Fatherhood and Teamwork

Our God, who has established the family for His purposes, has a desire to see fathers functioning in their God-given roles and responsibilities. In Malachi 4, we see these verses:
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

The Lord wants to make relationships right.  Where there have been fathers who have negatively impacted their children, He wants to bring wholeness out of the brokenness.  He wants to do the necessary work on the human heart so that relationships can flourish in Him. Fathers have an enormous Biblical responsibility, and can be empowered by God to fulfill His call to that purpose; a dad has a sizable role, but God equips fathers to bring honor to Him and to raise their children in His principles.

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The heart of God concerning sexuality and the family can be found in Genesis chapter 1, where we
can read:
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Father's Day is coming up this weekend, and it provides a wonderful time to think about God's call on the lives of fathers and their important role in their children's lives.

Barna Research has put together a survey on fatherhood, which has been incorporated into a study on men's ministry called, Five Essentials to Engage Today’s Men, in association with BetterMan.

In the summary of the survey, found at the Barna website, it states:

Christian fathers largely report satisfaction in their relationship to their children; half (49%) say they are very satisfied while another three in 10 (30%) say they’re mostly satisfied.

The study notes that almost half of Christian fathers with children in the household are between the ages of 35 and 54.

And, the impact of one's own father is related to the level of satisfaction in his own fathering practice; the survey found that 53% of "Christian men who report a positive relationship with their father" said they are "very satisfied in their relationship to their own child." 42% of those who did not experience a positive relationship with their own father said they were very satisfied with their relationship with their child.

There is also an element of fatherhood being, as you might say, a team sport, with the data indicating that, "Practicing Christian men who report having intergenerational friendships with both older and younger men are nearly twice as likely to be very satisfied in their relationship with their child (54% vs. 30%) and in their marriage (63% vs. 54%)."  And, fathers who said they had a "confidant," other than a partner or spouse, were two times more likely to be very satisfied in the area of fatherhood.

The summary states:

As churches think through what it means to help men navigate the changing tide of the 21st century, men’s ministry leaders have an opportunity to take stock of the connections that work together to provide support and strength to fathers and have clear reasons to connect men of all stages of life with mentors and friends.

And, there is a dramatic effect of fatherlessness in our nation. If you saw the movie, Courageous, perhaps you remember an early scene in which the sheriff comes into the meeting room with his officers, and says this, according to Crosswalk.com:

I received an email, he tells them, and I want you to know about it. The violent gang members, run-aways, high school dropouts, and teens in prison—the sorts of kids who get into trouble with the law—have something in common: “Most of them are from fatherless homes.”

“When a father is absent,” he goes on, “kids are five times more likely to commit suicide or use drugs. They’re twenty times more likely to wind up in prison. So tonight after you clock out,” he adds, “go home and love your families.”

That article includes a quote from David Popenoe, Professor of Sociology Emeritus at Rutgers University, who says, “Fathers are far more than just ‘second adults’ in the home. Involved fathers—especially biological fathers—bring positive benefits to their children that no other person is likely to bring.”

Today, we can think about God's establishment of the institution of the family.  Genesis 1 nails it: He created us male and female - two genders, with clearly defined roles, including the joint role to "be fruitful and multiply."  In the Bible, children are regarded as gifts from God.  And, we are given Biblical directives to raise our children.  That is the standard; now, we can remember that there are many families who are in single-parent situations, some children are being raised by their grandparents, and other home situations, and there can certainly be compassionate understanding and grace extended.  But, we recognize God's intent for fathers, and the statistical data plays out that fatherlessness is a serious issue in our nation.

Thankfully, there are believers who step up to be mentors for kids without fathers.  There are moms who are, in essence, doing dual roles, which places a lot of pressure on them.  And, unfortunately, there are men who have abdicated their role to be an involved father. But, in the absence of a father-led situation, we can trust God to provide leaders in churches and communities who will provide Godly direction to young people.  And, as the Barna research suggests, fathers who have people who walk with them on the fathering journey are more satisfied along that path.  It's a reminder that in the body of Christ, we need one another.