Milestones
Brian Haynes’ book Shift has been a big help as we have developed our family ministry strategy. From conversations with trusted friends and reading Haynes’ book, we developed our own Milestones strategy to equip parents to make the most of the transitional points in the lives of young people. Parents are often on their heels when it comes to the major changes in their child’s life. Choosing a school, puberty, dating, technology, and graduation can either be major stresses or opportunities for growth. I’ll share a series of posts that show how we developed our Milestones and how they might be a help to parents and student pastors.
Our Milestones are centered around a Milestone Training Event. These Milestone Events are time when we as a church highlight the transitional points in a young persons’ life.
Every Milestone Event will have three key components:
• A symbol that represents that point of life change
• A key Bible verse
• A simple booklet available at our Parent Connect Center
Here is a rundown of how we organize our Milestone Training Events:
Family Dedication
Symbol: Shepherd Staff
Key Verse: 1 Samuel 1:28
Target Age: Children new to the family
Time of Year: Various times throughout the year
Toddler Time
Symbol: Orange Balloon
Key Verses: Hebrews 11:24-25
Target Age: 2-4 year-olds
Time of Year: Once a year in January
New Christians Class
Symbol: Bible
Key Verse: 2 Timothy 3:16
Target Age: After 1st grade
Time of Year: Various times throughout the year
Teenage Years
Symbol: Marble
Key Verse: Psalm 90:12
Target Age: Around 6th grade
Time of Year: Once a year in January
Cars, Jobs, and Girlfriends
Symbol: Key
Key Verse: James 1:5
Target Age: Transition from 10th to 11th grade
Time of Year: Once a year in January
The Launch
Symbol: Airplane
Key Verses: Matthew 28:18-20
Target Age: High school graduation
Time of Year: Third weekend in May each year
