Shift: What it Takes to Finally Reach Families Today

by Brian Haynes, Group Publishing

Whether you have a full-blown family ministry in place or you’re just getting started, Shift gives you a practical, workable plan that equips parents to be faith influencers in their homes--and you won't have to reconfigure your entire ministry to make it happen! Shift gets you in gear with tools that make better use of seven rites of passage your church is most likely already celebrating… already marking as families move through their faith journey together.
As you tap into the natural patterns of child development and family, you’ll motivate parents when they’re most open to shaping their children’s faith. Shift puts family discipleship—at church and at home—on one simple, common path. One home at a time, you can move a fledgling family ministry effort to one that’s firing on all 6 cylinders! This is a family ministry approach that’s attainable and sustainable.

Genres: Church, Family, Christian

139 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2009

Reviews

[Caleb Batchelor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seeking to "make the shift that will equip the generations to follow Jesus," Brian Haynes asserts that faithfulness to the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) will accomplish the purpose of this book (30-34). With churches and families working together, there are seven milestones that parents may walk through with their children. Formal and informal tools are provided for churches and families to approach each one of these successive milestones. On a positive note, Haynes highlights parents' responsibility to lead their children spiritually, and yet, he does not negate the role the church can and should play in this process. Also, his grand vision is well supported with a detailed plan that cultivates a culture where parents embrace this important task. Sadly though, the gospel is glaringly absent in most of the book. Committing to sexual purity, preparing for college well, and developing spiritual disciplines are rightly highlighted; however, Haynes does not present the gospel as the fuel for these worthy aspirations or the healing balm when children inevitably sin. In Milestone 3, Preparing for Adolescence, there are encouragements to teach children their identity in Christ, but after this milestone, the gospel cannot be found. When the whole of Scripture is considered, the very center of the Shema is the gospel, and if the Shema is the core of his thesis, then the gospel better be the focal point of every milestone which supports his thesis. Haynes is detailed in telling families what to do but fails to encourage families what Jesus has done. Finally, while he affirms that churches and parents partner in equipping the next generation, the function of the church body is not given much attention. For believing children who have been baptized and are members of the church, they are vitally connected to the rest of the body. They need their fellow church members, not just a youth pastor, family ministry coordinator, or their parents. Haynes exhorts churches to equip parents to disciple their children; however, parents should also equip their children to be faithful members of healthy local churches.

[Evan Hoekzema · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some good content in it, I think it brings up some good questions. Overall the author gave an in depth description of a specific model he and his church uses to disciple and empower families in their church. It both brought up questions for me ministry-wise as well as a parent of how I both plan for and capitalize on God-moments as they pop up.

[Marc Sims · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful. Don’t know if I would follow all of the “Milestones” presented in the book exactly, but still helpful.

[Daniel Mcchesney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book a lot. Has great ideas in how to hand back the discipleship process to the Family and the Parents. It is Simple in what they propose but powerful really allows you concrete steps in the right direction and in a way that won't overwhelm parents with this responsibility we are calling them to take hold of. Recommend to all family pastors or family teams at churches.

[Garrett Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

For sure, some content and vernacular that are a little dated. But very quality content for those leading in the church and particularly in family ministries.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haynes has written one of the most practical books on the family ministry front. He not only identifies that there is a serious problem in youth ministry, but also provides a detailed, in-depth plan for how to biblically counteract this problem. There are many books similar to Shift that have now been published, but most of them only cover the material that Haynes covers in his first three chapters. It is rare to find such a detailed strategy for how to equip parents to radically change their mindset about the church, youth ministry and their own parenting style.
Haynes’ "Milestone" strategy is easy to remember, practical, and provides simple ways that parents can begin to step into their role as parents as described by the Shema. Haynes’ ultimate goal, as stated in the Introduction of this book review, is to connect the Shema with the Great Commission, so that parents who have trained their children biblically are then able to send them out into the ends of the earth to then make disciples of others in the church, marketplace and around the world.
The chapters on the Milestones are also supplemented with personal testimonies from parents who have already been implementing the Milestone system, as well as sidebars that contain helpful Q & A about the specifics of applying such a paradigm shifting idea to a church and home setting. The reader will have no lack of practical instruction and compelling motivation for making this “shift” in youth ministry in the church. Instead of simply providing the reason why youth ministry needs to be restructured from the very foundations, Haynes has provided a helpful re-structuring that any parent can use in discipleship of his or her children. Obviously, Haynes’ hope is that entire churches will embrace this model and will make the Milestones part of the central fabric of their church. Even if this is not the case, however, individual or groups of parents can use these suggestions and guidelines for how to be the primary spiritual influence in the lives of their children. The beauty of this tactic is that it is not just another program—it is a way of life that starts with parents.

[Tung · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: Every time I read a book or hear a preacher condemn the church for the growing numbers of youth leaving their faith, I want to throw the book or preacher through a stained glass window. I am also an opponent of the family integrated church movement, which is idol worship of families disguised as theology. So my positions on these issues affect my ability to read books like Shift. The book’s title comes from the author’s belief that churches need to shift their mindsets from being the primary and sole providers of spiritual nourishment for youth, to a model where churches partner with parents to help them fulfill their primary role as the discipler of children. Don’t get me wrong: I believe that such a shift should occur, just not to the extent to which the family integrated movement advocates. Shift strikes a better balance between wholesale condemnation of youth ministries and the typical church model. The author recognizes upfront that the form of how we are to make this shift is not a one-model-fits-all approach, and spends his book simply describing what his church does, which is a defined series of milestone events in the spiritual life of people – from birth to salvation to baptism to adulthood as a practicing believer. Haynes describes the types of training sessions provided by his church at each milestone. He also provides descriptions of the kinds of celebrations that occur at each stage since he believes not only that each stage is important and worth celebrating, but also that celebrating each stage gets other families and friends engaged in the milestone path as well. I think many church leaders will find lots of ideas in this book, and I appreciate the book’s stated position that his model may not work for all churches, and that churches need to find their own form in response to the need for the paradigm shift. Overall, this book is a quick read, and one that didn’t bring me to fury as much as other books on this topic have.

[Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using Deuteronomy 6:4-9 as the "blueprint" for true family-centered spiritual formation, the thrust of “Shift” is a strategy for helping families progress through seven different spiritual-milestones that are common to many families. The milestones are:

Baby Dedication
Salvation
Preparing for Adolescence
Commitment to Purity
Passage to Adulthood
High School Graduation
Life in Christ

The strategy (for lack of a better word) and the foundational Bible passages are laid out within the first 50 pages. The rest of his book outlines each milestone and a brief description of how it looks at his church including what each milestone signifies and who should be the Milestone Champion. The reader is left with a basic understanding of the principles and is warned that replication isn't to be sought as every church will need to them to their specific needs and ministry setting.

"Shift" offers a reasonably good model for family ministry, but there were some missing concepts:

* There was no discussion on how to achieve alignment across ministries (e.g., children, youth, adult). "Shift" lacks guidance on how to bring those ministries into alignment so the strategy can flourish.
* There was little to no mention of gaining support from the pulpit. A blueprint for achieving ministry alignment and realizing the value of the principles found in "Shift" will need such support.
* "Shift" leaves the reader needing follow-up resources. Milestone champions are left to come up resources such as promo resources, parent conference agenda topics, faith-talk resources and a variety of others on their own.

All in all, I consider "Shift" a good starting point for those working with children and families, but be prepared to seek out additional resources and be persevering as I suspect trial and error will be necessary to not only adapt the model for your respective church but also gain traction from the pulpit and the Milestone Champions.

[Stephen Smotherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Of all the books on reconnecting families and churches, this one has me the most fired up! From birth to adulthood, this book provides both the foundation and the structure, the "whys" and the "hows," on how the church can best champion families! We know from Deuteronomy 6 that parents are to be the primary disciplers of their children. But does that mean the church should do nothing? No! This book gives the church a proven plan on how to effectively help guide parents (and the rest of the church) to make sure families are trained and equipped to raise Godly kids who will not depart from their faith when they grow into an adult. Too often the church has said (with their actions not with words), "Drop off your kids here and let the professionals do your job." This is a huge mistake and this book helps both families and churches through the milestones of life to make sure God's plan for families wins!

[Jonathan Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a definite read for staff of any church. It gives insight and training for people who endeavor to make the local church a place for families. Putting children as a priority is key. Giving help and support to parents in various ways, Haynes lays out a long-term plan to incorporate children, teens, and adults in the discipleship process.

Pastors will be easily discouraged by the amount of prep and changing of mindsets the average American church would do to follow his plan to the letter. It would be good to remind the reader more often, "This may not work out the exact same way for you." Admittedly, it's a bit cut and dry with personal testimonies coming from success stories, though you'd expect that.

Read? Definitely. Read with caution and an understanding with your church's DNA? It's a must.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Shift" represents what could revolutionize the way church is done in America. Haynes lays out the essentials of his "Legacy Milestones" strategy to place PARENTS as the primary faith trainers in children's lives, rather than the church itself. This book is clearly aimed at pastors and people serving in the church with emphasis on how the church can successfully partner with parents that are Biblically responsible for the spiritual development of their children. This is something every leader in a church (no matter the role) should read.

[Mark A Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can churches equip parents as the primary disciplers of their children? Haynes lays out a seven-step milestone program from his church, admitting that specific implementation will differ at each place. While potentially useful, the sheer amount of programs/resources involved leaves one wondering where to begin. Additionally, the books on his resource list are less-than-stellar examples—and some I would avoid completely. While Haynes seeks to offer practical advice, this book leaves something to be desired.

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent. As a seasoned youth pastor, I recognize most of the issues with teens stem from the fact that many of their parents are not modeling an authentic faith. It's the job of the parents to disciple their kids, not the church. Brian shares his model of how the church can empower and equip parents to lead their kids. If the church steps up and disciples parents, then they will be empowered in their role as the spiritual leaders of their children.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some good insights and suggestions. In the book. I like how he framed the work of the family around Deuteronomy 6:4-9. There are also some things that bother me in the book that I wouldn't follow. Also, this is obviously written from a large baptist or non denominational context. Some of it will fit into a mainline church like the Episcopal Church--my context--and some will not. Overall, some good thoughts to consider.

[Patrick Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books talks about the incompatibility of American social and cultural norms in reference to a Christian worldview, and then gives pragmatic suggestions on how to cultivate a Christ-centric culture in our families and churches. I enjoyed this book so much, I gave my only copy away to a Pastor struggling to foster new life into his local church.

[Dan Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. After 22 years in ministry, most of them working with teens, I've seen first hand the importance of parents involvement in discipline their kids. This book gives real, practical ways for a church to come alongside and equip parents to do just that.

[J. J.]

Very useful tool. Don't agree precisely with each milestone (namely number four), but almost everything else in here is very, very useful. This tool is helping us build a robust whole-church plan for equipping our parents to disciple their kids. Well done, Brian Haynes!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great guide to Family Ministry! lots of wonderful information presented very well.

[Aaron Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, practical book for Christian ministry.

[Grady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concept. My concern is that as homes continue to breakdown, these concepts are going to be harder to implement in environments that have fewer nuclear families.

[Hannah Crossett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had some great ideas that one day I may use with my own kids, but I feel like the author could have gone deeper. The book seemed like a collection of research papers.

[Michael Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Book nothing earth shattering but gives a nice blue print on how to help Parents become the primary Faith influencers of their family and how the Church can help them.

[Bradley Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource for churches looking to make a change with their ministry to families. Wonderful advice.

[Bekie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good perspective on the range of kids ministry.