The Place of Godly Parenting on Church Growth: a Case Study of Mfm as Region 1, Portharcourt
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVES OF STUDY,
The objectives of this research study are:-
- To reflect on the biblical basis and principles of Christian parenting.
- To investigate if the Christian parents in the urban churches are practicing Christian parenting.
- To ascertain whether poor parenting affect the growth of the church?
- To find out what the church can do to improve on Christian parenting and promote effective psychosocial development of youth.
Chapter two
Review of related literature
Role of parenting style and delinquency
Delinquent behavior is one of the most distressful problems during the period when people are considered adolescents, that is, between the age of 13 and 18. According to Griffin et al (2000), Elliott, Huizinga and Menard (2012), the list of delinquent activities include refusal to adhere to the parental demands, alcohol use and drug addiction, stealing, property destruction, theft and rape. It is a fact that opinion regarding the causes of delinquent behavior vary, but it is generally agreed that delinquent behavior in adolescentyears is more common than in the group of people of other age. Furthermore, it is also argued that males are more likely to commit offenses than females (Griffin et al., 2000). Nevertheless, Moitra and Mukherjee (2012) argue that there is a noteworthy role of parents in shaping the delinquent behavior of adolescents. For example, they point out that home is the place where a normal and healthy development of any child starts and the family constitutes the backbone of an individual. From this perspective, family is considered to be a basic ecology in which the behavior of children is manifested in their childhood by way of negative or positive reinforcement. Talib, Abdullah, and Mansor (2011) argue that the family of a child is a socio-cultural-economic arrangement that has a significant influence on not only the behavior of the children, but also on the development of their characters. Therefore, ignorance in their parenting can lead them towards unwanted damaging effects that ultimately create behavioral problems in children. Baumrind (1966) believes that parenting is a compound activity of many particular behaviors working individually or together that affect on the behavior of children. It would not be wrong to state that adolescent delinquency is more concerned with parenting styles. As the literature suggests, the term juvenile delinquency can be defined as a law-breaking act committed by a minor, below the age of 18. This law-breaking act can result in the incarceration in detention centers, rather than prisons or correctional centers (Berger, 2000). Tompsett and Toro (2010) point out that the risk of adolescent’s development of delinquent behavior is often headed by parenting style. Authoritarian parental style particularly plays an influential role in developing the delinquent behavior among adolescents that eventually results in negative outcomes (Kerr, Stattin&Ozdemir, 2012). Therefore, it is accurate to state that indifferent parenting styles negatively affectsthe children in terms of psychological and behavior context. For instance, Hoskins (2014) finds that authoritarian parenting has deep connection with more negative behavioral outcomes.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to examine the place of Godly parenting on church growth.
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
CHAPTER FOUR
ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF DATA
One hundred and sixty (160) questionnaires were distributed and one hundred and forty (133) were returned. This figure was the sample size. Out of the one hundred and thirty-three, only one hundred and twenty (120) were properly responded to. As a result, the researcher used one hundred and twenty for this study when more than 50% of the respondents agree to the questions, the answer is taken as valid for the purpose of this study. In analyzing the data, the approach that will be adopted is to find out the percentage and positive and negative answers to the question posed.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain the place of Godly parenting on church growth. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenge of the place of Godly parenting on church growth
Summary
This study was on the place of Godly parenting on church growth. Four objectives were raised which included: To reflect on the biblical basis and principles of Christian parenting, to investigate if the Christian parents in the urban churches are practicing Christian parenting, to ascertain whether poor parenting affect the growth of the church and to find out what the church can do to improve on Christian parenting and promote effective psychosocial development of youth. In line with these objectives, four research questions were formulated and were posited. The total population for the study is 200 members of Mountain of fire ministry, Portharcourt, Rivers state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made pastors, elders, deacons and members of the church were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
Family ministry seeks to mirror the intergenerational call of personally knowing God and finding spiritual direction with communal influence, so everyone in the congregation has a role in that call to hear and teach the Word. For the church to partner with parents in bringing family ministry from the church to the home, this thesis noted major needs on the church’s part to connect with parents and align programs holistically. Partnering with families takes effective communication, working through time constraints, and reaching parents where they are at. In American households, busyness is almost a norm in the life of both children and family. However, in this tension, supplements such as parental involvement on a Sunday morning as volunteers, or podcasts accessible on morning commutes can show that faith formation is not addition, but integration. Instead of adding another facet to the family life, this should be lessened by seeking ways to integrate activities that engage the family wholly. This bridges Sunday service learnings onto the rest of the week. However, not only is busyness about time management skills, but prioritization. Communication once again becomes a necessity so that children’s pastors are not serving a primary role as a spiritual champion for children, but a resource for parents to fuel the faith in their children. This thesis found aims toward alignment to the theological call of a family coming to its needed place, an encouragement for the Church and families.
Recommendation
Parents should always train their children in the way of the lord. Should involve them in the morning devotion, Sunday school and bible classes
References
- Alcorn, Randy. “A Christ-Centered Marriage Is Christ-Centered Parenting – Blog.” Eternal Perspective Ministries. Last modified November 17, 2010. Accessed March 7, 2020. https://www.epm.org/blog/2010/Nov/17/christ-centered-marriage-christ-centeredparenting.
- Blanchette, Leon, and Robert G III Crosby. “The Measurement and Evaluation of Children’s Ministry Praxis.” Christian Education Journal 13, no. 2 (2016): 247–265. Accessed March 13, 2019.
- https://seu.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d b=lsdar&AN=ATLAiG0V161031000862&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
- Brattston, David W T. “Your Children’s Education: Duties in Christian Education, by Parents as Teachers, and Children as Learners.” Journal of Christian Education 53, no. 3 (December 2010): 19–28.
- Campbell, Ken M., ed. Marriage and Family in the Biblical World. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2003.Chartier, Myron Raymond. “A Theology of Parenting: An Incarnational Model.” American Baptist Quarterly 3, no. 1 (March 1984): 73–84. Accessed February 26, 2019.
- https://seu.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d b=lsdar&AN=ATLA0000940027&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Crispin, Gareth. “A Theology of Accommodation as a Resource for Integrating Youth and Children into Intergenerational Church.” Christian Education Journal 14, no. 1 (2017): 7–22. Accessed February 7, 2019.
- https://seu.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d b=lsdar&AN=ATLAiBCB170424001817&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
