Becoming a Disciple-making Family

Parents, your children are being discipled, but in many households discipleship has been outsourced to media, peers, our educational system, or the church. As Christians, the primary responsibility of discipling our children is on our shoulders as parents. We have a major problem though, in that most parents never feel as if they have been discipled. Perhaps lack of education or experience causes us to doubt our ability to teach our children. We may not even know where to start.

The church cannot adequately disciple your children. No amount of church events for our children can develop a Christian worldview that can overcome the dozens of weekly hours they spend on media, with their peers, or from the educational system. They are constantly being fed a specific way (one that’s utterly non-Christian) to view themselves, the world, and their ethical commitments. Spending 6 hours (which is generous) at church is not enough to overcome the other 107 waking hours a week being fed other stuff.

Fortunately, you (yes you!) as the parent have the highest level of influence on your children. What you take seriously, they will likewise take seriously. What you sacrifice for, they will notice. This Family Discipleship resource has the goal of helping you become an effective discipler of your children as our church desires to fully equip you.

What does it take to effectively disciple your child?

At base, discipleship requires:

Commitment – When asked if developing the moral and religious nature of our children is the primary goal of a parent, most Christian parents would say yes. However, very often our lives don’t reflect this commitment. Unintentionally, they will often reflect the values of the world, such as money or success, which become the most important things for a family. To disciple your children adequately will cost your family something. You may not be able to take a promotion that will leave you inadequate time to disciple your children. Your children might need to say no to sport or instrumental involvement if it keeps them from being discipled. You may need to reevaluate your relaxation time. Discipleship of our children begins with them seeing that it’s something we truly prioritize over money, leisure, sports, or success.
Intentionality – Discipleship doesn’t happen by accident. Companies are intentional about molding our desires (and those of our children) to want (even “need”) their product. Likewise, to disciple your children will require establishing times and ways that communicate who you are and what you value.

What we are providing:

We will publish a monthly article to assist you as a parent to disciple your children in a specific area (e.g. how to deal with peer pressure, television, etc.). We are open to requests on specific topics from you!
We will provide weekly lessons to go through with your family that help ingrain the concepts and make them concrete throughout the week. Making going through Scripture or basic theology together a part of your weekly routine can be a powerful indicator to your children regarding your fundamental commitments. We will begin by going through a catechism, where you will instruct your children on the basics of the faith. For your convenience, there will be a young children’s version and something for older children (and perhaps you!) to learn.
Schedule and announcements of how to intentionally invest in your family’s discipleship through church activities.
A resource for tough questions. If you have an area that you want discussed, then you’re encouraged to let us know. You may be wondering how to help your children deal with the TV, internet, or bullying. Let us know. We will either respond personally to you or incorporate it in part 1. If you are wondering about it, other parents will be as well.

Thank you for your interest in this new endeavor we are undertaking, but thank you even more for your tireless persistence in discipling your children into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ!