Raising children as part of a missions team

by Darlene Cunningham

I grew up as part of a ministry team, serving and contributing throughout my growing up years as my father and mother pastored churches in Canada and the USA. Loren was raised in the same way, doing ministry outreach with his parents across the southwestern United States and singing duets with his sister Phyllis from the age of three.

And we raised our own kids, Karen andDavid, to be part of our family missionary team. We taught them to listen to the voice of God and obey Him; to be generous ingiving whatever they had – money, toys, time, talents; we taught them biblical principles for wise decision-making. We watched for the unique gifts God had given them, and encouraged and invested in the development of those gifts.

Karen obviously had a call to teach children. David was entrepreneurial and had a gift for visual storytelling. We were also blessed that our children were shaped by the extended YWAM family—godly men and women who invested in them and shared their gifts and talents. That is true to this day.
For a long time I would say, “The verdict is still out on our kids, but it looks like they’re going to turn out all right.” Well, now the verdict is in. Karen and David have turned out to be a woman and a man of God with their own strong missions calls: Karen in teaching preschool and training preschool teachers and David in leadership and filmmaking. And of course I’m hoping the same for my grandchildren!

I have encouraged YWAM families around the globe to include their children in ministry as contributing members of their team. During YWAM’s 50th anniversary year, we have visited YWAM families in Australia/New Zealand, southern Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe. I can say without a doubt that raising children on the mission field and calling forth their own gifts and missionary call works!

I have seen many second generation YWAM kids doing a whole lot more of what they were raised in and taking us to new levels. I also see many who are called to work within other spheres of society but who still have a clear understanding of their missionary call to disciple the nations.

So many missionaries struggle with cultural norms and even well-meaning relatives and Christian friends who say, “You need to put your family first—give your children a good education and keep them near their grandparents.”
But I do not believe in the “God first, family second and ministry third” philosophy. I believe in “God first….God second… God third… God over everything.”

As we put obedience to God first, He is far more committed to our families and our ministries than we are, and His will is always the highest and best for everyone and everything. If we seek Him and obey Him in detail, He will never call us to do something that will harm the family. If we as parents obey the call of God and teach our children to listen to His voice and obey His call, they will be far richer and better equipped to function in this 21st century global world. They will gain an education that equips them for life. They will have the modeling of their parents’obedience and that of a diverse community. They will gain intercultural skills—maybe even some foreign languages—plus they will have networks of international friends. All these things are invaluable for 21st century leadership.

God is a debtor to no person. He is faithful and committed to family, the basic building block of society that He initiated. When we obey His call, there is no end to the ways He pours out Hisblessing and grace.

YWAM Foundational Value #10:
YWAM is called to function in teams in all aspects of ministry and leadership. We believe that a combination of complementary gifts, callings, perspectives, ministries and generations working together in unity at all levels of our mission provides wisdom and safety. Seeking God’s will and making decisions in a team context allows accountability and contributes to greater relationship, motivation,responsibility and ownership of the vision.

YWAM Foundational value #15:
YWAM affirms the importance of families serving God together in missions, not just the father and/or mother. We encourage the development of strong and healthy family units, with each member sharing the call to missions and contributing their gifts in unique and complementary ways.

This article was originally published in YWAM Kona's campus magazine Transformations Vol.2, 2010 p.22. Used with kind permission.