The Power of Rites of Passage

Raising and Launching Godly Young Adults…..

Not Just Good Teenagers

This is a powerful and highly educational one-day Seminar that helps to equip parents and church leadership with the concepts, tools, and vision to see students as young adults rather than just kids. 

The seminar highlights one of the most powerful, least understood, and rarely used tools for parents: clear and Intentional Rites of Passage. Passages are taking place in our children’s lives, but as parents, we have ignored or not understood their significance. This seminar will give parents a clear understanding of rites of passage and how to launch their children into Godly adulthood—not just get through “the teen years.”

What is the need for The Power of Rites of Passage Seminar 

• Many church leaders and parents see the young students as the “next” generation when they are really the current generation wanting to be acknowledged.

• Most students feel that they must be “out on their own” before they will be accepted as adults.
• Many of the sons and daughters in the church feel that the culture regards them as adults, and in the church, they are still “kids.”

In the words of one dad after this seminar, “I wish I would have been given this information years ago, and maybe my older kids would still be in church.”

Who should attend?

• Pastors, Staff, Key Volunteers, and Leaders.
• Parents of “Teens” and soon-to-be “Teens”
• This seminar has been life-changing for the entire church

Length of Seminar:

• One day, including lunch
• 8:00 am to 3:30 pm

Key Resource for Seminar:

• Book: Men of Honor Women of Virtue, by Dr. Chuck Stecker 

Topics Include:

• Where Are We and How Did WE Get Here?

We have lost two generations of leaders from the church and are in the process of losing a third.  Studies show that of the children beginning in elementary school and starting in Sunday School in a church, nearly 70% will leave the church by the end of their high school years.  Two-thirds of current high-school students in youth groups have decided not to attend church after high school.  The reasons are much more straightforward than many think. When we understand why we are losing our children, we can be empowered to help them find their faith.

• Where Do We Want To Go and Can Anyone Help Us Get There?

We have lost sight of where we are going.  What does authentic manhood and womanhood look like from God’s perspective?  What does spiritual maturity look like?  We must define both adulthood and spiritual maturity for our sons and daughters and also show them what it looks like for them to more than just comprehend it but walk in the fullness of  their God-given adulthood.  All too often parents are just hoping that, as parents, they can come to an understanding of adulthood and or maturity 10 minutes before they need to explain it to their children. Rarely does that strategy work. This session will help parents understand God’s plan for adulthood and spiritual maturity and how we can train our own children.

• Spiritual Mile Markers and Anchor Points Along the Way

As we travel along any highway, there are mile markers. They are not put there to catch violators. Markers help us understand where we are and if we are going in the right direction. There should be spiritual Mile Markers for the same reason. Rites of Passage should be a key part of a strategy that includes spiritual mile markers desperately needed in our children’s lives. Similarly, we all need “Anchor Points” that are safe and secure and attach us to what is essential in our lives. Parents and churches should intentionally establish Mile Markers and Anchor points in their children’s lives.

• You Cannot Give What You Do Not Possess

In the nearly three decades we have assisted churches in the conduct of rites of passage, we have watched pastors and elders, men and women, come to the realization that they had never known their father’s blessing—and that, never having received that blessing, they had nothing to give. It was as if they were trying, in a spiritual sense, to write checks from a bank account that had been opened but in which a deposit had never been made. The failure of many parents to pass on a blessing to their children is primarily based upon the fact that they have never received a blessing….they have nothing to give. This session will help parents look at themselves and their blessing or lack thereof.

• Bring Your Runners To The Starting Line

For parents, the rite of passage into adulthood is like taking your son or daughter to the starting line for an extreme “ultramarathon” race. The moment just before your child approaches the starting line is different than anything else you have done or will ever do again. As your son or daughter stands there waiting to be called to the starting line, you ensure their shoes are appropriately tied and double-knotted. You will talk them through their strategy for the race. It isn’t the same as running around the block several times.  We need to remember that starting the race is not the objective. The objective is to finish strong.

• Now What Do We Do?

What are the following steps to empower our children as adults? This session includes resources, ideas, and action steps to equip parents and churches to create a safe and clear pathway to continue the launching of the sons and daughters entrusted to them.   

For information on booking a Men of Honor Women of Virtue Weekend Seminar for your church, please complete and submit the attached Seminar Request form.