Helping Parents Disciple at Home
A quick guide and a free printable for your ministry
For a parent or guardian, one of the more overwhelming Bible verses is Matthew 5:48, “You therefore must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Impracticable as it may seem to achieve, in context, the ask is simply to love God and love others like Jesus loved the Father. Bob Goff in Love Does says it like this:
“To me, Jesus sounded like an ordinary guy who was utterly amazing. He helped people. He figured out what they really needed and tried to point them toward that. He healed people who were hurting. He spent time with the kinds of people most of us spend our lives avoiding. It didn’t seem to matter to Jesus who these people were because he was all about engagement.” [1]
Ministry leaders, remind your parents that their child is not demanding perfection. They desire engagement, and employing these five “best practices” will help parents practically engage their child and strengthen their child’s connection with God.
Remember, behavioral modification is not the purpose of the Christian faith. God calls parents — and children — to something far more significant: a relationship with him. So encourage your parents and guardians (the primary disciple-makers) to train up their child to be perfect as their Heavenly Father is perfect: to love — engage others — like Jesus… which originates at home.
[1] Goff, Bob. Love Does. Thomas Nelson, 2014.
WellConnected is an initiative of OneHope, and is a gathering place for children and youth ministers to access resources, research, and content to raise up the next generation. It’s a collaborative platform to equip leaders and influencers to effectively reach the kids in their communities. We invite churches and ministers to join one another in coming up with innovative solutions for today’s realities. We are continually learning and growing from each other — sharing knowledge, insight, and best practices.
