Answering the MacArthur Center’s Objections to Family Integration

In a recent MacArthur Center for Expository Preaching podcast titled “John MacArthur Is My Youth Pastor,” Austin Duncan raised objections to the family-integrated church movement. Duncan, who serves as College Pastor for Grace Community Church as well as Director of the MacArthur Center, cited a “friendly argument” with Voddie Baucham on the matter while lodging numerous criticisms of the family-integrated model.
But is Duncan’s critique correct? In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm address his objections, point by point. They express high regard for the teaching ministry of John MacArthur and agree with some of Duncan’s concerns while also refuting numerous mischaracterizations. Resting their case on the sufficiency of Scripture, they maintain that the structure of the church and family should reflect the structure revealed in the Bible alone.
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[@hammerbarca6]

Praise God for this faithful response. I definitely experienced the change you described. This also occurred with me in a parachurch organization on campus. God can draw straight lines with crooked sticks (and we should be grateful for it) but He doesn’t prescribe crooked sticks!

[@churchandfamilylife]

Amen. Praise God for using imperfect efforts to His good ends!

[@JoshxDude92]

I'm trying to find arguments against Family Integrated Church, but so far, I'm not particularly compelled by what proponents of Age Appropriate Ministry are saying. Love the ministry of MacArthur and those under him, but this brother is not an exception. Is anyone aware of good arguments for AAM and against FIC? Because if you want to make a good argument, you should have a thorough knowledge of well thought-out disagreements. The work of these men are top notch, by the way. Keep doing what you're doing. God bless 😁

[@mkshffr4936]

In a family integrated church children learn the language of worship in the same way they learn their native tongue, that is by immersion.