Fathers, You Impact the Next Generation Like No One Else

Well, consider the survey results.

Overall, the survey found that 80% of church attendees grew up in a home where their mother and father stayed married, a trend that remained true regardless of age. In addition, 87% of all 25- to 29-year-old never-married men in church had parents who remained married.

“So what this means is folks in church on Sunday are categorically more likely to have grown up with a resident dad in the home than someone who is not in church on Sunday,” De Gance [founder and president of the group who did the study] said.

The study also discovered that

Adults who reported a close relationship with their fathers were more likely to report having the same faith as their parents by 25 percentage points.

On the other hand, the study found that a closer relationship with their mother did not appear to have a statistical effect on whether an adult had the same faith as their parents.

Fathers, your relationship with your children, your marriage, and your spiritual headship in your home matters—and it matters a lot.

Yes, fathers, your relationship with your children, your marriage, and your spiritual headship in your home matters—and it matters a lot. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, the Bible teaches us that the family is the first and most fundamental of all human institutions. And Scripture teaches that it is fathers who are uniquely responsible for the spiritual upbringing of their children. For example, consider Ephesians 6:4:

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Sadly, we live in a time when many fathers have abdicated their role as leader, assuming their wife, the church, or their children’s Christian school will teach children what they need to know about God and his Word. But, fathers, you matter. The role you play in your family can’t be replaced by anyone, and you stand responsible before God for how you fulfill your role.

Now, of course, this doesn’t mean mothers don’t matter or are exempt from responsibility. Of course not—God designed families to have one father and one mother for a reason! Both parents are vitally important. But fathers do have a unique level of responsibility and influence in their homes, and it shows in surveys like this recent study.

And of course, the church isn’t only made up of those who came from a home with married parents and a father who is spiritually involved. God saves those from every background. Indeed, the survey even notes,

The results are not “definitive,” as one in five people in church grew up without married parents.

The family is the primary unit that the Lord uses to transmit a spiritual legacy from one generation to the next.

There’s nothing that “guarantees” a child will follow the Lord, but the family is the primary unit that the Lord uses to transmit a spiritual legacy from one generation to the next. So it’s no surprise that marriage and involved dads do, as a general rule, exactly what God designed them to do—raise up the next generation to love the Lord.

If you’re a father, be encouraged to do all you can on a daily basis (consider Deuteronomy 6) to instruct your children in God’s Word and to teach them the gospel. It matters for now and eternity!

Fathers, Get Equipped to Answer Compromise

In a day when compromise on God’s Word is rapidly spreading throughout the church, parents need to be equipped to answer compromise, helping their children to recognize and stand against it. My own godly father did this, studying what the liberal theologians of his day were saying so he would know how to teach us and respond when he heard such teaching. I remember many times he would approach a pastor after a service, Bible in hand, to show the pastor why, from God’s Word, what he taught was compromise. It had a big impact on me!

I encourage you to consider joining us at the Ark Encounter, October 8–10, 2024, to get equipped to answer compromise. Our Answers for Pastors and Leaders conference (which is open to anyone, and we encourage parents to attend!) will give you practical answers from God’s Word regarding how we can be prepared to stand against compromise and point our families and congregations toward truth. Over 1,500 attended the 2023 event, and hundreds have already registered for the 2024 event.

You can register today and enjoy an early-bird discount of $60 at AnswersForPastors.org. Free admission to the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum is included!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.