New Conference to Draw Top Leaders in Family Ministry
Some of the most influential leaders in the world of family ministry are hoping to champion a movement to spiritually connect parents with their kids through a conference that hones in on the basic building block of society.
"Christians have to recognize that our primary mission field is not overseas," says George Barna, founder of The Barna Group, who will be among the speakers at next year's first annual D6 Conference. "It's domestic. In fact, it's inside of our homes. It's our children."
In a 2003 study, The Barna Group found that close to nine out of ten parents of children under age 13 (85 percent) believe they have the primary responsibility for teaching their children about religious beliefs and spiritual matters. Related research, however, revealed that a majority of parents do not spend any time during a typical week discussing religious matters or studying religious materials with their children.
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"Research shows that the kids who grow up to be spiritual champions most often have parents in the home who make a considerable contribution to their spiritual influence," commented Matt Markins, D6 Conference director and spokesperson and Randall House director of marketing and sales, in last week's announcement of the conference. "Unfortunately, far too many parents rely on the church to be responsible for the spiritual development of their kids."
"According to the D6 (Deuteronomy 6:5-7), this is the job of dad and mom," he added, citing the scripture behind the conference's name.
And not only that, it is "the single most important job they will ever have in their life," said Barna.
"[A]nd you better take it seriously," he added, "because that determines what happens in the future of the world."
Scheduled to take place near Dallas next year, the D6 Conference will challenge Christian leaders, ministers and leading parents to look at the way the Church ministers to parents and families through the lenses of Deuteronomy 6:5-7, the foundational passage in the Bible for biblical parenting.
According to organizers, the challenge is not that there are not enough resources to equip parents. The problem, they say, is how to actually connect parents with their kids to live out Deuteronomy 6.
The D6 gathering will address this critical question by bringing together today's leading experts in family ministry including Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family; John Trent, president and founder of Strong Families; and many others. These frontline leaders will help equip attendees with the strategies, ideas, and resources needed to reconnect parents with kids.
"I anticipate that The D6 Conference will be a rallying point for today's Christian leaders to effectively mobilize a generation of parents who transfer their faith and values to their children, in the home," Daly said in a released statement.
"The future of the Church rests upon how well we do with raising our children and bringing them up to become spiritual champions," added Randall House CEO Ron Hunter. "The D6 Conference will equip you, your leadership team and parents in leadership to know how to mobilize and outfit the parents in your church to become D6 families."
The D6 Conference 2009 will be held Sept. 23-25, 2009, at the Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco Convention Center in Frisco, Texas, 20 miles north of Dallas.
Information on the D6 Conference, including registration details and the latest list of guest speakers, is available at D6conference.com.
Partners and sponsors of the conference include Focus on the Family, The Barna Group, True Life Ministries, the Association of Marriage and Family Ministries (AMFM), Strong Families, Dave Ramsey, Compassion International, and Proverbs 31 Ministries.
