Fathering Christian Leaders bring maturity to those they lead in a way nothing else can.
Instruction has been solid in the church for a long time. It is clearly important, yet doesn’t necessarily produce maturity. Information alone does not create change or growth.
Consider the examples of brokenness in the Body of Christ:
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50% of ministers starting out from Bible school will not last five years.
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The divorce rate in the church is the same as in the world.
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50% of Christian men aged 18-24 visit a porn site at least once a month.
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4 out of every 10 non-church goers (37%) say they avoid church because of negative experiences they’ve had there.
Fathering Leaders Alone Mature
It takes a true father to warm a heart to life. A father’s love not only instructs, it loves. There’s accessibility; there’s covering. A father is one who mentors, encourages, and helps pull you up again when you fall.
Paul tells the Corinthians they have 10,000 instructors but they have not many fathers. (1 Cor.4:15)
Definition – a father is one who has offspring. A father is one who bears fruit, who reproduces. But it’s also more than just that.
A Father’s Joy
Being a father means you have been physically, financially, and emotionally available to your child. This child then passes through the stages of maturing spiritually, socially, and in education.
A child who has had a true father arrives at healthy adulthood. He’s completed his education, found a good career, married a Believer. And he finds his productive place in the Body of Christ where he can serve and give of his talents.
The father feels a deep joy. This is also true of spiritual fathers whose sons in the faith have matured, adopted their values, and found their own place of leadership.
3 John 1:4 — I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
So I leave you with 2 Important Questions:
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Whose son are you? Do you relate to a spiritual father in your life?
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Who are you fathering? Are there people you reach out to and mentor in the father’s love?