The Parent’s Informal Spiritual Leadership
Modeling the Thoughts and Attitudes of Christ before Your Teenager
Q. Parents must be a Christian model for their teenagers. Therefore, how can parents express their faith in Christ before their teenager?
A. Read Deuteronomy 6:4–11; Mark 8:29; Romans 12:1–2, 9–13; 14:79; Matthew 6:33; 22:37.
Read pages 33–44: St. Clair, Barry. Parent Fuel. Wheaton: Crossway Books. 2007.
Read pages 21–33: Hemphill, Ken and Richard Ross. Parenting with Kingdom Purpose. Nashville: B&H, 2005.
Read pages 145–148: Ross, Richard. Student Ministry and the Supremacy of Christ. Bloomington: CrossBooks, 2009.
Q. Postmodernism surmises there is no absolute truth. Parents live in a predominantly postmodern society. How can parents overcome postmodernism and communicate a Christian worldview to their teenagers?
A. Read Genesis 1:1; 3:16; John 3:16, Romans 1:19–20; 12:1–2.
Read pages 313–27: White, Joe and Jim Weidmann. Spiritual Mentoring of Teens. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.
Modeling Christ’s Activity in the World before Your Teenager
Q. How can parents model a lasting and genuine relationship with their neighbors?
A. Read Romans 12:10; 14–18; Galatians 5:14; Proverbs 14:20–21; 25:9; Matthew 22:39; Romans 13:10; Ephesians 4:25.
Read pages 21–33: Hemphill, Ken and Richard Ross. Parenting with Kingdom Purpose. Nashville: B&H, 2005.
Read pages 35–49: Elliff, Tom. Unbreakable: The Seven Pillars of a Kingdom Family. Nashville: B&H, 2003
Q. When parents have conflicts with neighbors, how can they deal with this conflict and seek reconciliation with their neighbors?
A. Read Luke 12:58; Matthew 5:9; 6:14–15; 2 Timothy 2:22; Hebrew 12:14.
Read pages 87–106: Elliff, Tom. Unbreakable: The Seven Pillars of a Kingdom Family. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003.
Spontaneous Spiritual Conversations with Your Teenager
Q. How can a parent answer a teenager’s question, “What is the gospel?”
A. Read John 1:12; 3:16; Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 4:21–26; 5:9; 8:35–39.
Read pages 107–18: Elliff, Tom. Unbreakable: The Seven Pillars of a Kingdom Family. Nashville: B&H, 2003.
Q. Teenagers often have curious questions concerning heaven and hell. How can parents explain them when asked?
A. Read Matthew 13:1–52; Luke 12:5; 2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 21–22.
Read pages 13–19: Ross, Richard. Student Ministry and the Supremacy of Christ. Bloomington: CrossBooks, 2009.
Q. When parents have conversations about sin with their teenager, how can they lead the conversation without damaging relationships?
A. Read Matthew 5:29–30; 7:1–5; 18:9; Luke 5:32; 12:10; 17:4.
Read pages 281–90: White, Joe and Jim Weidmann. Spiritual Mentoring of Teens. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.
Spontaneous Prayer with your Teenager
Q. When a teenager is sad, how can parents pray for that teenager?
A. Read Romans 8:26; James 5:13; 2 Corinthians 1:3–5; 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17.
Read pages 178–83: Ross, Richard. Student Ministry and the Supremacy of Christ. Bloomington: CrossBooks, 2009.
Q. When a teenager has conflict with friends, how can parents pray for her?
A. Read Romans 8:26; 2 Corinthians 7:4; Ephesians 2:14; Matthew 5:43–48.
Read pages 56–65: Barry St. Clair. Parent Fuel. Wheaton: Crossway Books. 2007.
Read pages 301–11: White, Joe and Jim Weidmann. Spiritual Mentoring of Teens. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.
Q. Sometimes a teenager rejects his faith. At such a time, how can parents pray for him?
A. Read Romans 8:26; Ephesians 2:8–9; John 1:12; 14:16–17.
Read pages 40–47: Hemphill, Ken and Richard Ross. Parenting with Kingdom Purpose. Nashville: B&H, 2005.
Read pages 178–83: Richard Ross. Student Ministry and the Supremacy of Christ. Bloomington: CrossBooks, 2009.
Influencing Your Teenager through Everyday Situations
Q. When a teenager makes a parent angry, how can the parent deal with this anger?
A. Read Proverbs 12:16; 14:17; 15:18; 16:32; 19:11; James 1:20.
Read pages 55–65: St. Clair, Barry. Parent Fuel. Wheaton: Crossway Books. 2007.
Q. In a normal conversation with a teenager, what is the best attitude for a parent to convey?
A. Read James 1:19–20; 3:5–6; Mathew 7:1–5; Ephesians 6:4.
Read pages 142–47: St. Clair, Barry. Parent Fuel. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2007.
Read pages 70–79: Tripp, Tedd. Shepherding a Child’s Heart. Wapwallopen: Shepherd Press. 2005
Q. Sometimes siblings have conflicts. How can parents deal with conflict and seek a resolution to the issue?
A. Read Romans 12:10, 18; 1 John 4:20–21; 2 Peter 1:7.
Read pages 401–15: White, Joe and Jim Weidmann. Spiritual Mentoring of Teens. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.