upon the professional and lay staff of each local church. 

9.  While this is a noble undertaking, the church has often assumed an unbiblical mandate…  …inadvertently training the householders to not train their own families

10. . We must begin to evaluate the manner in which we are attempting to pass the Baton of the Gospel on to the next generation!

11. . Losing its youth to the world at a rate of 80% per generation, the church is failing in its most significant role - making disciples to replenish the church of tomorrow.

12. . The Family is the primary Conduit of the Gospel. The Family is the primary Conduit of the Gospel.

13. . How can we re-orient the church to be more successful in it’s most important mandates? How can we re-orient the church to be more successful in it’s most important mandates?

14. . Three Ways of Reforming the Church: 1. Restoring the Complementarian role between church and family. 2. Focusing resources on equipping fathers. 3. Raising up Household Embassies that disciple their children, minister to the church and reach out the world.

15. . The 1 st Way to Begin to Reform the Church: Restoring the Complementarian role between church and family.

16. . Just like there is a complementarian relationship between a husband and wife… …so there is a complementarian relationship between church and family.

17. . A husband has certain biblical responsibilities in the home… …and so the woman… …the home tends to operate most smoothly when both the husband and wife identify and fulfill the responsibilities assigned to them by God.

18. . So with the church and home… …God has assigned the home certain roles… …and the church certain – other – roles.

19. . While they work toward the same goals, and often do similar things, they should not step on the jurisdictions of one another…

20. . God has designed into creation the administration of jurisdictions… …and the Family is an Autonomous jurisdiction under the biblical authority of the Father/parent.

21. . What is a Jurisdiction The territorial range of authority or control Personal Family Employment Government Church

22. . And while the home is to be submitted to the church, the church is obligated to - not usurp authority over the home - or to usurp the responsibilities of the home.

23. . Acts 5:1-4 [To Ananias] “While [the land] remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control?

24. . By respecting the jurisdictional authority of the family, the church is able to foster the equipping of all of its members without “controlling” them.

25. . The church should equip, encourage and affirm heads of households in their biblical roles… What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2-3)

26. . In the wilderness, to the men of Israel who had seen firsthand many mighty works of God, God says… …Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them to thy sons, and thy sons' sons; (Deut 4:9)

27. . Do most Christian fathers in America hear, recognize and accept this mandate?... … to teach the things of God diligently to their children?… …Or…

28. . …have they emotionally passed this mandate over to their wives? …to the church? …to the pastor? …to the youth minister? …or the Sunday School teacher?

29. . Fathers must strive to become the shepherds and resident theologians of their homes… …autonomous heads of households are uniquely equipped by God to know and minister the spiritual needs of their families.

30. . …and are uniquely able to lead their families in the various activities of the church as the Lord would lead them.

31. . The church should regularly reminding Christian fathers and mothers of their vital role of making their homes effective centers for discipleship.

32. . And…what of that father, who never truly comprehending his responsibility to spiritually train his children, when he stands before God?

33. . He has abandoned his MOST IMPORTANT stewardship? Is he even aware of this?

34. . There is a complementarian relationship in discipleship between the church and the home… But ultimately …the father has the biblical mandate and primary responsibility!

35. . And the church should be enlightening, encouraging and equipping the father in that role.

36. . The 2 nd Way to Begin to Reform the Church: Restore the Focus on Equipping Fathers

37. . The Family Is the Greatest Conduit of the Gospel from One Generation to the Next…

38. . What is a Conduit?

39. . First Roman Aqueduct, built 312 BC

40. . This Aqueduct was a conduit for the safe transfer of water for many miles…

41. . The Family Is the God-designed Conduit of the Gospel-lived from One Generation the Next…

42. . In the home…over the course of 20(?) years… where the rubber meets the road… …Fathers have the primary responsibility for transferring a heart-transforming presentation of the Gospel-lived to their children.

43. . And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deut 6:6-9)

44. . From this perspective… …we should see that it is virtually impossible for a pastor, Sunday School teacher or youth minister to adequately disciple our youth at the level of attention needed to be genuinely effective.

45. . What was Jesus’ model of discipleship? …living WITH His disciples… …24/7 …for 3 years.

46. . We cannot delegate this to a Church Leader... We cannot delegate this to a Church Leader... But we can assume that 24/7 discipleship role ourselves

47. . 2 Timothy 2:3 …entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Personal discipleship and mentoring do not escape church leaders under this model… …rather parents (family pastors) are included in the “faithful men” that are entrusted to take the gospel to their home, the church, the community and the world.

48. . If the greatest threat facing the church today is the loss of its youth to the world at a rate of 80% per generation. God has an anti-dote … ….Heart-level transformation for fathers and children!

49. . Malachi 4:6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, ESV

50. . A key objective of the church, then, should be to focus on mentoring men to disciple their families and to reach their communities for Christ.

51. . The 3 rd Way to Begin to Re-build the Church: Raise up Household Embassies

52. . We must seriously evaluate the notion that ministry is for professional pastors… …that church programs are only the domain of church staff… …that “regular men” are not able to envision, assemble and lead ministries on behalf of the church.

53. . Rather than looking out and seeing the church as people needing to be entertained or spoon fed… …see fathers as potential pastors / elders and church families as potential Household Embassies.

54. . What are the scriptural qualifications of an elder/pastor/shepherd?... …Bible College …Seminary? …Denominational Credentials? …Years in the trenches as a Youth Minister?

55. . 1 Timothy 3:1-3 If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self- controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

56. . 1 Timothy 3:4-7 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

57. . Effective ministry emerges from sound, faithful, well-managed homes. Titus 1:5-6 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife…

58. . God’s Kingdom contains hosts of undiscovered ministries because churches sometimes focus only in pastor-driven, staff-directed programs… …robbing the initiative from godly, gifted, qualified householders who have a passion for ministry.

59. . We believe we should shift our emphasis to discipling and equipping householders to be effective shepherds of their homes and builders of Embassies of God’s Kingdom.

60. . One Of My NT Heroes: Philip the evangelist – Acts 8 – major revival in Samaria, Ethiopian Eunuch – whisked away to Caesarea then disappears until – Acts 21:8-9 -4 grown daughters who prophesied

61. . Discipling and equipping householders to be effective shepherds of their homes builds ownership and vision… …as they aspire to be builders of Household Embassies.

62. . Well-rounded Household Embassies recognize their responsibilities in at least three areas: Discipling their own children Ministry to the local church Outreach to the Community / World

63. . Some of what this philosophy of ministry has produce for HOFCC/HFF over the past 13/18 years.

64. (“Embassy Ministry” to the Body In Areas Such As):  Worship Team  Tech / Sound  Communion Preparation  Book Store Manager  Kitchen / Shared Meal Schedule  Missions Coordinators  Hospitality / Body Ministry to the Sick  Productive Fellowships  Pre Service Prayer 

65. Household-led Care Groups  How People Change  Crown Financial Ministries  Pure Minds Pure Hearts  Men’s/Ladies Bible Studies  Weekly men & women’s prayer meetings  Home Grown/Homeschool Support Groups  Marriage Care Groups

66.  Apologetics / Speech and Debate  Perspectives  Heart of the Home  HOFCC Film Club  Toastmasters  Air-Soft with a twist  Seasons of Service

67. Household-led Outreach Ministries  Pictures in the Park – Evangelism  Street Preaching  Street/Neighborhood Evangelism  Homeless shelter service  Jail Ministry  Nursing Home Ministry  Handiwork for Hope  Beneath the Surface  2 Drama Troupes

68. Missions / Missions Support  Long-term HOFCC Members Sent:  - Kevin Mount - OM  - Eric Rivera – Gleanings for Hungry  - Mark Feener – Mongolian Translator  - Megan and Paul Root – Missionary Pilot to Africa  - Dan Graybeal

69. Missions / Missions Support  Medium-term HOFCC Members / ESLs  - England / OM  - Morocco  - Nepal  - Taiwan

70. Missions / Missions Support  Short-term HOFCC Mission Teams  - The Dominican Republic  - Mexico  - Russia  - Cambodia  - Gleanings for Hungry - 100+ / yr  - Mongolian Bible Study - Jerry Burd

71. HFF - Specific Free Clothing Outreach – Public Schools Missions, evangelism, service projects Meals, counseling, support systems, prayer Food pantry, pro-life, jail visitation, hospital ministry Worship team, audio, video, photography, etc Newsletters, assistance to several parachurch groups Bright Lights, Bible Bee, Quizzing, Boy Scouts/Sports 20-25% of budget committed to missions/alms since inception – orphanage, lepers, students, China, Africa Lydia’s Hope – Hospital outreach for babies

72. . If we interact correctly with our families… …recognizing their autonomy, giftings and callings … …we will raise up countless Great-Commission families in the American Church.

73. If a typical pastor expends 70-90% of time dealing with dysfunctional families, what would happen if this was reversed? What if the heads of households were empowered, equipped and released into ministry per Ephesians 4:11-12? What if the 70-90% of young people stayed in the faith and were released into ministry?

74. . If the church would re-orient itself to these 3 foundational issues: 1. Restoring the Complementarian role between church and family. 2. Focusing on equipping fathers. 3. Raising up Household Embassies.

75. . We may find the following results…

76. . 1. Restoring the Complementarian Role between church and family…. May provide an explosion of ministry around the block, city, and globe (Radical & Radical Together by David Platt)

77. . 2. Turning our Focus on Equipping Fathers… …may minimize the Disintegration of the Family… …enhancing family discipleship… …Rescuing a Generation in Crisis.

78. . 2. Raising up Household Embassies… …may engage our families in their Great Commission callings… …Launching the Next Generation… …impacting the culture and assuring the church’s vitality for many generations to come. …impacting the culture and assuring the church’s vitality for many generations to come.

79. . Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

80. . Equipping one generation… …to equip the next. …to equip the next.

81. . Next Session… A practical tool for household development… …the Family Discipleship Plan

82. . 3 Tenets of the FIC 1)Age-integrated, the family enjoying all aspects of church life together. 2)The home/ father is central to discipling the next generation. 3)The Church focuses on equipping fathers/parents to fulfill their biblically-assigned roles.

83. . Malachi 4:6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” ESV