Anyone who has some exposure to youth ministry is aware of the alarming statistics that reveal somewhere between 70% to 85% of young people will walk away from church within their first year away from home. An honest parent will admit that they are afraid that as soon as their kids leave home that they will be led away from Christ. Churches around the nation recognize the crisis and pour substantial resources into their youth ministries to attract and keep young people in the church. But as Alvin Reid, Professor of Evangelism and Student Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, notes, “The largest rise of full-time youth ministers in history has been accompanied by the biggest decline in youth evangelism effectiveness.” Something is drastically wrong.
Voddie Baucham Jr. has noticed the dilemma and attempts to explain the cause and offer a solution in his book Family Driven Faith. According to Baucham, “We are looking for answers in all the wrong places. Our children are not falling away because the church is doing a poor job – although that is undoubtedly a factor. Our children are falling away because we are asking the church to do what God designed the family to accomplish. Discipleship and multi-generational faithfulness begins and ends at home.” (pg. 7)
In Family Driven Faith, Voddie Baucham explains how he believes the rise in the youth ministry movement has encouraged the fall in the efforts of the family to be the primary evangelism, teaching, and training ground for children. We often feel like the spiritual training should be left up to the professionals or we are not properly prepared or equipped to teach children, but as Scripture repeatedly reveals, God has ordained the family to be the daily driving force in the discipleship of children. “[Many churches set] out to do for teens what God commands parents to do. It is not the job of the youth pastor to evangelize my child – that’s my job. It is not the youth pastor’s job to equip (disciple) my child – it’s mine. And it is not the youth pastor’s job to send my child out to engage the world; you guessed it – that’s my job too.” (pg. 177)
The bulk of Family Driven Faith is devoted to painting the biblical picture of a family. It describes what a marriage is to look like and how it is to be the primary relationship in the family as a foundation for the Christ-like love that is to be modeled and shared in the home. It illustrates a family that is centered around the gospel; focusing on exposing the sinful hearts of the children in order to guide them to forgiveness and new life in Christ. It portrays a family that is a place of love and forgiveness and is a safe haven for rest and encouragement that distinguishes the Christian family from the world. Family Driven Faith describes the godly family that daily worships, prays, and studies together building biblical, multi-generational faithfulness. Baucham writes personal stories and offers tips and encouragement for parents to lead their families in worship and devotional time.
The heart of Voddie Baucham’s message is unpacked in the final two chapters as he lays out what he believes to be the biblical model of the church. “While I believe the vast majority of those who shepherd segregated portions of congregations are well meaning and would never presume to replace parents in their biblical role, I believe the modern American practice of systematic age segregation goes beyond the biblical mandate…the church’s emphasis ought to be on equipping parents to disciple their children instead of doing it on their behalf.” (pg. 178) Family Driven Faith isn’t another program to complement the youth ministry; Baucham explains that it is a complete paradigm shift. It is a decision made in each individual family to take back the role of youth discipleship from the professionals and lead as God designed in the beginning: parents teaching and modeling the love of Christ daily and deliberately in the home. “This is a problem that must be addressed one home at a time. The answer to our current crisis is a renewed commitment to biblical evangelism and discipleship in and through our homes.” (pg. 189)
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. - Deuteronomy 6:6-9
