Rachel Turner’s book, It takes a church to raise a parent, is by far the best book I have currently read on effectively equipping families to parent for faith. The sub title on the book cover is “Creating a culture where parenting for faith can flourish” and this book certainly gives a lot of helpful guidance on how to do that. She does not offer one particular model but rather offers guiding principles and concepts making this a resource that can be utilised in any context. Rachel describes her purpose in writing this book in this way:

What I hope to do in this book is to give you the values and skills you need in order to pioneer in your context; to help you think about the parents you serve; and to give you the foundations you need to be ready to inspire, encourage, equip and walk alongside your parents.

The book is divided into 3 parts: Vision, Skills and Church Culture. In the first part, through a clever analogy comparing a visit to the dentist with a visit to IKEA she beautifully illustrates how to effectively communicate a vision for equipping parents as primary spiritual influencers in the lives of their children. In part 2, rather than give a definitive list of skills, Rachel shares 4 essential areas that we must train parents in and then proceeds to share how we can learn to equip parents in ways that works best for them. In Part 3, using the analogy of tea, Rachel presents an integrated plan that includes a diversity of elements that go into equipping parents to parent for faith. Finally, there is even an FAQ section that addresses a number of key questions one might have as they consider strengthening or beginning an intentional focus on equipping parents.

This is the best book I have read on effectively equipping families to parent for faith and I would recommend that all pastors read and consider the approach suggested. This is not a step by step, one size fits all program but rather an invitation to create a culture that leans in, listens and cultivates a culture where families discover and grow in effectively parenting for faith.

And if you are interested in learning more about skills she teaches and how to teach parents in those core skills, check out this website. CBOQ Kids will be launching a facebook watch party to work through the material later this fall. Email Tanya if you are interested in participating.