We all pray for our children to form a strong relationship with Jesus that will last a lifetime. But the truth is, many young adults walk away from their faith once they move out.
So what steps can we take to help our kids walk with Him throughout all the stages of their lives?
Today’s guest, Sarah Cowan Johnson, shares that a big part of the answer when we look at statistics lies in our parenting. Sarah is a ministry trainer, consultant, and coach who works with ministry leaders across the United States and leads seminars on family discipleship—showing parents how to help their children walk in the way of Jesus. Sarah shares key strategies for faith-based parenting in her book Teach Your Children Well: A Step-by-Step Guide for Family Discipleship.
In this episode, Sarah explains the most common pitfalls that stop parents from working worship into their home lives (and how to overcome them), how to disciple children no matter how long they may live under your roof, why it’s essential to let your kids ask questions and develop their own relationships with God, and so much more.
TAKEAWAYS FROM TODAY’S CONVERSATION:
1. Discipleship comes in different stages as your child ages.
For very small children, practicing faith can be as simple as going to Sunday school. But as they grow up, their understanding of the Word deepens, and so does their relationship with God. Once they reach the teen years, kids start asking questions. It’s our job to be there to support them through this important stage so they can transition from believing in Him because their family believes to believing all on their own.
“You can’t get from affiliative faith to owned adult faith without going through the searching stage.”
2. Practice and talk about your faith in the home.
Some estimates state that about half of Christian high school students walk away from their faith after graduation. When Sarah learned this statistic, she decided to find out what type of parenting can set a child up to stay with God for life. What she found was that parents who talk about their faith in the home and lead by example through faith practices are more likely to raise children whose love for Jesus lasts into adulthood.
“82% of kids whose parents talk about and practice their faith in the home go on to follow Jesus as adults.”
3. To make discipleship a priority, you must create room for it.
There are a few common barriers that stop parents from incorporating faith into the daily life of their family. Many feel that they don’t have enough time, that technology gets in the way, or that they just don’t know how to start. With positive strategies—like stacking worship habits on top of your existing daily habits or keeping a weekly Sabbath—you can work faith into the rhythm of your family’s routine.
“Keeping a Sabbath is one of the most countercultural practices that we can do.”
- Free Video Resource From TFI: Foster Care & The Church
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Meet Our Guest
Sarah Cowan Johnson is a ministry trainer, consultant, and coach who works with church planters, pastors, and ministry leaders across the United States. She leads seminars for parents on family discipleship to help their children walk in the way of Jesus. She served with the Evangelical Covenant Church as the executive pastor for Sanctuary Church in Providence, Rhode Island, and previously was a staff trainer and an area director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. She and her husband have two sons and live in Providence.
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