Tools for Discipling Your Family

God has given the responsibility of discipling children to their parents, and we at Gateway love to support parents as they fulfill their calling in training up their children. God has also called husbands and wives to grow together as they both grow closer to God. Today, we wanted to share a few tools with you.

From the How Do I Grow? booklet by Pastor Josh, Chapter 2.

Read the Bible together as a family. Find a time to gather as a family and read from the Bible. When the kids are younger, find an age appropriate Bible or app. When your kids are a bit older, maybe read a chapter a day from an easy to understand translation. When you have teens, maybe have them read the Bible and then discuss what they’ve read. Many people have grown up not knowing the Bible. If that’s you, you may feel like you’re behind because it is so unfamiliar to you. Don’t pass on that unfamiliarity to your children.

Read to them. Choose a gospel, like Mark, and begin there. If you read the Bible regularly, your kids will grow up loving to hear God’s Word.

Prayer. Pray together as a family. My children each have a night to pray before dinner. We started this routine to keep the bickering down about who would get to pray, but also to encourage our quieter child to participate. If your child isn’t sure how to pray, model for them. Have them repeat after you and always be sure to encourage them for doing a great job. Some husbands and wives make it a habit to pray together before bed or first thing in the morning. I text my wife most days with something in my day that I’d like her to pray for. Whatever your routine, just make sure that you are both praying with and for one another.

Reading. Similar to our personal growth, reading good Christians books can help your family grow spiritually. There are a ton of great children’s books for all ages and good literature for couples as well. My kids and I are typically in some sort of faith based series. We take it slow and make it through a couple of books each year. See chapter 4 for some book recommendations.

Watching. Our kids have grown up in a visual world. One way to redeem their screen time is to have them watch programs that will help them grow in their faith. My family has enjoyed many programs on missionaries, books of the Bible, and other faith based material. See chapter 4 for some recommendations.

Conversations. Kids love to talk about what they’re learning. Look for opportunities to ask your kids questions about faith and life. Be intentional about having meaningful faith conversations with your kids while driving in the car, playing at the park, or doing chores around the house. Your kids will remember those meaningful conversations, and they’ll develop the habit of talking with you.

Another great resource is Gateway Podcast Episode 9 where Emily Hanson joins the team to talk about family discipleship and Scripture memorization.  Take a listen and you will be encouraged in ways to help your family grow more in knowing Jesus.