One of the top concerns for Christian parents and youth leaders alike is how to keep young people—raised in Christian families—from walking away from their faith. Youth ministry veteran Dr. Kara Powell has studied this topic extensively and has written another important, practical book to help us help our kids stay rooted and grounded. She joins Connecting Faith to talk about The Sticky Faith Guide For Your Family.
The number of young Christians that are leaving their faith continues to be a topic of debate, but by any measure is too high.
“Half of young people drift away from God after high school”- Dr. Kara Powell
So how can you raise kids with a “sticky faith” – a faith that lasts? Dr. Kara Powell shares 5 key points:
1. The people that we are as parents shapes our kids view of the faith we hold.
2. Apologizing to our kids really helps them see that we are all human. There’s something about us as parents admitting our flaws that actually brings families closer together. When our kids see us as humans, it’s an important part of sticky faith.
3. Many young people look at the gospel as do’s and don’ts. None of us can consistently live up to that standard. What separates Christianity from every other religion is the concept of grace. So how can we get our kids to see and understand grace?
4. It is important to discuss highs and lows of the day with our kids. There are ways you can ask, to effectively draw them out.
Dr. Powell says it’s vitally important to match our kids with other adults to whom they can relate or connect. Have them be involved in their lives and they will be greatly impacted by it. Her motto for parents is, “First connect, then correct.”
“As long as you have relationship, you have influence”. – Dr. Kara Powell
