Who Are The Disciple Makers?
If 2020 showed us (The Church) anything, it is that family discipleship is important. Many of us started out in quarantine by watching church from the comfort of homes, some of us while still in bed… (Hooray for laptops and smartphones, right?!). And for most of us that is where family discipleship begins and ends… on Sundays…or Wednesday evening services. If your children are only seeing Jesus or learning about Jesus on the days that the church building is open, then you have limited their vision of how great our God is! Family discipleship begins in the home not at the church. That does not mean that going to church is not important or that the church will not provide ministries for the children, but most churches only have your children for 3-4 hours a week, you have them for their entire lives! You (Parent, Grandparent, Aunt, Uncle, Sister, Brother etc...) have more influence in the physical and spiritual development than the average Children’s Minister, Youth Pastor, or Sunday School teacher.
So, to answer the question, “Who are the disciple makers?” Well, it is anyone that has an influence in a broad sense. However, in a narrower sense, the parents and guardians are the at home disciple makers. The church staff or volunteers do not have 24/7 access to your children. But you do. For the next several months, the newsletters to follow this one will contain some tips on how to disciple your family at home. Each month I will also put in some resources for you to look at. Remember that every family will do discipleship differently the important thing here is to simply disciple your children.
“The single greatest reason why we are losing our young people today is that the home is no longer the place where faith is transferred. Parents, the primary purpose of the home is the evangelization and discipleship of your children. You cannot outsource this vital component in the rearing of your children.” – Dr. Tony Evans
Here are some resources to check out!
Family Discipleship By Matt Chandler and Adam Griffin
http://www.wacmm.org/Stats.html
https://refocusministry.org/2020/01/02/who-should-disciple-children/
https://www.gospelproject.com/8-tips-to-help-you-disciple-your-kids/
Cody Simpkins