PArenting Pathway

We want you to know that we are so grateful for you and your family, and we’re so glad that your family is here at Canyon Lake Community Church. We at CLCC love families. We are for families, and we want to help your family in every way possible to grow in the truth of Jesus Christ!


We believe the Bible teaches that it is the primary responsibility of parents to disciple their kids to know and follow Jesus. In the book of Deuteronomy, God gives parents this command:


You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to

your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way,

and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7


Notice that the first command to parents is “YOU shall love the Lord your God with all your heart...” The truth is before we can ever begin to disciple our kids to love Jesus, we must love Him ourselves. Parents, in order to disciple your kids as God has called you to, you must first make sure that you are connected to the Vine (Christ), because apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:4-5). This means you will need to be growing in your own relationship with the Lord on a regular basis. This is the first and most important ingredient for spiritual parenting. It will also be important for you to get plugged in at CLCC, where you can grow with other parents along this journey.


Our desire at CLCC is to come alongside you as parents, grandparents, guardians, etc. to help you intentionally disciple the child in your care to know and follow Christ. That is the desire of our church and the goal of this booklet.


We don’t claim to have all the answers or guarantee that if you follow these Pathways that your kids will turn out to be perfect Christians. But we do believe that raising kids in the faith takes intentionality. That’s what this resource is all about. Our goal is to give you a plan with ideas and resources and activities that will help you teach your kids about Jesus and raise them in the faith no matter where you’re at in your parenting journey.


We hope that this resource will be a blessing to your family, and that you find the ideas and intentional steps helpful for your journey. Also, I want to let you know that our staff is here to assist you along the way. If at any time you have questions or just want someone to talk to about discipling your kids, please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our Family Ministry staff members.

PATHWAY OVERVIEW

We’ve designed two pillars to assist our parents in being the spiritual leaders of their home.

Those two pillars are: Seasons and Celebrations.



SEASONS

Seasons refer to the stage of parenting that you currently find yourself in. Seasons are based on your

child's (or children's) current age range. The six seasons are:


Season 1: Infant & Toddler (Ages 0-2)

Season 2: Preschool (Ages 3-4)

Season 3: Elementary School (Ages 5-10)

Season 4: Middle School (Ages 11-13)

Season 5: High School (Ages 14-18)

Season 6: Adulthood (Ages 18+)


(Ages are a rough estimate. We understand that some kids

may be a year younger or older in some seasons.)


You may have only one child in a particular season, or you may have several children in multiple different seasons at once. You may be beginning your parenting journey at Season 1 with your newborn or starting at Season 4 with your middle schooler. Wherever stage you find your family in, this resource is to help you spiritually shepherd your children.


Also, notice that we start at birth and go beyond high school, because we believe that the parenting journey goes beyond our kids’ school years. We want to support you in whatever season you find yourself in right now and continue to support you
even as your children step into adulthood.



CELEBRATIONS

Celebrations are those moments throughout your child’s faith journey when we want to pause and celebrate what God is doing in the life of our kiddos. Celebrations include things like baby dedications, baptisms, high school graduation, etc. We often blow right past these major moments in our children's faith journey, so we want to be intentional about recognizing them and celebrating them. We want to make these moments memorable and communicate how important they are to our kids.


Some celebrations (like baby dedications) are specific to a particular season. However, many of these celebrations can be celebrated in various seasons, depending on your child’s faith journey. For example, your child may accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior (Faith Commitment) in the elementary school season or the high school season. They may get baptized in the elementary school season or the adulthood season. The point is, we want to recognize and celebrate these monumental moments in their life!



MINISTRIES / IDEAS / RESOURCES:

As you move along in each season of your child’s faith journey there are ministries, ideas, and resources to help you disciple your kid(s). These are the practical tools for you to implement at home, as well as things CLCC will provide to help you along the way.