Every morning and evening of every day, Orthodox Jews recite this important section of the Torah. This Scripture is written on the doorframes of their homes. There isn't a practicing Jew today who can't quote it from memory. It's the essence of the Old Testament summed up in a few sentences.

There isn't much discussion of this section of Scripture in the New Testament, but I think that's because it was so deeply ingrained in the minds and hearts of every Jew that there wasn't much need.

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

My time at the Western Wailing Wall caused me to look into the Shema anew and what I found surprised me. This Scripture is, in fact, the cornerstone of family-based youth ministry. In order to reach our students, part of our jobs as youth workers is to strengthen families by impressing the Word of God into their hearts and minds.

Changing the Mindset

For the first time, I looked at ministry to parents not as one more program on the periphery of my ministry, but rather as central to my calling. Family-based youth ministry isn't about adding a program. It's a mindset.

In biblical days, the people of Israel had a much better understanding of their roles as parents and family members. They knew their most important calling was to "impress upon their children" the Word of God. They were to talk about it and live out their faith daily. Each child knew his or her place in the family and in their faith.

Today, many families lack the understanding and tools necessary to raise children in the legacy of faith. We, as part of the church leadership, must shoulder some of the blame because we've let parents delegate their children's spiritual training to us. I don't see parents clamoring to take back this responsibility.

Despite this, can we in youth work do our programming and ministry with the family, and not just the kids, as a priority? I think we can, and I believe we must.

Helping Families Succeed

No easy answers here—perhaps just more difficult decisions to complicate our youth ministries, but we're called to do family-based youth ministry. We must help families succeed. Hopefully in the next few years, prophets will appear who will speak to the practical needs of family-based youth ministry and light a fire for us. For now we need to change our mindset and make the biblical principle of helping families succeed a part of our daily youth ministry.

We can start facilitating families' success in four ways: by informing, assisting, involving and encouraging parents.