Your June Resources Are Here!
When it comes to discipleship, what’s your philosophy? What’s your strategy? We all have a lot to do as we plan and implement the ministry God has called us into, but where does discipleship fit in? Of course, we would hope that everything we do points the kids and teenagers we lead into a deeper relationship with God. Still, I wonder if we might need to refocus some of our attention if we want to help our children and teens grow from believers in Jesus to the followers of Jesus we hope they will become. Instead of taking on the full burden of discipleship ourselves, maybe we need to place the responsibility of family discipleship where it rightfully (and biblically) belongs, with the parents.
This month, your team at M2P is providing you with resources that are designed to help you do two things. First, you need to be convinced that God has deemed parents as the primary disciplers of their kids and teens so that you can help lead parents to reach that same conclusion. Now, we know that not every parent embraces this idea, but part of your job as a children’s or youth ministry leader is to guide them to understand that they are, in fact, in the best position to lead their kids and teens spiritually. Check out our Coaching Video to get a few more thoughts about this. Secondly, you need to equip and provide resources for parents to be able to step into the primary discipleship role in their homes with confidence. This month we have created an Online Parenting Class Video to encourage parents and provide them with a few exercises they can use at home as they seek to lead their family into a life of faith. As always, we have some incredible Blog Articles, an awesome Toolbox Resource bundle called Discipleship Starts At Home, and the M2P Podcast for you to use to help drive this point home. Check it all out, and let us know how we can better serve you as you seek to serve and equip the parents in your church.
Your friends and ministry partners at M2P
The M2P Team
WHAT IS IT?
This month’s Toolbox Resource is actually several resources that have been bundled together for you. Your M2P team wanted to provide you this month with multiple resources that you can use to equip the parents in your church as they seek to be the primary disciplers of the kids and teens in their homes.
- BIG QUESTIONS. SIMPLE ANSWERS. is a brief e-book that offers parents a way to learn and explain to their children and teenagers the Bible’s Big Story in an easy-to-understand format. The topics are:
- What is the Bible?
- What is the Big Story of the Bible?
- Who is God’s Family?
- Why do we have Four Gospels?
- FAMILY BIBLE STUDY: JOHN is one of M2P’s Family Bible Series that is designed to help parents lead their kids and teens through a book of the Bible and have spiritual conversations as a family. This study is all done for you and is simple to use. It includes:
- Book Summary that comes complete with descriptions of the setting, overview, and theme of John.
- Daily Reading Plan that breaks John down chapter by chapter into seven themes.
- Family Journal sheets help guide the reader’s thoughts through each chapter.
- 30 DAYS/30 WORDS is proof that daily devotions don’t have to be intimidating. These are 30 different image-driven devotions that parents can do with their kids or teenagers. Each short devotion is creative, relevant, biblically solid, and just as unique as your child or teen.
Each of the resources found in our Discipleship Starts At Home bundle is designed to provide parents with a practical tool they can use to lead spiritual exercises and conversations that will help their kids and teenagers grow in their faith and position the parents to be the primary spiritual leaders for their family. Each of the resources offers a different experience, and parents can use one or multiple of them as they seek to help their kids and teens grow into true disciples of Jesus.
HOW TO USE IT
- Download the Discipleship Starts At Home bundle containing the three resources.
- Post the resources on your website or email parents a copy of the resources.
- Encourage parents to set aside some time this month to use one or more of these discipleship resources with their kids and teens.
- Print copies of the resources for parents to grab at church.
In this month’s coaching videos, we are reminded of what the apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter four. He instructs us to “equip the Saints for the work of service.” Often, as leaders in ministry, we feel like we are the ones who have to do all of the work ourselves, particularly the work of discipleship with the kids and teens who are part of our churches. What if we shifted our focus, spent less time/energy on the things we do for kids and teens, and spent more time/energy equipping and encouraging parents to be the primary disciplers of their children? Scripture tells us that God created the family to be the primary vehicle for true discipleship. That means that our job as ministry leaders is to reinforce that truth and equip parents to thrive in this area of spiritual growth and leadership.
As ministry leaders, we often tell parents that they are the primary spiritual leaders for their kids and teens. This statement is 100% true, but for many parents, communicating this biblical truth leads to them having overwhelming feelings of fear and intimidation. We know that, with each passing generation, it seems that more and more parents have no idea where to even begin discipling their kids and teens. Most see that as your job as the ministry leader. You’re the professional Christian, right? And sadly, we unintentionally give that common misconception some credibility when we get so preoccupied with our quest to provide great ministry for kids or teens in our churches that we fail to consistently educate/equip the parents to step into their God-given role as primary discipler; the role He specifically created them to fill. This month’s Online Parenting Class Video offers encouragement to parents to embrace the role of spiritual leader and practical suggestions on how to live that out. The parents in your church need help to believe and understand that they truly do have what it takes to lead their kids and teens spiritually. And that you, their ministry leaders, have the ability to encourage, equip, and develop them to do it.
New blog posts coming this month:
- For Kids’ Ministry Leaders: “Discipleship at Home: A Leader’s Role” by Amy Diller
- For Kids’ Ministry Parents: “Take One Small Step: Discipling Your Kids at Home” by Amy Diller
- For Youth Ministry Leaders: “Equipping and Encouraging Parents to Make Disciples at Home” by Chris Sasser
- For Youth Ministry Parents: “Modeling and Leading Discipleship at Home” by Karin Sasser
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