Parents have an incredible responsibility to disciple their children.
But that doesn’t mean we’re supposed to do it alone.
In fact, one of the dangers Christian families can face—especially homeschool families—is allowing responsibility to slowly become self-sufficiency.
We educate our children. We organize activities. We teach the Bible. We create community.
Before long, we can begin acting as though our family is sufficient by itself.
But that’s not the picture of Christianity we see in Scripture.
You Can’t “One Another” Yourself
The New Testament is filled with commands about how believers are to live together.
Bear one another’s burdens.
Those commands assume something important: Christianity is inherently relational.
You simply can’t “one another” yourself.
God has given parents the primary responsibility for discipling their children, but He has also placed believers within the body of Christ.
And our children need that body too.
Your Children Need More Than Christian Friends
One of the great gifts of a healthy church is that it surrounds our children with Christians at many different stages of life.
Your children need to see what following Jesus looks like at 25.
They need to see faithful Christians walking through marriage, parenting, work, loss, suffering, service and old age.
They need people outside their immediate family who know them, pray for them, encourage them and have watched them grow.
Those relationships may seem insignificant while our children are young. Years later, we often discover just how significant they really were.
Don’t Just Attend Church—Become Part of It
Being present is important, but biblical community goes much deeper than occupying a pew each week.
A healthy church gives your family opportunities to know and be known.
To learn from believers in other generations.
And your children need to understand that they aren’t simply consumers of church programs. They are part of the body too.
Give them opportunities to serve.
Let them work alongside adults.
Help them learn people’s names and stories.
Let them see that their presence and gifts matter.
Three Ways to Start
As you consider your family’s relationship with your church, start here:
1. Show up.
Make gathering with God’s people a genuine priority.
Our children learn what we value not simply from what we tell them, but from the choices they watch us make.
2. Move toward people.
Learn names. Ask questions. Pray for people. Invite someone into your home. Notice when someone isn’t there.
Don’t wait for biblical community to happen to you.
3. Become needed.
Teach your children to contribute rather than simply consume.
Ask yourself a revealing question:
If our family disappeared from our church next week, would anyone notice? And who would we miss?
God didn’t design the Christian life to be lived alone.
Parents have been given the tremendous responsibility of bringing their children to Jesus—but a healthy church surrounds our children with examples of what following Him looks like for a lifetime.
Free Family Discipleship Resource
We’ve created a free resource to help your family put this into practice:
The Missing Piece of Family Discipleship: 41 “One Another” Commands Every Christian Parent Should Know
Use these Scriptures during family devotions. Take one each week, talk about what it means, turn the command into a question, and consider together how your family can live it out within your church.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE RESOURCE
Then listen to the full conversation above as David and Leslie share why church became such an important part of their own family’s discipleship story.
Continue Exploring Church + Family Discipleship
We moved across the country for one reason.— a helpful article about the importance of a healthy church.Why your family’s commitment to church matters more than ever-– a podcast conversation with Angie Tolpin.Discipleship in Parenting— a podcast conversation with Dr. Albert MohlerFaith That Sticks— a book by Leslie Nunnery and Tricia Goyer about parenting and discipling preteens that was mentioned in today’s episode.Teach Them Diligently— a book on biblical parenting by Leslie Nunnery that was mentioned in today’s episode.
