Thoughts

Discipling the next generation

Simple and practical steps to building faith at home

By Jennifer McWilliams
September 21, 2016

I grew up going to church every single Sunday, as did many of my friends. What’s wild is that now at 31-years-old, many of my peers who were with me at church and youth group are no longer attending church.

I wonder if they were ever truly following Jesus to begin with. Why? Was my church that bad at discipleship? Not at all. I learned a lot at Sunday services, Thursday night youth Bible study, and Friday night youth group. My friends did too. But what we did not have in common were the other 163 hours of our weeks.

You see, I was blessed to grow up in a Christian family. A real one. Church wasn’t just something I attended and then forgot about. My relationship with Jesus was talked about at dinner, on family vacations, while going for walks, and mowing the lawn; while shopping for back-to-school supplies and while opening Christmas presents. Church helped me along in my faith, but it really took root in my family.

Faith begins at home

Faith at home is even more important now than when I was a kid. Our society is more post-Christian now than it has ever been. I used to spend approximately five hours a week at my church — most families today spend one hour most weeks (because, let’s face it, no one goes to church 52 Sundays out of the year anymore).

The awareness that God is always with us and at work around us is a primary way of discipling your kids.

Jenn McWilliams PicJenn McWilliams Pic

The photo above shows the number of hours a week that parents have their kids versus the number of hours a week they are at church (assuming they go that week).

Based on this illustration, who should have the primary responsibility of discipling kids? You got it — it’s not me. It’s not the kidmax coordinator or the classroom volunteer. It’s mom and dad.

In the book Faith Begins at Home by Mark Holmen, the author shares research that for kids grades 7-12, mom and dad are rated the #1 and #2 influences in their spiritual life!

Even though you feel like they’re not watching, they are. A solid foundation of sincere faith for the next generation is what we church leaders dream of, and we can’t do it without you! Faith is meant to be lived out together, in community, and no community is more pronounced for a kid than their family!

Building faith at home one step at a time

I’ve met many parents who desire to disciple their kids at home, but they aren’t sure how because they never had it for themselves. That’s okay! The great news is that it’s not difficult. Building faith at home is as simple as remembering God throughout your day:

  • Say grace before meals
  • Read the Bible story from kidmax after supper and talk about it (E.g. Ask, “What’s one thing that stood out to you?”)
  • Review the key verse before bedtime
  • Ask if they saw God at work while they were at school
  • Have prayer be your immediate response when something goes wrong

The awareness that God is always with us and at work around us is a primary way of discipling your kids. You can also carefully choose when and how you’ll engage with God.

Why not do your devotions in the living room instead of your bedroom, so your kids can “accidentally” find you reading your Bible? Remember, you may feel like your kids aren’t paying attention, but they are!

I’ve been on both ends of this research — looking at the need for faith at home discipleship of children, and also the number of young adults that are leaving the Church. I think they’re correlated (in fact, I was a part of a research study that showed it).

I’d put money on the table that most young adults who have left the church didn’t have faith modelled for them at home as children. They may have went to church every Sunday — but if they didn’t see it at home, it wasn’t legitamate in their minds and hearts and so it didn’t stick.

So, this year, make sure you grab the take-home card each Sunday and actually go through it with your child! And, get intentional about inviting God into your daily family life.

Seek out Jesus as a family, together.

Original Article

Post Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.