This conference was created to equip parents with kids of all ages with biblical principles to help them nurture and shepherd their children. Grandparents will also benefit from attending Parenting with Purpose, as they play a vital role in shaping their grandchildren’s lives by sharing their faith in God and the wisdom they have gained.

Rick Thomas will be leading parents in five teaching sessions, aimed to give parents biblical insights and practical tools that will nurture their child’s heart and mind for Christ.

Session 1 – Biblical Marriage and the God- Centered Home The Christian family has many roles. It is a theological learning center where God’s glory is on display. It is also a sociological learning center where children learn to live with and love others. It can also be a redemptive learning center where parents, who have a strong godly marriage, stand in solidarity with their children recognizing them as people who sin, are sinned against and must experience the grace of redemption working within. We are called not to control our children but to nuture and shepherd them, to help them understand themselves and their need for grace, as well as understanding how the grace of the gospel enables us to love God and love others.

Session 2 – Parenting our Children from Zero to Adulthood The parenting goal is to release your child into adulthood as an individual living under God’s authority for His glory. This parenting process happens in three stages: Dependent Stage (ages 0-2), Interdependent Stage (ages 2-22), and Independent Stage (ages 22 and older). Each stage is a window of time that flexes depending on the child, parents, and situations that reveal how a child matures through each stage.

Session 3 – When Parents’ Anger Complicates the Life of the Child The angry heart does not have to direct its frustration toward anyone to complicate that relationship. All the angry person has to do is stand in the vicinity of those who receive the spillover of their anger. Whether you’re mad at someone or intoxicating the room with your frustration, it will damage your redemptive goals with the casualties. Every parent, pastor, and peer must learn to bring sinful anger into submission to Christ, or it will complicate the lives of others.

Session 4 – Parenting: The Important Role of Fathers When it comes to parenting, the dad and mom have unique purposes, practices, and effects on children. This message is going to address the critical need for fathers to step into the responsibility of rearing their boys and girls in the way that only they can. This job is for him, and the Lord has gifted fathers to do it well.

Session 5 – Four Excellent Parenting Tips You Can Implement Today Parenting is challenging for every family, but it does not have to be an unsolvable puzzle. The Bible is full of information that can help any parent as they cooperate with God in this leadership opportunity, and Rick is going to share with us some of these tips.

The $20 ticket price includes conference entry, five teaching sessions from counselor and leader Rick Thomas, the opportunity to ask questions from our panel of experienced parents, and a light breakfast and snacks on Saturday. In addition, every family will receive a copy of the book Praying for the Next Generation by Sally Michael of Truth:78.

Childcare for the conference is now closed. If you have any questions, please contact Gary Wetherhold.

The conference lunch break will be from 11:30am – 12:45pm. For your convenience, we encourage you to bring your own lunch or visit one of the many nearby food options at The Collection at Forsyth. We will have tables set up for lunch time fellowship in the Student Room (rooms 24-25).

You can submit your question to the panel using the cards at the back of the auditorium. Write down your question, drop it in the basket, and we will do our best to answer it during the Q&A panel Saturday afternoon.