Empower Parents for Home Discipleship

by Tim Pollard

Strengthening family relationships is very important, especially as they relate to Scripture. You’ve heard it said that Deuteronomy 6 gives families the responsibility to bring up their children in a knowledge of the Lord, but sometimes families still need a little bit of help to get that ball rolling. Kids ministry leadership includes equipping parents for at-home discipleship.

In reference to Bible verses, Deuteronomy 6:7 very simply says, “repeat them to your children.” That’s pretty basic don’t you think? Explain to parents that this can be as easy as taking the Bible and reading it. They don’t have to be gifted at preaching; any literate parent should be able to read the Bible. The verse continues by giving the further instruction to talk about them in four different places, sitting in your house, walking on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. Besides reading straight from the Bible, parents should just talk about the Scripture with their kids. If something is going on in their lives that needs to be talked about, parents can relate it to Scripture that they’ve previously read to them.

Moses’ instruction gives plenty of information to get parents started on getting Scripture into the daily lives of their families. For even more help as you empower parents to lead the way in discipleship, Explore the Bible: Kids created a family resource called the Explorer Pack. The Explorer Pack includes Explorer Guides and Family Cards. Explorer Guides are a visual resource made up of interactive activities and fun facts that help kids connect to Scripture. Family Cards include several leading questions parents can use to help connect the family to important Scriptures. These resources will give you a great way to start having Bible-based discussions if that’s something you aren’t used to doing. Our prayer is that God will give you great blessing as you start seeking family relationships through His Word.

Tim Pollard teaches 3rd-6th graders Explore the Bible: Kids Worship on Sunday nights at Tulip Grove Baptist Church. He’s passionate about helping kids dig deep into Scripture, which he pursues through his daily work as leader of the Explore the Bible: Kids team. Tim lives with his wife and daughters in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.