I read this post on my friend Don Brock's blog (www.don-brock.blogspot.com) and wanted to include it here. As I read this, I was convicted of all of the things on this list that I have done. May we be all that our children need us to be as parents.Ministry can be very hard on pastor’s children:
- Your kids will hear you criticized.
- Your kids will watch you hurt.
- Your kids may see you wrongly strike back.
- Your kids might see your hypocrisy up close.
- Your kids might reject the church because you’re always there.
- Your kids may enjoy the extra attention when they are young and despise it when they mature.
No matter how healthy your church is, a pastor’s kid will likely feel a different sort of pressure. Here are a few things we do to help our kids grow up in the fishbowl:
- Put the kids’ activities ahead of the church calendar.
- Rarely work evenings. The evenings should be family time. Try not to compromise your day off with church needs.
- Don’t talk about your kids in a sermon without their permission.
- Try not to talk negatively about the church.
- Give the kids a break from church. Every now and then, let them stay home or do something else so going to church doesn’t become a legalistic chore.
- Live your private life with personal devotion to Christ.
Pray and talk about spiritual things with our children regularly.
