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I am so thank for Haynes in writing this book. It is a practical "how to" for any church that wants to implement a milestone-based philosophy of family discipleship. Each chapter is based on one of the seven milestones Haynes and his church have identified, and he explains how each milestone is implemented in his church, including parent seminars, family celebrations, and teaching resources. Great stuff. It was fun to imagine this working in Haynes' church and to hear firsthand testimonies from parents and families about how Haynes' church had helped them be better discipling parents to their children.
One thing I would have liked more of from this book are timeless biblical principles. Don't get me wrong, Haynes is right on in his theology, and his whole reason of "shifting" his philosophy of ministry was to be more faithful to the Bible. However, I found myself wondering, "So, what if this particular strategy wouldn't work in our church? Are there biblical principles you can give me that I could apply in my own ministry context?" Of course, the answer to the second question is "yes," and I'm sure that if I were to be fortunate enough to sit down at my local Starbucks with Haynes, he'd engage me in a lively conversation on the topic. It just wasn't a focus of the book. Instead, the focus was on outlining the seven milestones his own church has developed and how it plays out in their ministry context. I tend to like books that shy away from a cookie-cutter approach and leave me with more questions than answers, rather than "how to" books.
One other thought I had about Haynes' program ideas found in the books is that they assume a large church context. He does give a occasional suggestions for how to implement an idea with a small staff or volunteer team, but as I think back to my last church with only about 100 people on a Sunday and 15-20 teenagers, I imagine I would have been very overwhelmed by all the staff positions dedicated to this family-based milestone programs at Haynes' church, as well as the fact that 500 parents typically attend the parent seminars at his church. Again, not necessarily a bad thing; just not very helpful for a smaller church.
Overall, a good book that got me thinking and praying about "giving discipleship back to the family." If you want some practical ideas or resources on family-based discipleship, check out Kingsland Baptist Church's Legacy Milestones Website.
