Lifeway webinar to explore ‘State of Theology’ survey
By Lifeway Staff
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Lifeway Christian Resources will host a webinar Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 1 p.m. Central, on the recent State of Theology survey, asking: “What do Americans — and Christians — believe about God, the Bible and the church? And why does it matter for ministry today?”
Carol Pipes, Lifeway’s director of communications, will lead a conversation with Scott McConnell, director of Lifeway Research, and Stephen Nichols, chief academic officer for Ligonier Ministries, to unpack the 2025 State of Theology study from Lifeway Research sponsored by Ligonier Ministries.
The hosts will discuss how theological beliefs impact society and the church in an effort to help church leaders navigate theological misunderstandings and equip church members to respond with clarity and conviction.
Registration for the webinar is available here.
SWBTS, SBTC promote new family ministry resource
By Michelle Workman, SWBTS
FORT WORTH, Texas — Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) and the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention (SBTC) hosted a Family Ministry Luncheon on the SWBTS campus Sept. 23 to promote a new opportunity for families and churches to disciple the younger generations and prepare them for a lifetime of serving the Lord.
“The Terry School has a huge Family Ministry footprint among the seminaries in the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) and around the nation,” said Chris Shirley, dean of the Terry School of Educational Ministries, pointing out the ministries discussed during the luncheon hold connections with the Terry School and its faculty. “We have degree programs in family ministry in all our degree programs, including a Ph.D. in Family and Generational Studies. In addition, we have four faculty members who are published authors in the family ministry field and a multitude of alumni who are leading the church in family ministry through the local church and parachurch ministries.”
Richard Ross, senior professor of student ministry, has had a hand in growing Southwestern’s impact in that realm of ministry and served as the keynote speaker at the luncheon.
He pointed out the constant issue youth leaders and parents face of teenagers leaving the church after they graduate and even before that as a young teen. Ross said Barna Group studies show that only about 10% of church teenagers have a resilient faith — one that believes in Jesus for salvation, the validity of the Bible and the importance of the local church — that will last a lifetime.
Although there are still encouraging cases of teens serving the Lord in significant ways and even revivals happening on college campuses, Ross said “if there would be a possibility that we could raise that number higher, we would be happy. … If you take averages, if you take the landscape, there is nothing going on right now that I would say is really moving that needle in terms of high school graduates that are going to walk in faith the rest of their lives.”
Ross spent years in church youth ministries before becoming the youth ministry consultant for Lifeway and then joining the faculty of Southwestern in 2000. But in recent months, Ross has partnered with others to create a ministry for families and churches, but particularly fathers, to intentionally disciple youth starting at the age of 13.
“I really do feel that all of my adult life in ministry has been in preparation for what I’m about to share with you in the next few moments,” Ross said during the luncheon.
Along with the issue of teens leaving the church, Ross said those students often seem to be disconnected from their congregation and are not ready for adulthood upon graduation, while fathers are not guided into spiritual leadership roles. With those concerns in mind, Ross said he and others have created a new ministry called Aion Path, which is a three-year program for teens and their fathers.
“The most critical predictor of children maintaining their faith into adulthood is the relationship with their parents, but especially their father,” Ross explained. “Churches should encourage fathers to be spiritual directors in their homes, offering resources and training to help them nurture their children’s faith as they walk along the road.”
Ross explained that in the past few years, a California businessman named Matt Hanson sold his business and with his new freedom gathered together family ministry leaders, including several from Southwestern like Ross, adjunct Jonathan Williams and Shirley, and various men’s and student ministries leaders from around the nation.
