1 on 1 Discipleship within the Family

The Why, What, When, and How of Family Discipleship

I am having a good week when I get a family workout in, have a few family stretching/devotional times throughout the week, and get through all the kids in 1v1 discipleship. 'All,' meaning those wanting discipleship or they've reached an age in which more special attention is my responsibility and honor. Currently, that is 6 of our 10 kids.

In this post:

• Explore why and when to disciple your kids.

• Discover at what age to start discipling your kids.

• Find out how I started discipling my kids.

• Learn how to structure discipleship time, the benefits of an open-ended conversation, followed by three examples.

• See resources and multiple scripture references in the notes below.

Earlier, I offered a radical idea for the revitalization of the church.

Practices to Help the Church be Relevant, Righteous, and Real

Family Discipleship is another transformational gospel necessity for much-needed revival within the church.

Disciple-making is the universal mission and purpose of the entire Christian body. Regardless of your denomination, uncontroversially, every Christian believer is commanded to make disciples (Mt 28:19-20). Unfortunately, ‘fewer than 5% of churches in the US have a reproducing disciple-making culture.’¹ One of the most impactful ways to proliferate disciple-making in our community would be to facilitate men being disciple-makers in their homes.

Discipleship can happen anywhere, such as Dinosaur Valley State Park

Discipleship

If you have not experienced being discipled, I am sorry for your loss.

In the same way people point to mentors whom have helped them get to where they are today, Christians should be able to point to disciple-makers whom have significantly impacted their growth as a result of intimate relationship. There is often a drastic disconnect between men’s spirituality and how their families see and experience men in the home. “80% of parents believe they should be the people most responsible for their children’s spiritual development. Yet, only 35% say their religious faith is one of the most important influences on their parenting.”²

Imagine trying to learn a new sport tomorrow. One in which the stakes are high and there is a significant personal onus for you to learn. Having a personal coach along your journey would be essential to your understanding, confidence, and physical ability. This is how Christian discipleship should work. An spiritual aid or coach increases your mental, emotional, and spiritual abilities to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received as a follower of Jesus.

Why Disciple Your Children

If disciple-making is important (understatement), then of course those placed within your immediate sphere of influence are your primary targets and responsibility for discipleship. The family is an essential part of God’s plan to bless the world.³ This was true before the existence of church and continues into the church age.⁴ God has gifted you with a responsibility to steward within your immediate family for Kingdom advancement. The family was and is God’s primary community for spiritual maturity, hospitality, and disciple-making. It is a base of operations and support through intergenerational relationships⁵ and ministry outreach⁶ for relational and hospitality evangelism⁷ as well as transformational discipleship⁸. If you need more reasons than that, I will have to dedicate such in another post.

How I Started

A light bulb went off. I have spent a lot of time discipling other men and peers since before I was even a believer! I was following the faith for a few years before I understood the depth of my sin and salvation in Jesus.