This is obvious: Every church has to develop some way of training young men and women how to lead in the Body of Christ. In particular, the church must train young people how they can use their individual gifts and abilities for the good of the whole. They need opportunities to see their gift used by other, older people with a similar gift – they need models. They need opportunities to practice their gift and develop it into excellence. They need opportunities to discover what abilities they may have that are as yet uncovered or that they never thought could be beneficial to the kingdom.
Where training is absent, the future is grim. If young people don’t discover, develop, practice, and utilize their gifts there will be incredible deficiencies in the churches where they are adults. They will not know how to lead effectively and will have to learn everything at the very time they are supposed to be leading.
Make a transition to the home. Where do young men and women learn how to be good husbands and wives? Where does a young man get an opportunity to witness how to a wife like Christ loves his church? Where can a young woman see a living model of unconditional respect?
In many of the homes where young people are growing up, there is only one parent. These young men and women, husbands and wives of the not-so-far-off-future, are not having opportunities to develop the understanding and skills they will need when eventually they meet and marry.
Another scary reality, though, is that many of the young people who live in homes where they do get to see a husband and wife interact on a daily basis are not learning how to be healthy, holy husbands and wives. Their parents slander, withdraw, practice conditional love and respect, and manipulate rather than motivate each other. Their parents pay little attention to developing a excellent marriage while giving higher priority to careers, hobbies, and the kids. Often the marriage is outright ignored.
Where training is absent, the future is grim. If young people don’t discover and develop what they will need to be holy husbands and wives, there will be incredible deficiencies in the homes where they are adults. They will not know how to lead effectively and will have to learn everything at the very time they are supposed to be leading.
There are many great reasons to pursue excellence in your home as a husband and wife. One of them is that the children in your home need to learn from you how to be holy, intentional spouses in their own homes. Start changing the future now.