Parenting

On this Parenting page, you will find resources geared toward helping you raise up counter-culture kids who love Jesus. Many of the resources are from our Renovated Parenting Conferences, Transform Conferences, and various MinistryLift equipping events. All of the blogs are free. Most of the videos require a MinistryLift Membership, although there are some that are free, as well. Please note that some of the recordings are unedited (we have not edited out parts where no one is speaking, etc.) and in some cases the video is not the best quality (for these videos, we have simply perserved the audio part as MP3 files). Having said that, the audio is usually good, so you can always listen to the videos as a type of podcast if the video is an issue. It is also important to realize that the presenter descriptions were current when the conferences took place, but may have changed since then.

BLOG ARTICLES  

Overview of Videos (Click on Topics or Video Titles to go to Descriptions)

Screen Time (Renovated Parenting Conference, February 2019)

Responsible Discipline (Renovated Parenting Conference, October 2018)

Called to Disciple (Renovated Parenting Conference, February 2018)

Raising Counter-culture Kids

Family Discipleship

Screen Time

Free! Video #1 - Impacts on the Body (Alisha Stobbe) - Teaching Video

Engagement with social media can affect sleep patterns and brain function leading to cognitive overload. In this session, Alisha describes several warning signs and recommendations for parents and others as to what are appropriate amounts of social media exposure.

Presenter - Alisha is a registered clinical counselor and founder of Experience Change Counselling Services. She regularly presents workshops and facilitates other professional development training events. Alisha has her Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from ACTS Seminaries.

Video #2 - Cyberbullying, Pornography, and Sexting (Alisha Stobbe) - Teaching Video

In this eye-opening session, Alisha explores how people use social media to engage in cyber-bullying, viewing and eliciting pornography, and sending sexually suggestive messages and images (a practice known as sexting). She encourages parents and others to explore the underlying reasons why children might engage in these behaviors and to deal with these core issues even as they set up safeguards to protect them.

Presenter - See the description under the first Screen Time video.

Video #3 - Parents as the Solution (Alisha Stobbe) - Teaching Video

Parents play a critical role in helping their children engage in appropriate social media behavior. They do so by modeling good digital habits. In this session, Alisha describes these habits and outlines seven ways that parents can instruct their children to use social media wisely.

Presenter - See the description under the first Screen Time video.

Responsible Discipline

Video #1 - Redefining Discipline: Why Should I Bother? (Keith Reed) - Teaching Video

How can we discipline our children more effectively? In this session from the 2018 Renovated Parenting Conference, Keith Reed shows how appropriate discipline can move children toward a preferred future.

Presenter - Keith Reed joined the MB Seminary team in 2015 to facilitate professional development and ministry training to leaders and churches. He now manages a number of initiatives as the Director of Special Projects, which includes resourcing churches across the country. Prior to his time at MB Seminary, Keith served as the Associate Pastor at Jericho Ridge Community Church for eight years.

Free! Video #2 - What is My Child Thinking (Nate Searle) - Teaching Video

In this session, Nate Searle encourages us to look beyond our child's behaviors to the beliefs and emotions that might be behind them. In doing so, we will be able to make better sense of our child's actions.

Presenter - Nate Searle is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Nate’s addicted to the process of behavior change, the science he loves and uses to create effective and meaningful progress in students’ lives. Nate is adept at analyzing behavior, putting effective interventions into place that bring about appropriate and functional change. He is a Senior Associate with the Crisis Prevention Institute. Nate’s current areas of practice include the treatment of anxiety, supports for behavior change and counselling using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Video #3 - What Discipline Will Work Best (Nate Searle) - Teaching Video

What's the cost of talking, explaining, and negotiating when kids are misbehaving? Why do we rescue? In this session, Nate Searle will describe strategies for helping parents and other caregivers become more comfortable in helping a child work through their discomfort toward postive behavioral change.

Presenter - See presenter description with the previous video session. 

Video #4 - Q&A with Keith Reed and Nate Searle - Teaching Video

In this session, conference participants ask some of their questions coming out of the previous sessions.

Called to Disciple

Video #1 - Called to Disciple (Pastor Dwight Stephen) - Teaching Video

Are parents uniquely called by God to disciple their children? If so, why is this God’s design and why don’t we see more evidence of it happening? In this session, Dwight shows how God calls parents to make disciples of their children.

Presenter - Pastor Dwight Stephen serves as a Children's Ministry Pastor at Northview Community Church in Abbotsford, BC. 

Video #2 - How Do I Do That? (Pastor Chris Ross) - Teaching Video

When it comes to discipling your children, do you know what you’re aiming for and how to get there? This session will help you develop a discipleship goal and tactics to realize it.

Presenter - Pastor Chris Ross is the Children and Family Pastor at Central Community Church in Chilliwack, BC.

Video #3 - Fake Parenting: When We Confuse Ourselves with God (Dr. Mark Wessner) - Teaching Video

This session will equip you to practically and prayerfully prepare for important parenting conversations before, during, and after they happen.

Presenter - Dr. Mark Wessner is President of MB Seminary. Prior to taking up his role as a seminary president, Mark served as a Lead Pastor at Westwood Community Church in Prince George, BC. 

Raising Counter-cultural Kids

Description of the Three Videos in this Series - Canada is a post-Christian country. Certain cultural elements are in direct opposition to the Gospel, making it increasingly more uncomfortable to be a Christian in our culture. What are the forces arrayed against the Gospel in our society? Chris Price will help us understand how we can help kids follow Jesus in the midst of these cultural challenges.

Presenter - Chris Price is the Lead Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church and the author of Radical Hope and Suffering with God. In addition, he is the co-editor for Everyday Apologetics. Chris lives in Port Coquitlam, BC with his beautiful wife Diandra and his two children Kaeden and Mila.

Free! Video #1 - The Lure of Culture (Chris Price) - Teaching Video

Video #2 - Moving Beyond Moralism (Chris Price) - Teaching Video

Video #3 - Raising Counter-culture Kids (Chris Price) - Teaching Video

Family Discipleship

Free! Video #1 - Theology at Home (Pastor Robyn Dueck) - Teaching Video

God is clear about how He feels about kids and how He wants children to be raised. How do we, as parents, correctly balance the plethora of opportunities that our kids have with their need for spiritual nourishment to give them the strength to be Godly children, teens, and adults in the midst of the world where they are growing up?

Presenter - Robyn Dueck is passionate about teaching kids about Jesus. Robyn and her husband, Ray, have three married children and six grandchildren. They have served together in ministry in both Canada and the United States.

Video #2 - Godly Discipline (Nikki Lanigan) - Teaching Video

Are you going grey early from the antics of particular children? Godly discipline requires a biblical foundation and holistic approach that is as much constructive as it is corrective. Learn the basics of discipline to assist in developing a life of discipleship in your child.

Presenter - Nikki Lanigan has served in Children’s Ministry both professionally and as a volunteer. Nikki finds great joy in engaging a child’s heart, mind, and soul in a Bible passage. Nikki is married to Brent and has two sons – one sensitive and one that takes many more adjectives to describe.  

Video #3 - Discipleship on the Homefront (Elizabeth Faulkner) - Teaching Video

We would like a simple formula for raising our kids to love Jesus, but the truth is that every family is unique and sometimes messy. This practical workshop will look at our own family environments, routines, and priorities to see how we can weave teaching and God moments into our everyday activities.

Presenter – Elizabeth Faulkner has been working with children and families at SouthRidge Fellowship Church for 15 years – first as a volunteer, then as the Children’s Ministry Director, and now as the Family Ministry Director. She loves hiking, book clubbing, drinking coffee, and hanging out with her husband and three children.

Video #4 - Children's Ministry as Family Ministry (Dr. Randy Wollf) - Teaching Video

In this workshop, Randy will explore how churches can resource and partner with families to make the home the primary place for the formation of the Christian faith.

Presenter - Dr. Randy Wollf was a pastor for 20 years (including 10 years as a children’s pastor). He is currently a professor at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary (part of the ACTS consortium) and the director of MinistryLift, a ministry devoted to resourcing individuals and churches. Randy and his wife, Lore, have four children, ages 3-18.

Audio #5 - Talking to Kids about LGBTQ Individuals (Pastor Thaleia Sawatsky) - Teaching Audio (due to video quality issues, we can only offer the audio version of this session)

LGBTQ, gender and sexuality. What do these words mean? How does our culture view these issues? How does God view these issues? How can we as parents and leaders in our church talk about these issues with each other and our kids in ways that honour the God we love and serve?

Presenter – Thaleia Sawatsky has her Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology from Trinity Western University. She currently works as a care pastor helping people who are facing a variety of challenging issues in their lives. Thaleia has been married to Mark for 23 years, and they have two teenagers who are in high school.

Audio #6 - Preparing Your Kids for the Social Media Roller Coaster (Alisha Stobbe) - Teaching Audio (due to video quality issues, we can only offer the audio version of this session)

Technology and social media are now an integrated part of growing up in today’s world. Technology brings new possibilities and opportunities, as well as new responsibilities. This presentation will review how teens are utilizing technology through various devices and social media platforms (such as Facebook, Yik Yak, Snapchat, and more), as well as Internet safety tips and practical ways of supporting children’s healthy spiritual and mental development.

Presenter - Alisha Stobbe is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, trained in Marriage and Family Therapy. She works out of her private practice in Langley where she sees youth, young adults, women, couples, and families. In addition, she sees youth and families referred by the RCMP through Langley Youth & Family Services. Alisha also presents on the topics of Teen Sexting and Anxiety.

Video #7 - Dealing with the Screen: Talking about Kids and Games (Dr. Kevin Schut) - Teaching Audio

Parents and pastors often feel like video games are an alien force taking over their kids’ lives. Are games addictive? Does violence in games make children aggressive? Are gamers becoming the zombies they love to fight on screen? Do games have space for faith? This workshop will look at some of the research and give a balanced take on how to approach games and kids, avoiding the extremes positions of some fans and critics.

Presenter – Dr. Kevin Schut is Professor of Media + Communication and Associate Dean of the School of Arts, Media + Culture at Trinity Western University. He studies pop culture and media and how they impact our culture. He specializes in video games and has written a book called Of Games and God: A Christian Exploration of Video Games. He is married and he loves playing Mario Cart, Splatoon, and adventure games with his daughters, aged 12, 9, and 6.

Video #8 - The Heart of Modesty (Jane Thompson) - Teaching Video

Using her nursing background and her belief that our bodies are created with awesome design, Jane will thoughtfully ask questions surrounding the topic of modesty that can help us adopt God’s view of self-esteem and relationship building.

Presenter - Jane Thompson has been an RN for 25 years working in both hospital and retirement home settings. She also volunteers every summer at kids’ camps and gives talks at middle/high schools on healthy sexuality. She has been married to Steve for 26 years. Together they have raised two boys and two dogs.

Video #9 - Smart Money, Smart Kids (Pastor Cindy Gammie) - Teaching Video

Many of us wish we had been taught more about money. Now as adults, we are challenged to teach kids how to view and use money in God-honouring ways. Parents and children’s ministry workers can learn skills to help kids give, save, and spend in ways that glorify God.

Presenter - Cindy Gammie graduated from Trinity Western University with a Psychology degree. She parented high risk youth in a group home and foster home for 10 years. Cindy and her husband now have two daughters of their own and Cindy serves as a Couples Relationship Skills Coach and a Children’s Pastor at South Langley Church.

Video #10 - "Telling" Stories, Transforming Families (Pastor Dan Unrau) - Teaching Video

It’s no secret that storytelling is a powerful communications tool. But our personal stories are sometimes unknown or overlooked. This workshop will look at how parents can steward their family stories so that their kids can encounter their own history even if they weren’t around to experience it firsthand.

Presenter – Dan Unrau was raised in Manitoba, but he’s also lived in BC, Israel, and Germany. He has a BA in Sociology, English & Religious Studies; an MA in Jewish Studies; and a DMin in Leadership Studies. Dan has been a clergyman/pastor for the past three decades and is currently working as an MCC agent, HR consultant, and church trouble-shooter. He has been married to Lois for more than 40 years, and they have 3 children, 2 sons-in-laws, 3 darling grandkids, and no cats.