Pastor Dave's prayer for his family and ministry

This past Sunday Pastor Duke gave Emmanuel Baptist Church two assignments.
One of those assignments was to faithfully pray for the pastors to faithfully proclaim God's Word.

As the Children and Family Ministry pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church, this article explains what I desire for my family and for each family at Emmanuel. 

I would appreciate your prayers
as I lead my own family and 
I help others lead their families

Pray that I would consider the long term spiritual growth of my kids not just the right now conformity
Pray that I would not over correct out of the fear of people or not under train out of busy-ness or passivity.
Pray that I would encourage my children to love the church and to love Emmanuel Baptist Church.
Pray that I would love my wife and my children

I recently read an article entitled "The Pastor's Home as a Paradigm of the Church's Family Ministry."  The article was very challenging to me as a parent and pastor.  Here is a quote that gives a good summary.

The pastor who desires to lead a family-equipping church must sound a clear note in his own home that he understands it is not the church but parents—and fathers in particular—who are given the primary responsibility for calling the emerging generation to hope in God (Ps. 78:1-8). The church serves a supplementary role, reinforcing the biblical nurture that is occurring in the home. It is not the job of professionals at the church to train believers’ children in the fear of God. The family-equipping pastor who is also a family shepherd will not allow Sunday schools, children’s ministries, or youth ministries to become substitutes for the household discipleship of his children. This commitment provides a solid platform to call Christian fathers who have abdicated their God-given responsibility to repent and to embrace their role as family shepherds. (emphasis mine).

Here is the link for the entire article www.sbts.edu/family/blog/the-pastors-home-as-paradigm-of-the-churchs-family-ministry/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-pastors-home-as-paradigm-of-the-churchs-family-ministry