One of the delightful finds in this summer’s reading is a resource for families to grow their faith at home together, Grow At Home: A Beginner’s Guide to Family Discipleship by Winfield Bevins, published by Seedbed. 

This small, green, 110-page little paperback book is filled with practical places to start and even continue loving families to Jesus ‘as they go.’ (Deuteronomy 6) This book goes beyond Christian parenting and jumps into the deep end of real, true, family discipleship. I’ve never come across a book that packs such a punch (1) without being overwhelming, and (2) written in family-friendly language.

Dr. Winfield Bevins serves as the director of Asbury Seminary’s Church Planting Initiative, yet his primary ministry is being a devoted husband and father. This book turns upside down the expectation that local church involvement alone will spark a fire for a robust, defendable faith in Christ Jesus. The local church is absolutely necessary (don’t forsake gathering together) but not enough. Prayers before bed and at meals are a great place to start with your preschooler, but hardly enough for your preteen who is ready for more than a Bible story.

“We have produced a generation of consumeristic, and not radically committed, disciples of Jesus Christ. Consumeristic Christianity sees the church as a place that is all about me, my wants, and my needs; a place of goods and services, instead of being a place where we are challenged to grow, serve, give, and go back into the world in mission.” p. 4

When I see my own church families committed to the Saturday recreation department, the weekday preschool, scouts, and parents-morning-out, I struggle with the model that we have become more service-providers and less disciple-makers. When church is more about where we go for Christian services and less about where we grow in Christian community, I see the need to help our families along the way so mom and dad are the primary disciple-makers providing non-overwhelming ideas for incorporating faith formation into their daily routines of the home.

This book introduces and makes handy the holy practices of …

Family Worship – ‘Your home is like a little church.’ Family Worship (worthship) is simply coming together as a family and worshiping God in the home. This chapter has just enough examples and ideas without overwhelming the reader.

Reading the Bible as a Family – The Bible was always meant to be read in community. 

Teaching Children Truths through Catechism – Catechisms are basic summaries of the church’s teachings to ensure that all members of the church understand the essentials of the faith for themselves using a question-and-answer format…an invitation to learn the doctrines of grace. The book provides 40 such Q&As along with two Christian creeds to teach/learn together. Bible stories are good, but not enough to put into words the foundational basics of the Christian faith in Jesus.

Cultivating Character through the Fruit of the Spirit – Joy is a deep gladness that comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Learning to Pray the Lord’s Prayer – Jesus reminds us that prayer begins with God, His kingdom, and His ways with a breakdown of each section’s meaning in a kid-friendly way.

Becoming a Missional Family – Sharing our faith in Jesus is the duty of every believer, both young and old…partner with others who are already doing ministry in your church and community.

Following Jesus Through the Church Year – The seasons of the Christian year have been a wonderful discipleship tool that the church has historically used to celebrate the major events of the life of Jesus and the kingdom of God for centuries.

Introducing Your Children to Jesus – Y’all! This was worth the price of the book AND my very favorite chapter.

The book on its own is fabulous, but there’s more. I discovered there is a 9-week DVD with 4-5 minute introductions for each chapter to take this to the small group level. I also discovered five used books on Thriftbooks. If the book is too expensive, purchasing the PDF of the book and printing might be the best resource for a small group. I’m looking at offering this as a generational small group with kids and parents/caregivers taking the class together, if even for a short-term Sunday school class.

I loved this little book and the huge impact it can make. It is a perfect addition to the family resource wall alongside with the family resource we share from Discipleship Begins At Home: A Blueprint from the fabulous folks at Women in Apologetics until I can get it on the roster for adult small groups.

What is a resource you offer for family discipleship at home.

“Our family is our first church.” Grow At Home, pg. x