As a parent to young children, sometimes I’m tempted to look at the turbulent state of our world and, well, *freak out*! How are we supposed to raise confident, godly kids in a world that feels so broken? How do we protect and nurture their innocent minds when uncountable influences are vying for their attention? (How do I stay present as a parent when so much is competing for my attention?)

I often remind myself of what the author of Ecclesiastes says, “there is nothing new under the sun.”

We can take a deep breath.

We are facing the same brand of brokenness and corruption that seeped into this world when the snake slithered into the Garden. Parenting today is certainly different and faster than generations past, but it’s not new to God. He is not surprised or ill-equipped to help us with what seems impossible.

When it comes to parenting, God has always had the same charge – be purposeful. To the first parents He said “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:27-28). But God’s mandate was not a call to simply increase but to multiply with intention. We are called to proliferate His image across the earth and reflect Him in the way we work, create, and interact with the world around us. Later, in Deuteronomy 6, God told the Israelite parents to remind their children as often as possible of His words and ways—keep his words in their hearts, live them out, and speak of them frequently. He says to write them on doorposts and even their foreheads if they have to. Because, only if we know Him, can we replicate Him.

Parenting with purpose is not new. And, it’s never been easy. Thankfully, we are not alone in this journey. As Christians, we have the gift of one another (the Church) to spur us on in this daunting task of parenting young image-bearers.

Historical Christian Creeds

For millennia, the Church has been using creeds to encourage one another and teach the next generation. (You may be familiar with the Apostles Creed or Nicene Creed.) Rooted in the Latin word credere, which means “to believe,” creeds outline the core beliefs of a community.

The creeds of the Christian church are made up of simple statements (to make memorization easy) but rooted deeply in Scripture and sound doctrine. Throughout history, creeds have unified believers by providing clarity, direction, and inspiration.

Modern Day Creeds

Christians are not the only ones to catch on to the power of shared language and concise statements of belief. In the 1980s, the idea of corporate mission statements and values became a full-blown management fad led by gurus like Peter Drucker (1974) and Ron Lippitt (1960). Today, nearly every corporation, small business, and nonprofit has a mission statement or list of values on their website.

At this point, the power of stating your values is well-researched. It’s an accepted “best practice” that has extended past the institutional or corporate realm, but also to the family sphere. According to Barna, 7/10 families have an explicit set of family values or a family creed.

What exactly is a Family Creed?

• It’s a powerful tool that communicates your family’s values in an easy-to-remember, biblically supported format.
• A Family Creed is a step beyond a family values or mission statement. It casts a vision rooted in sound doctrine, using biblical support.
• Like the creeds of the early church that protected against heresy (think Nicaean/Chalcedon), a Family Creed guards against mission drift. It’s a memorable tool for teaching what’s important to the next generation. It’s the modern version of the doorpost inscriptions of Deuteronomy 6.
• It’s a tool that unifies your family around a common goal and propels you, together, in the direction you are aiming to go.
• It defines your priorities. It’s a predetermined rubric that makes hard decisions easier.
• It creates belonging by providing a common language and shared identity.
• Rather than building your empire, it points your family back to Christ and eternity where “family” will mean something so much more!

Here’s The Problem

While Barna found that 7/10 families have a clear set of values, only 3/10 have written them out.

It’s probably because defining and writing out something as important as your family’s core beliefs is overwhelming! (At least that’s what 95% of my Instagram followers said when I surveyed them.)

That’s why I created the Family Creed Guide. I originally created this guide for my Home Group. We had a shared goal to write out our individual family’s values but needed a manageable process to help us get there.

Candidly, there is nothing new about this content. (Remember Ecclesiastes?) The Family Creed Guide takes wisdom from Scripture, the early church, and some best practices from the corporate world. It’s just packaged in bite-sized emails with downloadable worksheets that help you and your spouse seek the Lord as you define your family values and cast vision for years to come.

If you’re ready to create a simple tool for your family to foster unity, grow your family’s natural strengths, and point you to Christ, I’d love to invite you to join me on this journey!