The Church is a Springboard for Family Discipleship, Not a Substitute
Barna survey (2017 and updated in 2020).
10% of all adults that took the survey have a biblical worldview.
Of those 10%, as we break them down by age group it is eye opening:
65 or older - 17%
50 to 64 - 15%
30 to 49 - 7%
18-29 - 4%
Which begs the question: What will the percentage be of those with a biblical worldwide who are 0-18 years old? And how about those not born yet?
Our desire is for the church to be a springboard for family discipleship, not a substitute.
Quick Stat: Did you know, the more parents are involved in youth and family ministries the higher the responsibility they will feel in family discipleship? It is a both/and. The church and the home!
There are 168 hours in a week.
Let’s break it down:
Church – 3 hours a week
Work - 45 hours a week
Recreation - 15 hours a week
Sleep - 49 hours a week
Family opportunities (meals, cleaning, hanging out at the house, etc.) - 56 hours a week
Let’s turn those hours into weekly percentages:
Church - 1.8%
Work - 26.8%
Recreation - 8.9%
Sleep - 29.2%
Family - 33.3%
Now, let’s round those off into broader categories:
Church - 2%
Everyday life - 68%
Rest - 30%
I am all about the 2% church engagement each week. Yet, we all know, even this can be difficult to achieve. I think the average attendance for a family at a worship service is 1.5 times a month. That would be less than 1% of each week is committed to church engagement.
I care even more about the 68% of time spent in everyday life. Imagine if we use all 70% (church engagement + everyday life) to intentionally help our homes faithfully follow Jesus in all of life for all of life. This is what I get excited about. I think together with the 70% being used intentionally we can change the trajectory of the next generation to trend upward.
I’ll say it again, our desire is for the church to be a springboard for family discipleship, not a substitute.
Let’s anchor this in Scripture. Grab your bible and spend several minutes laying a quick foundation.
What does God say to parents?
Deuteronomy 6:4-7; 4:9
Psalm 78:1-8
Ephesians 6:4
Matthew 28:19-20
How can we obey God in this?
Ezekiel 36:27 - Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 12:9 - Grace.
Galatians 2:20 – Gospel-grit.
Our desire is for the church to be a springboard for family discipleship, not a substitute.
So, how do we help the church be a springboard for family discipleship? What might this look like?
Practically speaking, you have permission to say to parents in different ways, “We are a springboard for family discipleship, not a substitute.”
Check out the following interactions that can help build this bridge:
Handing a baby back to Momma and saying, “She is so sweet. Hold her close and remind her how much God loves her."
Greeting a parent at pick up and handing them a parent resource while saying, “It is an honor to get to invest in Billy each week, here is a handout to help you have a conversation around what we talked about today.”
When chatting with a parent encourage them to create a family spiritual growth plan, “Did you know my church has a spiritual growth plan for families to use for family discipleship? My church even reinforces it with prizes and awards to help your family win. Do you want to know more about it?”
There are lots of age-appropriate resources out there to help you. My church does a ton to set families up for success in this area. Do you know the resources available to you?
When to start?
The best time to start is today. – Dave Hentrich
Three words to get more done - Do It Now. – Ray Haas
If it is worth doing it is worth doing poorly. – GK Chesterton
Life Goals: (Feel free to make these your life goals.)
Faithfully follow Jesus in all of life for all of life.
Help my home faithfully follow Jesus.
Help a few others do the same.
Give out my gifts of grace in the local church and beyond.
Let’s wrap up with this little parable.
There was this pastor in a small town. He pastored a small church of about 100 families, and he was burning out. You see, every winter, whenever it snowed, the pastor and his staff were expected to shovel each family’s snow for them. The problem was everyone pretty much needed to get to work at the same time each morning. So, the pastor and his staff would shovel as fast as possible, creating effective systems for efficiency, yet they still would get the phone calls, “I’m late for work!” People would come to the church hoping to get their snow shoveled and leave the church disgruntled.
Then, the pastor, on the brink of burnout, had this idea, “How about I teach each family how to shovel their own snow and how to help those who genuinely have a need?” He liked this idea. The next day the pastor had a staff meeting. He explained the problem and his plan for solving the problem. His staff loved this idea, at least some. One of the staff members thought, “I might not be needed. I might not have a job. I like shoveling snow.” But, the Pastor led his church forward with the new plan to encourage and equip each family to shovel their own snow and to help others with genuine need.
Some people left to find a different pastor to shovel their snow. Many more people were excited to get to work on time, taking on this exciting new challenge. Many more people in genuine need were helped, and the church added to their number daily. The small town loved this church that helped so many in real need. They made the newspaper, and their story was told at conferences far and wide.
Sure, that was just a story, but you get the idea, right?
Our desire is for the church to be a springboard for family discipleship, not a substitute. Healthy homes create healthy churches. Healthy churches are God’s plan A to reach the world with the gospel.
Let’s start taking imperfect action together. One family at a time. One church at a time. One city at a time, to help families faithfully follow Jesus in all of life for all of life. Let’s not just think one, five, or ten years from now. Let’s dream about generations together.
#BuildtheHome
#PlethosGlobal