What is it?

  • Parents all over the country have expressed an urgent need for help navigating the complex issues they face in trying to raise Godly children. We have designed a 3-hour seminar to give them the Biblical principles and practical tools they need now.

Who is it for?

  • Christian parents with children of any age, desiring to grow in their spiritual journey

Who developed it?

  • Mark Matlock – nationally known speaker, author and founder of WisdomWorks Ministries
  • Mark has spent nearly 20 years helping youth pastors, students, and their parents navigate youth culture, biblical wisdom and faith
  • He is passionate about seeing families across the country transformed by God

Craig McCourt

Who leads it?

  • Ministry leaders with years of experience and a commitment to helping families grow together in Christ
  • Mr. Craig McCourt from GodPonders Minstry & Cross View Lutheran in Edina, one of a few certified trainers in the midwest will be leading the workshop. Craig, his wife Shirley and their two teen boys have lived just outside of the Twin Cities in Waconia MN more than 13 years.
  • He also brings more than 25 years of Youth Ministry experience and a passions for faith filled families.

What does it Cost?

  • Hosting church pays a $500 deposit—this includes 50 notebooks and covers the trainer’s hono-rarium [additional notebooks can be purchased at $10 each.
  • The church may choose to charge $10 per person, or absorb all costs and make the event free to attendees
  • NOTE: Compassion International is the national sponsor of this event and a presentation offer-ing child sponsorship is integrated into the program

What does the training provide?

  • Realistic, practical next steps, not cheesy ideas that teenagers will roll their eyes at
  • A deeper look at the Biblical principles of parenting, and how to apply them
  • How to build trust, independence, proper boundaries and wise decision-making
  • Ideas for how families can integrate faith into their everyday lives
  • Vision of how God wants to use each family to bring His love and generosity to their neighbor-hood
  • Reframes the local church as a resource that supports the entire family
  • Follow up web site with free resources to help pastors and parents go beyond the seminar

What does the training cover?

SESSION ONE: What Story Are We Living In?

  • Help understanding what is really happening in our culture by looking at the latest statistics on marriage, sexual choices, suicide, adolescent crime, drug abuse, tobacco use, and binge drink-ing
  • Looking at three new findings from the National Study of Youth and Religion that identify the key ingredients to helping kids become spiritually healthy

SESSION TWO: Changing the Story We Live in

  • Helping our children walk in the storyline of God rather than the story-line of the world
  • How we can improperly approach parenting by ISOLATING from the World, REGULATING the World’s influence, or AGREEING with the world, instead of helping our children TRANSFORM the World.
  • Helping our families walk in God’s storyline by rewarding, admiring, and financially supporting the right things: understanding and knowing God, being known for kindness, justice and right living

SESSION THREE: Wisdom: Walking in God’s Storyline

  • There are 2 main ways that children acquire wisdom: EXPOSURE TO THEIR ENVIORNMENT and through a HUMAN MEDIATOR
  • There are 7 Marks of a Wise Person: Trusts God, Walks in Healthy,Relationships, Seeks Good Counsel, Speaks Carefully, Exercises Self Control, Manages Resources and Keeps Balance
  • Personal Assessment Tool about keeping balance for wise living

What have others said about it?

“Craig did an excellent job leading us through the Real World Parent’s Seminar. Not only were our parents encouraged by the presentation they were also motivated to look at their own behavior and evaluate how it effects their children.
Real World Parents gives genuine hope to parents and challenges us not to fear the world or shelter our children from it but rather engage it in mission together. Thanks Craig for a job well done. We hope to partner with you again in the future!”

Pete Hiller
Director of Student and Family Ministry
Family of Christ – Ham Lake MN

 

Seminar Information Page