As followers of Jesus, we get our truth, values, and beliefs from the Bible. While we recognize that others will get their truth from “self” (what they think is truth, is truth) or “society” (what groups of others think is truth, is truth), we get our truth from “Scripture” (what God says is truth, is truth).
God’s Word speaks a lot of truth to Parents including that children are a gift from Him and that we are to teach them to live His way. God is very clear that His way is first and most importantly found in The Great Commandment (who we are suppose to be) and The Great Commission (what we are supposed to do).
In these two commandments, the reason for living is given. It’s why your kids and you (my kids and me) exist. Our purpose in life is to surrender our lives to God (worship), connect with other Christians (fellowship), grow to become like Jesus (discipleship), serve others in love (ministry), and share our faith (evangelism). This is known as “The Purpose-Driven Life.”
An “On Purpose Parent” is one who is committed to raising their children to live “The Purpose-Driven Life.” They desire their kids to grow up to be healthy (or Purpose-Driven) adults.
The way we phrase it, is that On Purpose Parents are raising their children to become interdependent, life-long followers of Jesus who desire to make a Kingdom contribution.
So, the result is…
1) An Adult who is Interdependent
She is not completely independent and totally on her own in life. Rather she has given her life to God and relies on Him and His way (worship). She also remains connected to her parents, family, and other Christians for love, support, and encouragement (fellowship).
2) An Adult who is a life-long follower of Jesus
He is continually growing in his faith and becoming more like Jesus as he thinks and acts like Christ (discipleship).
3) An Adult who desires to make a Kingdom contribution
She wants to make a difference with her life by helping people in the name of Jesus. She has discovered her unique SHAPE to serve and invests her time and talents toward adding value to others (ministry). She also has a passion to reach people for Jesus by sharing her faith with her words and actions (evangelism).
This is the main goal, the end in mind, the destination for On Purpose Parents. On Purpose Parents model The Purpose-Driven Life as they raise their children to live The Purpose-Driven Life. On Purpose Parents are all about raising happy and healthy adults.
Remember, you’re not alone. God loves you and so do we. We’re your people. We’re here for you. Saddleback Parents is all about helping you win as an On Purpose Parent. Connect with us:
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- Text the Word PARENTS to the number 83000
- Bookmark/Favorite our Website
- Subscribe to our YouTube
- Follow us on Instagram @SaddlebackParents
- Email us Your Story Parents@Saddleback.com
- Subscribe to our On Purpose Parents Podcast
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Author
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Chris married his beautiful bride, Tina, in 1990. They have three wonderful adult children, Jacob, Kaylee, and Macie Joy. Chris began pastoring at a church in Los Angeles in 1995 where he was the Children’s and Student Pastor. He was the Executive Pastor of Student Ministries at John Maxwell's church in South Florida before he came to Saddleback in 2008 as our Pastor to 20s/30s. He has since served as Pastor to Singles and Pastor to Marriages. He is currently our Pastor to Parents leading the charge for all things Parents Ministry at Saddleback. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biblical Studies and his Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership.