Trained in the Fear of God: Family Ministry in Theological, Historical, and Practical Perspective by Randy Stinson Timothy Paul Jones

by Randy Stinson

Trained in the Fear of God encourages the church and its leaders and pastors to shift away from the current “silos” paradigm of age-specific youth ministries to a more holistic approach rooted in ministry to and by families. Stinson and Jones draw upon the expertise of seventeen scholars and practitioners to provide the biblical and theological foundation for doing so, followed by practical steps in implementing foundational insights. Among the seventeen contributors are Albert Mohler, Robert Plummer, Bruce Ware, and James Hamilton.

Genres: Family, Church, Theology, Parenting, Ecclesiology

Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Randy Stinson (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is dean of the School of Church Ministries at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville and serves as president of the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

Reviews

[Spencer R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good theology, though not a very stirring read. Still a solid book for a good direction for churches and family ministry.

[Braley Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good content, much of it was simply incredibly dull reading.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another work I had to read for a seminary course on discipleship and family ministry. Each chapter is written by a different author, pastor, or student who has experienced family ministry on each of its levels. It also helps to establish a biblical foundation that parents, not the church, are to be the primary disciple makers of their children. While the church is involved and has its place, Scripture specifically gives parents (and fathers especially) the primary role of raising their children in the knowledge of the faith.

I would recommend this work to all parents, pastors, and lay leaders looking to help equip parents and the church for family ministry.

[Cole Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine. Part 1 is a defense of complementarianism, fairly standard. Part 2 is a history of family ministry with a special mention concerning the African American Church. Part 3 is applications of family-integrated ministry to different areas of the Christian life both corporately and individually. Some good information, and very bland writing styles.

[Dwain Minor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of essays was very good and challenging. The theology of family ministry as well as its history, current challenges and implementation are discussed in this book. It is a very good and edifying read.

[JT Stead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paradigm shifting. Every youth pastor, parent, pastor should read this book to get a better grasp of the relationship of church and home.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read this whole book, but it’s definitely not because I don’t want to, this is a hefty book and it’s not one to just read through in a day or two. I’m about half way through and everything has been so good about this book – if you’re wanting more information on family ministry whether it’s family equipping or family integrated churches, this book will help in understanding how to implement and why parents, and especially dads should be equipped in how to train their children up in God’s Word. This book really hits home for me since we’re looking for a church that doesn’t segregate according to age – I’ve yet to see in the Bible how age segregation is Biblical and with my children being homeschooled most of the Sunday school curricula are written at a level below that of my children since we integrate God’s Word into our school day.

The book is divided into three parts:

The Character of God and the Created Order: A Biblical and Theological Framework for Considering Family Relationships
Covenants and Community: Family Discipleship in Christian History
Growing the Family of God: Guiding a Congregation toward Theologically Grounded Family Ministry

Within each part there are chapters that cover the following, although this is not an exhaustive list by any means:

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: The Trinity as Theological Foundation for Family Ministry, Bruce A. Ware
Male and Female, He Created Them: Gender Roles and Relationships in Biblical Perspective, Randy Stinson
Among Your Company at Home: Family Discipleship in the Late Ancient and Medieval Churches, C. Michael Wren Jr
The Pastor’s Home as Paradigm for the Church’s Family Ministry, David Prince
Family Ministry, the Priority or a Priority? Lilly Park

If your church is segregated by ages and you or you Pastor is looking for a new direction to make sure that youth are being taught by those who God ordained should be teaching them then this book is a great place to start. By understanding the past and the present as well as each model of a family ministry church, we can begin to have parents taking their God given responsibility and training up children in the home, where ultimately it’s supposed to be happening all day, every day and all the time.

**I was provided a copy of this book from Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest review, no other compensation was given.

[Kevin Sorensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book comes at a timely moment for me, as pastor of a church that is concerned about continuing a pattern of godly, biblical training for all ages. For the last 15 years, we've attempted (not without struggles, mind you) to create a more favorable multi-generational approach to Christian Education. We don't want our children to feel isolated. This is the problem that so often leads to teens abandoning the church once they've left home––they've never been made to feel like they belong there in the first place. We also want our parents to realize that what we offer at the church is not to be the frontline of discipleship for their children: they are!

Trained in the Fear of God might not be the easiest book to read, at least in the opening portion, as the authors lay out some of the historical background, but if you're willing to dig deep here, it lays a good foundation for where we need to go next. The practical sections will give the most help, but don't neglect the foundational building blocks of the theological reasons "why" we should be involved in family-equipping ministry. If you just jump to the "how to's" you'll simply be adding programs to your church––something you don't need to do.

I would recommend this book to leaders within churches, both vocational and lay leaders. I'm convinced the future demands that we take this approach. I recommend it for parents as well, but my initial thought is they may need encouragement to stick with the reading. It almost comes across as more of an academic, college-class-type of approach and most moms and dads aren't going to tackle something on that level, especially if they're feeling "desperate."

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this book for the second time around. This is a goldmine of information and will profoundly shape any family ministry leader's praxis and convictions.

The highlights are that it is a compilation of articles from numerous authors, practitioners, theologians, etc. This made it an easy read, as the chapters were the perfect length. The other plus is that this book approaches family ministry not merely a theological angle, but an historical and practical one as well. Extremely well balanced.

Particularly, Dr. Mohler and Brian Haynes contributions were my favorite.

The only negative thing I can say about this book is that it was only 270 pages. I could easily have read more of this book.

If you are in family ministry and have not read this book, please pick up a copy. You can do so HERE
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[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although there was nothing that was earth-shattering in the book, it is a fair assessment of family ministry. Seventeen articles are presented by different authors and organized in three parts. Editors Stinson and Jones begin by presenting the character of God relying heavily on communal traits. Discipleship within the local family then becomes a part of the discussion followed by the Church's responsibility to families.

I appreciated the focus of theological, historical, and practical perspectives contained. Each author, and the editors as well, leave no doubt as to their beliefs and how the Church should respond to crises within the modern family. That said, where the book fell short was from the outset. The editors (and authors) present their evidence through a hermeneutical lens that is biased. If the reader understands the reformed concept of sovereignty and also understands that is a huge premise of the book, it's beneficial going in. There is still much to learn.

Although I wouldn't suggest one to rely solely on this book regarding family ministry, it is a good resource to supplement other works.

[Rueben Rosalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! Its pages contain lots of practical and biblically based ideas on family ministry. Several references to Scripture are used as it describes family ministry as it was originally intended to be; led and lived out by the father and passed on to other generations. Although it places heavy preference and attention to the nuclear family, the contributors do not neglect to cover the compassion that should be shown to a fallen world in which many church going families exist as broken or blended families. I would encourage any leader if the household to read it, both men and women alike, and am looking forward to my wife reading it. Theologically sound, biblically based, and very practical.

[Mark A Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tracing family (and thus family ministry) throughout both Scripture and the history of the church, Stinson and Jones have edited a helpful volume that highlights many key contemporary issues (including gender roles and homosexuality). Although the chapters on historical tradition may not hold interest for the casual reader, they do help cement the foundation of the practical viewpoints discussed in latter pages. While certain contributions outshine others, the book is a worthy (if occasionally repetitive) effort.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Timely and paradigm shifting book for me to read. Will radically shift my approach to ministry. This book fixed everything I learned as a youth in family-segmented churches. Balanced and biblical, this book is packed with practical and solidly biblical direction. I won't do everything they suggested, but I was incredibly thankful for the charity and insightfulness of all the authors.

[Miles Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible resource for anyone in ministry. The historical and theological background for the family is what really sets this book apart from others that I've seen.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! There were lots of minor editing mistakes throughout this book, but the teaching and insight I gained were well worth the sentences I had to re-read.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for Leadership & Family Ministries, Spring 2015. Good.

[Veda Sorrells]

This class was an interesting class, discussing all the elements of the family. Good book to help.

[Patrick Hamblin]

While "Family Ministry Field Guide" is a practical approach to implementing family-equipping ministry within the church, "Trained in the Fear of God" looks at the theological and historical background of the role of the church in training parents and discipling kids. This book serves as an excellent reminder to parents that every parent is called to look at their kids as potential brothers and sisters in Christ, to faithfully teach them God's Word, and that the church has a role in this process. It is especially helpful in seeing that ministries for students and children did not begin in the late 19th/early 20th century and in fact have existed in some form throughout the history of the church.

There are other books I would recommend for parents but this one is helpful for church leaders in implementing or evaluating existing ministries to students and children.