DISCIPLESHIP
Discipleship is done in relationship. It involves both formal and informal elements: reading and studying the Bible together, and everyday faith conversations and modelling what a vibrant relationship with God looks like.
Rachel Turner, in her book Parenting Children for a Life of Faith explains the difference between a God smart child and a God connected child:
We want the children we work with to love Jesus for the rest of their lives, to be God connected kids. Discipleship in Children’s Ministry is a partnership between parents and the church.
Partnership is about working together; it’s about filling the gaps and deficits of the other.
Some questions to ponder:
Resources
Here are some websites and articles to help you think about discipleship with children.
Gospel Project Articles
This article from the Gospel Project provides 8 tips to help you think about discipling children.
This article describes how discipleship at home is more than family devotions.
discipleblog.com Articles
This blog has some great articles about discipleship with children. Here are a few good ones to get you started:
Resilient Disciples
This website talks about how we make resilient child disciples with spine and heart to stand up against the pressure of culture.
They also have a book called Resilient: Child discipleship and the fearless future of the church by Chris Manchard, Matt Markins and Mike Handler.
Refocus Ministry
This ministry has some great practical ideas for families to engage with discipleship at home.
Parenting for Faith
This website has great articles and practical tips for equipping parents to raise God connected kids.