The Disciple-Making Parent

On this episode of The Disciple-Making Parent Podcast, Chap Bettis talks with Dr. Camden Pulliam about the biblical connection between parenting and pastoring. Drawing from Camden’s doctoral research, they explore how pastors serve as father figures who help God’s people grow from spiritual immaturity toward maturity.⁠⁠

Together, they examine the fatherhood language used throughout Scripture, the relationship between managing a household and caring for a church, and the humility required of pastors at every stage of ministry. They also discuss the value of spiritual fathers who have earned the trust to offer honest, practical wisdom.

Resources From This Podcast
Dr. Pulliam’s review of Managing Your Households Well
Paternal Pastors: An Evangelical Approach, Dr. Pulliam’s Ph.D. Thesis
Midwestern Seminary’s For the Church Cohorts
Midwestern Seminary’s Shepherds Fellowship

Topics Covered in This Week’s Podcast
03:20 Dr. Pulliam’s background
07:35 Paternal Pastors: Pastors as fathers within the church
17:16 Applications for young and aspiring pastors
25:58 A pastor’s authority as a father figure
35:17 A father’s impact
41:14 Conclusion, more on Midwestern Seminary

On this episode of This vs. That, we talk with Dr. Ben Phillips about making family discipleship practical through the everyday rhythms we already share with our children.

Ben introduces the TEACH framework—Travel time, Eating time, Arise time, Closing time, and Holiday time drawn from Deuteronomy 6.

Together, we explore simple ways to build faith conversations into car rides, meals, mornings, bedtimes, and celebrations without turning discipleship into an overwhelming checklist. We also discuss the importance of modeling a genuine walk with God, giving children grace as they grow, adjusting our approach through changing seasons, and starting with one sustainable rhythm.

Whether we are beginning family discipleship for the first time or looking to strengthen existing habits, this conversation offers practical encouragement for helping the next generation know, own, and live out their faith.

Topics Covered in This Week’s Podcast
02:59 Introduction: The origin of Dr. Phillips’ desire for discipleship
13:52 Applying TEACH wisely, but not to excess
28:34 Making TEACH work in your unique household
45:49 Encouragement for parents just beginning intentional discipleship

Resources From This Podcast
Dr. Phillips’ Website
Adventures in Odyssey
Jonathan Park Audio Adventures
Article- Am I Overdiscipling My Children?
Article- Five Reasons to Make Dinner an Event
Article- The Power of the Red Plate
Article- Nine Elements of an Effective Donut Date

On this episode of The Disciple-Making Parent Podcast Chap Bettis sits down with associate pastor Travis Rymer for a candid conversation about biblical parenting and family discipleship.

They discuss the goal of Christian parenting, why parents may hesitate to ask for help, whether it’s possible to over-disciple children, and how the local church can support families. Along the way, Chap offers encouragement to rely on God, seek wisdom with humility, cultivate joyful homes, and keep the true “North Star” of parenting in view: raising children who love Jesus and help others follow Him.

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On this episode of The Disciple-Making Parent Podcast, you’ll hear a recent sermon from Chap Bettis as he walks through Psalm 127 and asks a simple, searching question: what does it look like to actively seek God’s blessing in everyday life?

He talks about the danger of anxious, self-reliant “in vain” work and the comfort of God’s providence that lets us labor faithfully and still rest. Then he turns to the second half of the psalm and considers why Scripture calls children a gift from the Lord, how our culture often treats children as a burden, and how the church can cultivate a child-loving (not child-centered) community.

Finally, we’ll reflect on what it means to form disciples and disciple-makers who can stand with courage and wisdom in the public square while remembering that our hope rests in the Lord who builds and watches over his people.

On this episode of The Disciple-Making Parent Podcast, we have a Q&A with Tim Challies to explore how churches and families can thoughtfully navigate technology. We discuss the shift from hymnals to projectors, the impact of AI and social media on youth, and practical ways to cultivate disciplined discernment in our congregations. Throughout the conversation, we offer concrete ideas for balancing screen time, fostering community, and protecting children while embracing the benefits that digital tools can bring.

On this episode of The Disciple‑Making Parent Podcast we hear from Tim Challies on how families can create a truly porn‑free home. We'll hear about the early exposure risks children face online, share practical tools such as filtering, accountability software, parental controls, and open communication, and walk through a step‑by‑step plan—planning, preparing, meeting, and monitoring—to protect our households.

Resources From This Podcast
Suffering and Our Savior- podcast episode 124 with Tim Challies
Personal Accounts of God’s Goodness in Suffering- podcast episode 125 with Tim Challies
Finding Comfort in Suffering- podcast episode 126 with Tim Challies
Challies.com- Tim Challies’ blog
Covenant Eyes
OpenDNS

On this episode of The Disciple-Making Parent Podcast, we talk with Tim Challies about how Christian families can think clearly about technology in a world where screens, social media, and now AI are everywhere. We look at the real numbers shaping teen life, the risks that often stay hidden until it is too late, and three common responses to new tools: enthusiastic embrace, strict separation, and disciplined discernment.

We also explore a distinctly Christian framework for technology. We are image-bearers called to create and use tools for good, while recognizing how sin twists every technology toward harm and idolatry. Finally, we consider what is coming next, including AI, augmented reality, and transhumanism, and how we can choose practices that help our families use technology to love God and serve others.

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Managing Your Households Well

Want to lead your family (and your home) with wisdom in a distracted age? Managing Your Households Well: How Family Leadership Trains You for Church Leadership is a practical resource for church leaders and aspiring leaders—showing how faithful, steady care at home shapes the kind of character needed for lasting ministry leadership.

Learn More


Free Disciple-Making Parent Audiobook

You can also get the Disciple-Making Parent audiobook free. Visit thedisciplemakingparent.com, sign up for the weekly newsletter, and we’ll send you the full audiobook—because we want to help parents and grandparents raise kids who love Jesus and learn to make disciples in everyday life.




Resources From This Podcast
Suffering and Our Savior- Podcast with Tim Challies
 ​Personal Accounts of God’s Goodness in Suffering- Podcast with Tim Challies
Finding Comfort in Suffering: Personal Q&A on Grief & God’s Goodness- Podcast with Tim Challies
challies.com – Tim Challies’ blog
The Next Story: Faith, Friends, Family, and the Digital World, by Tim Challies

On this episode of The Disciple-Making Parent Podcast, we talk with Dan Darling about what healthy Christian patriotism looks like.

We unpack why love of country can be an expression of gratitude and a part of discipleship, and how we can teach children and grandchildren to think biblically about their nation without slipping into cynicism or idolatry. We discuss how to tell the full story of history, including real sins and real progress, and why reform is strongest when it grows out of love for a country’s ideals. We also clarify the difference between patriotism and Christian nationalism, and why robust Christian engagement in the public square matters while maintaining a clear distinction between church and state. Along the way, we reflect on American exceptionalism, ordered loves, and practical ways families can cultivate civic gratitude and responsibility.

In this episode, Chap Bettis sits down with Tim Challies and pastor Travis Rymer for a candid Q&A that closes out The Disciple-Making Parent’s mini-series on suffering. Tim shares Scriptures and hymns that shaped his grief, how his family helped their daughters process loss, and why grief must never become our identity. You’ll also hear practical counsel on balancing honest lament with trust in God’s goodness, and on letting truth shape emotions rather than emotions shaping truth.

Resources From This Podcast
Tim Challies: Suffering and Our Savior (#1 in series)
Tim Challies: Personal Accounts of God’s Goodness in Suffering (#2 in series)
On Jordan’s Stormy Banks, performed by Indelible Grace
Seasons of Sorrow, by Tim Challies
A Manifesto for Times of Suffering- Tim’s “Grief Manifesto”
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, by Mark Vroegop
Tim Challies- Walking Through Deep Sorrow and Loss (Prior podcast interview) ​

On this episode of The Disciple-Making Parent Podcast, we listen as Tim Challies shares a deeply personal “story of grace” from the aftermath of losing his son, Nick. We hear what those first shocking moments were like, how grief can cloud our thinking and sap our strength, and why it’s essential to let truth—especially what we know about God’s sovereignty and goodness—lead when our emotions feel unsteady.


Topics Covered in This Week’s Podcast
03:46 Introduction: Losing and grieving Nick
09:31 Glimpses of grace
15:25 Tim’s manifesto
21:25 Five lessons about grief
29:31 Five ways to help people who are grieving

Resources From This Podcast
Tim Challies: Personal Accounts of God’s Goodness in Suffering (Previous podcast)
Seasons of Sorrow, by Tim Challies
Challies.com, Tim’s blog
A Manifesto for Times of Suffering
Tim Challies- Walking Through Deep Sorrow and Loss (Prior podcast interview)