‘This book completely transformed how I see Youth and Children’s work.’
(I’ve stopped counting how many people have said this to me.)
If you want your church to grow younger, consider prioritising this as the first book you read. Why? In an age in which parents out-source many of their parenting responsibilities and where, in many church contexts, there is a weight of expectation placed upon the provision of youth and children’s work, It Takes a Church to Raise a Parent by Rachel Turner (2018) provides a helpful, sometimes provocative, counterbalance.
It encourages a culture shift whereby churches prioritise whatever will most support, encourage and equip parents as they seek to ‘parent for faith’. Rachel Turner winsomely sets out what it can look like for church communities to come alongside parents in their task of discipling their children, with every member of the church community having a part to play.
At its core, the book advocates for a culture shift rather than a series of activities. Turner notes that many churches unintentionally function on a ‘programme mindset’, characterized by:
- Running Children’s ministry programmes, youth events, etc..
- Parents drop off their kids.
- Spiritual formation is treated like outsourcing - the church ‘does’ the spiritual work, parents are spectators.
Turner proposes a fundamental culture shift:
- Children’s ministers and volunteers should first be parent-equippers.
- Spiritual formation is primarily the work of parents in everyday life.
- The church’s job is to create the culture, skills, confidence, and scaffolding that allow parents to spiritually nurture their own children.
This book advocates for a reorientation of the entire church ecosystem. The key implication? The ‘win’ for a children’s pastor is not a great Sunday session; it’s a confident parent who can disciple their child on Monday evening.
What I loved about this book was how realistic and grounded it is, with real-life examples that helped me think through how her challenge might work out in the context of my church. It is not a book of ‘how-to’ for discipling children (make use of her other books for that). It is not a book on parenting tips. It is a joyous invitation to reimagine the core of our church culture.
June 2025 Lead On review by Anna Shaw, School Development Officer at CPAS.