The Fatherless Generation

We all know that broken families permeate our society. Today's kids are known as the “fatherless generation.” In your clubs you undoubtedly have lots of children from divorced families, many of whom seldom see their fathers.

The National Center for Fathering (www.fathers.com) has done a number of research studies in this area. They recently released some sobering figures on the problem of absent fathers in today's culture:

1. An estimated 24.7 million children (36.3%) live absent from their biological father.

2. There are almost 17 million children (25%) living with their single mothers.

3. 1.25 million or 32% of all births in 1995 were out-of-wedlock.

4. Today nearly 4 out of 10 first marriages end in divorce, 60% of divorcing couples have children, and over one million children each year experience the divorce of their parents.

5. One out of every six children is a stepchild.

6. There are nearly 1.9 million single fathers with children under 18.

7. 4 out of every 10 cohabitating couples have children present, and of children born to cohabitating couples, only 4 out of 10 will see their parents marry. Those who do cohabitate experience a 50% higher divorce rate.

8. 26% of absent fathers live in a different state than their children.

9. About 40% of the children who live in fatherless households haven't seen their fathers in at least a year while 50% of children who don't live with their fathers have never stepped foot in their father's home.

10. Children who live absent from their biological fathers, on average, are more likely to be poor, experience educational, health, emotional and psychological problems, be victims of child abuse, and engage in criminal behavior than their peers who live with their married, biological mother and father.

What can we do about this plague on our nation? As instructors, we need to educate our teachers concerning this issue. Share the statistics with them in your training programs. Use illustrations about the negative effects of fatherlessness on this generation.

We can also remind teachers to pray for children who are growing up without a father present in their homes. We can encourage positive male role models for these children by challenging more men to get involved teaching Good News Clubs!

We need to teach children what God intended for the family, and especially for the role of the father in the family (Scripture has lots of examples of how NOT to father!).

Most of all, we need to teach children about God the Father, who loves with a perfect, pure love, who disciplines His children for their profit and who has a listening ear and wise guidance for every situtaion.

The statistics paint a bleak picture for this generation. This is all the more reason to challege our teachers to reach the chiildren with the Gospel. Remember, no child is truly fatherless who knows God as his heavenly Father!

Self-Evaluation!

How do you know if your teaching is effective? If you are a new instructor of teachers, you may feel unsure about how well you are communicating the TCE curriculum. If you’ve been teaching TCE courses for a while, there is the risk that your teaching is becoming stale. In either case, it’s important to take time to evaluate how you are doing as an instructor.

Dr. Howard Hendricks, Christian educator from Dallas Seminary, is a strong believer in the process of self-evaluation. He explained its importance in an article for Christianity Today as follows:

“Teaching without evaluation can erode my effectiveness in many ways. Poor methods become ingrained habits. I can assume I'm doing better than I really am and become complacent. I can conclude something works when it actually doesn't. I can lose touch with my audience, teaching in a vacuum. Also, time exaggerates my idiosyncrasies rather than lessening them. And without anything to keep me on my toes, I can get sloppy.”

If Howard Hendricks, with all his many years of teaching experience and credentials, sees such value in evaluation, how much more do we need to consider its importance in our training ministries?

Of course the truest way to test our teaching is by our students. What results are you seeing in their lives and ministries? Are they motivated to teach a Good News Club? Are they applying the TCE principles when they teach children? As instructors, we are not entirely responsible for the actions of our students. There is a point where it is up to them to apply what they have learned. Our job is to make sure we are doing all we can to give proper motivation and equip them to do the task effectively.

Sometimes we don’t see results right away. Dr. Hendricks reminds us that instructors must be patient people! Remember it’s not so much a question of “where are they?” now that I’ve taught them, but rather “are they moving in the right direction?”

Another way to gauge the effectiveness of your teaching is to observe the immediate response of students in the classroom. Do they ask questions? Do you hear them in further discussion about your topic after the class is over? Effective teaching often raises more questions than it answers. It causes students to consider things they never thought about before. If all your students head for the door after class without further comment, you might need to examine what was accomplished in your class session.

One way to raise the effectiveness of your teaching is through your illustrations. Do you illustrate your points with good stories or testimonies? Hendricks says, “Narratives improve communication.” Make sure you are choosing good illustrations from your own and other teachers’ experiences with children in GNC settings. And be sure to update your illustrations from time to time--that will keep your teaching fresh!

To self-evaluate, try using these three questions:

1. What did I do well? Don’t just highlight your failures. Affirm and reinforce the good!

2. What did I do poorly? Did you sense a place where you didn’t connect or communicate clearly? Think about why and what you can do about it the next time.

3. What should I change? Do you need more or better illustrations or newer ones? Do you need more class involvement or more variety in your methods? Make the necessary changes in your lesson plan NOW while it’s fresh in your mind.

Evaluating our teaching takes time and discipline, but it’s necessary if we are going to have effective ministry. Just remember this thought as you evaluate yourself: You’re never quite as bad as you think; nor are you quite as good. But, with evaluation, you can always be improving!

What are your thoughts on self-evalution? Click the Comment link below this post and share your thoughts with us!

Wonder Time

Were you carefully discipled when you came to know Christ as your Savior? So many Christians were not. Many testify that they came to know Christ, but then floundered in their faith for several years until someone began to teach them how to grow in significant ways. For some, it was many years before anyone told them how to have an effective quiet time with God. Consequently, many Christen adults do not make daily time with God a priority in their lives.

We trust, as you are teaching TCE classes, you are helping your students know how to use the devotional books in club and how to have an effective Wonder Time. Brief information on Wonder Time has been included in the TCE manual in the class on the GNC Program, but you may want to give more detailed helps.

The CEF download site has a full seminar on Wonder Time, including student and instructor notes and PowerPoint visuals. We encourage you to get these materials and make that training available to your students. The clubs that are having the most success with children consistently doing their devotional books are ones who make time in club for an effective Wonder Time every week.

We frequently receive testimonies of how children’s lives are being changed by their daily quiet time with God. The picture above was sent in by a proud mom who sent the following testimony:

"I went in to check on the kids before I went to bed. Jordan, age seven, was reading her Bible and doing her daily devotion. I told her to finish it up and go to sleep. She said OK … check out what I captured with my camera. Have you ever seen such a sight? My sweet Jordie got caught with her Bible open! She got her 60-Day Wonder Devotional Book Friday at the Good News Club after school program and she has been doing it everyday. She even worked ahead and is on day 8 now."

Just last week we received another testimony from a GNC teacher of how God used a particular devotional in one clubber’s life:

Logan, age seven, gave his life to the Lord last month on Jan 15th, his dad’s birthday. Logan's Dad said, "Those little devotional books that Logan receives are great, and it was at the end of his current Wonder Time that he responded to the devotional titled, How Can I Be Ready for Jesus' Return?" Logan’s parents had the joy of leading him to the Lord! Logan had been coming back (for counseling) during the invitation at club, and was very close to a decision the last time he responded, asking more intense questions. What a birthday present for his Dad. How awesome, not only is he his daddy's son, on his spiritual birthday he became his daddy's little brother too!'

You just never know how God is going to speak to a child during his quiet time. Share testimonies like these with your teachers to inspire them to emphasize the devotional books in their clubs.

Wonder Time is being done in many GNCs around the world! Pictured here are children in clubs in Poland and South Africa with their devotional books.

Challenge your teachers to make sure they are having their own daily quiet time with God. They may even want to use the same Wonder Devotional Books their clubbers are using. If daily time with God is not important to them, they won’t make it important to the children!

Remind your teachers that, through Wonder Time, they have the opportunity to help children develop a lifelong habit that could have far-reaching implications.