Parent’s Meeting

Parent’s Meeting is a family formation ministry that helps parents raise children in a Christ-centered home with Orthodox faith, love, boundaries, prayer, and practical wisdom.

The Home as a Place of Formation

Children are formed not only by what they hear at church, but by what they see and experience at home every day. Parent’s Meeting helps mothers and fathers think about the long work of raising children who know God, love the Church, and understand themselves and others as icons of Christ.

The source materials for this ministry emphasize that parenting is not only about behavior management. The deeper goal is to connect children to God, teach spiritual principles, model the joy of the Church, and help children learn responsibility, repentance, resilience, prayer, and love.

What We Discuss

• Raising children in the Orthodox faith at home, not only at church.
• Building family habits of prayer, Scripture, church attendance, and honest conversation.
• Learning from the Prodigal Son about love, mercy, responsibility, freedom, and consequences.
• Balancing boundaries and warmth without becoming harsh, permissive, or emotionally absent.
• Disciplining children with consistency, compassion, and clear spiritual purpose.
• Helping children choose friends wisely and navigate outside influences.
• Recovering well after parenting mistakes through humility and apology.
• Keeping the long game of spiritual formation in mind instead of reacting only to daily frustrations.

Parenting by Example

One recurring theme in the ministry materials is that children learn most from the way parents live. Lectures cannot replace example. If children see prayer, repentance, patience, respect, church life, and love practiced sincerely at home, the faith becomes real to them. If they see anger, hypocrisy, gossip, or inconsistency, they may learn that religion is external rather than life-giving.

A Balanced Orthodox Approach

Parent’s Meeting encourages a middle path: not too strict and not too lenient, rooted in both the love of God and the fear of God, mercy and justice, structure and tenderness. Parents are called to be available, involved, and loving, while still giving children age-appropriate responsibility and allowing them to learn from consequences.

For Parents at Every Stage

This ministry is for parents of young children, teens, and young adults, as well as expectant parents and servants who support families. Each stage has different questions, but the core work is the same: helping children grow toward Christ with patience, wisdom, prayer, and love.