Yesterday seemed to revolve around the conversation about kids. OK, kids sounds like goats, so I’m going to call them children. Just a personal preference!:) Below are some questions that came out of my conversations with people, as well as our leadership team at Epic.
Here’s the questions:
1. Are parents (Individual church body), being intentional about discipling their children? What does that mean?
2. Is the church (Corporate church body), discipling the children? If so, how?
3. Is Sunday A.M. enough for our children? Especially if parents aren’t doing anything with their children the rest of the week?
4. Should the church (I see the church as people & universal, not a building & not geographic specific), offer mid-week discipleship connection for children?
5. Does the church (both individuals & corporate) lower the bar for culture, and therefore forget its mission of making disciples? Everybody is busy, so you get them one time per week!! Ever heard that? Is that sufficient for truly making disciples, in a culture that is becoming increasingly secularized?
6. What values do we want our children to embrace as followers of Jesus? Maybe, just maybe, that might give us the answer to how we move to disciple our children? Values! Just a thought: Your children will value what you value! Oh boy!!
I don’t think we can let current culture dictate discipleship. You’re either seeking, found, or growing in knowing God. If that’s the case, then who dictates how & when we disciple our children? You tell me!!
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This is great thought… I think that in this culture today, as adults, we are so lost ourselves and trying to figure life out that we are not even sure where to start when it comes to our children! So we think it is everyone elses responsibility to disciple our children. I think that it is my responsibility to disciple my children, by whom I am seeking and listening to. By identifying my own shortcomings and laying down my pride and not using the excuse that my parents were this or that… After all, they are my seed to the world, so I need to treat them like they are the only thing that I will leave behind. Hm…
Nicole,
Great comments & insight.
In what ways can the church (the corporate body), do better at helping you as a parent (the individual body)? Is there anything you feel like we’re missing in this process of partnering to help you disciple your children?
Jason
P Jason – I’ve had simliar conversations with adults lately. Here’s what I think:
Whether or not they grew up in church, I find that many adults don’t have that strong, Biblical foundation. They don’t know many of what you or I might consider “foundational” persons, stories, or truths from the Bible. Without that for themselves, how can they possibly disciple their children? Their family? Their friends? Their neighbors?
It’s tough to be intentional about discipling when you don’t know what that means – what that looks like.
We TALK about personal Bible study and prayer. It’s hard enough in the best of circumstances. What about for someone who’s never done it before? Who’s never been TAUGHT? Think about it: The church teaches us how to deal with our money now. But does it teach us how to study the Bible? How to pray? What resources to use for help? There’s a wealth of stuff available for free on the Internet, but how does one decide if a particular site is beneficial or not?
IMO, we have to start with the ADULTS. When the adults understand what discipling means, what it looks like, what the benefits of discipling are, then they will *be willing and informed* to become discipled and become disciples — to their families, their coworkers, their neighbors, and their community.
But let’s not forget the children. Let’s make sure that THEY, too, are taught what discipling means and is and looks like and can do for them in their every day lives. Children have a huge impact on their parents and world — when they “get it”, they aren’t afraid to make it happen!
What does this look like? I don’t know, but I’ll offer a few suggestions:
1. Offer an adult class or 6-week study that lays the foundation. Perhaps this is the Beginning Believer’s curriculum? But something that wouldn’t discourage adults who’ve been believers for a long time — but who want a refresher course or who never really had a basics/core foundation. Corny or not, let’s encourage memorization, recall, and application!
2. Make sure that Kids Church incorporates the BEST of teaching methods — the old-fashioned Sunday School teaching! (Again, memorization, recall, and application!)
3. Maybe even a class for adults/parents on HOW to disciple their kids. We’ve got plenty of teachers in the house… maybe they can offer tips, ideas, and resources on how to teach children. How do parents make discipling their kids part of every day life? At what age do parents encourage children to do their own personal study and prayer? Are family devotional times good ways to disciple? If so, what materials, books, resources can parents use and adapt?
Let’s NOT ASSUME that our adult church body knows how to disciple. Let’s make sure they KNOW. And then, let’s encourage family activities and provide resources and experts to help parents and adults PUT IT INTO ACTION!
Ignore the mission of making disciples? NO WAY!
Lori,
Great thoughts! Thank you for your insight! Your right, as adults get it, so goes the children.
Great question about whether or not adults, parents, etc… actually know what true discipleship looks like. I’m challenged by that!! That may be the reason, children aren’t getting discipled like they should be.
Like an old 4 Him song said “We need to get back to the basics of Life!”:)
You rock!
Jason