Our grandparents were raised in a culture that understood and taught biblical Christian values. That is a far cry from the culture in which today's parents are raising children.

Where can parents find the support they need to raise children with a love for God and a biblical viewpoint?

George Barna believes it is time for the church to come alongside parents to serve children who are in the most critical stage of life.

“People's perspectives and behavioral inclinations are developed at an early age and change little over time,” Barna says.

Through this live CCN training, you can discover how those tendencies of children are shaped, along with the implications of investing — or not investing — in a dynamic, transformational children's ministry.

Joining Barna, the noted researcher and author of Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions , is pastor and family ministry expert Mark Holmen and Mickie O'Donnell, a leading expert in family ministries and a long-time children's ministry director.

Together, they will delve into why the home is the primary place where faith is nurtured and how churches can equip families in this integral endeavor. They will offer practical applications alongside their findings.

The idea of transforming children into spiritual champions is complex. Yet when the church comes alongside parents to provide training, information, counseling, and dynamic ministries, a generation of champions are formed!

George Barna is the Directing Leader of The Barna Group, Ltd. located in Ventura, California. The Barna Group analyzes American culture and creates both resources and experiences which facilitate moral and spiritual transformation. George has written more than 30 books, including such bestsellers as The Frog in the Kettle, A Fish Out of Water, Think Like Jesus, and Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions. George Barna is in-demand for his teaching and expertise, speaking at conferences, churches, universities and seminaries throughout the country. He is a regular speaker on CCN training broadcasts.

Mark A. Holmen is the Senior Pastor of Ventura Missionary Church in California , which he has led since October of 2002. Prior to that, Mark served as a youth and family ministry pastor for 12 years. In addition, he was a national and international consultant, speaker, trainer and author for the Youth and Family Institute. In addition to serving his own congregation, Mark helps other congregations equip the home to be the primary place where faith is nurtured.

Mickie O'Donnell is Executive Director of Children's Ministries of America, a nonprofit organization assisting churches with alternative models to Sunday school. Her career has included stints as Minister of Religious Education or Director of Children's Ministries at churches in the US and Scotland . She was an adjunct facility member at Trinity International University in suburban Chicago , teaching both undergraduate and graduate-level classes. She contributed a chapter on “play therapy” to the book Healing the Children of War .