Customer Reviews

Passing On the Faith: A Radical New Model for Youth and Family Ministry

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In Passing On The Faith, Merton Stromen and Richard Hardel collaborate to address how, together, parents and the church can increase the likelihood that children will be committed to Jesus Christ and a life of service when they graduate from high school. The authors propose a new paradigm of intentional partnership between congregation and family in which the primary responsibility for faith development is assumed by parents. Passing On The Faith is a highly recommended addition to parish library collections and will prove of inestimable value for parents and parishioners seeking to instill lasting Christian values, behaviors, and allegiances in the children of the congregation.

Passing on the Faith is a must have for ministry. The new model of children, youth and family ministry emphasizing the partnership between the home and the congregation has completely changed the way I "do" ministry. The Biblical model presented by the authors brings out the best of the Christian tradition and is solidly backed up by modern youth and family research. Passing on the Faith makes you think and gives you the tools to act to make a difference.

All around us we're seeing Churches close and congregations dwindle. What's the answer? FAMILY! Strommen and Hardel hit the nail on the head. Parents (especially the father) are the single largest determining factor on whether a child will grow up to keep the faith into which they've been baptised.

Strommen and Hardel give vital and in-depth advice on how to parent effectively in order to pass on the faith to your children. (Basically, be sincere, actually TEACH the faith YOURSELVES (without relying on anyone else) to your children, model Christian life for them, PRAY with them.) Children will value what their parents value--so if they see you reading the bulletin while Fr preaches his homily--then they will pick up on it.

They also cover how priests and pastors can team up with families get the message out and give due support.

Every parent and pastor who cares about the future of Christianity in the West must read this book.

We either get this stuff right or we face extinction. If the vibrant Christianity that churned out St Augustine died out in North Africa, then it can die out here as well.