"Plan A" For Discipling Children

God has a “Plan A” for discipling your children...

In all my years of pastoral ministry, I’ve never heard anyone begin telling their life’s story by recalling a youth retreat or a Sunday School class.  Invariably, it always begins with the type of home they grew up in; their parent(s), the defining moments in the history of their family, and the way their family made them feel about themselves.  For better or worse, our families are the most influential people in our lives.

As a Christian parent, I recognize that I am God’s “Plan A” for discipling my children; and if you're a parent, you're "Plan A" for yours.  There is no church program or ministry that will ever have the impact on my children that I am able and accountable to have.  I’m deeply grateful for the Kid’s Church leaders who plant seeds of God’s goodness in my kids, but I realize that teaching them to know and love Jesus is my responsibility.  There’s no better place for kids to be cared for, nurtured and developed then in their own home, under the guidance of their own parents.

God gives this instruction to parents, particularly fathers, in Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. NLT  It is a father’s responsibility, honor and joy to point his children toward the goodness, guidance and faithfulness of God through our words and deeds.

My hope is that no parent will send their kids off to Kid’s Church or Youth Group and assume that they are building a relationship with Jesus.  Young people will have some good experiences and gain some knowledge in these types of programs, but in the end our kids will likely make spiritual decisions based on the example of their parents. 

As a church leader my aim is to encourage and support parents in leading their kids toward spiritual wholeness and deep confidence in the faithfulness, goodness and grace of God.  I believe that by helping parents know Jesus intimately, the entire family can be strengthened for generations to come. 

Parents, now is the time to dig in.  Wherever your kids are, however old they may be; now is the time to pray like never before, to show them that God is an enduring rock of faithfulness, to teach them His promises through the Bible, to help them engage in Christian community through the church and to remind them that nothing on earth or beyond could ever separate them from the love of God which revealed in Christ.

Parent’s, you can do this.  Go fearlessly into the future because God is for you.