EMAIL 1
Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.
Subject Line: Family Discipleship: It Starts with You
Dear Parents,
You likely know this, but as a parent, you play a significant role in the spiritual health, growth, and development of your children. Actually, according to the Bible, you are the primary spiritual leader for your kids. Hearing that may have made you cringe a little or make your hands start to sweat, but the truth is that you are perfectly positioned to be the best spiritual leader your kids could ever have. It’s God’s design.
One way to encourage spiritual growth in your children is to model a strong and consistent faith yourself. Your kids are watching you lead by example as they try and decipher what following Jesus actually looks like. That’s why it’s important for you to spiritually lead them by example. Let them see you making worship a priority for the family. Let them be a part of you studying and taking about God’s Word. Let them see you lead out in praying, serving others, and living a life of generosity and grace. Find ways to involve your children in these activities. In fact, this month we are providing you with a number of resources that will help you to do just that.
These resources will place practical tools at your fingertips that you can use to lead spiritual exercises and conversations that will help your kids grow in their faith and position you to be the primary spiritual leader for your family.
To watch this month’s Online Parenting Class video, click the link below.
[ INSERT LINK TO ONLINE PARENTING CLASS VIDEO ]
You can do this! We are always here for you if you need us.
Praying with you and for you as you lead at home.
[ INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE ]
EMAIL 2
Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.
Subject Line: Talking and Praying: Conversations at Home
Dear Parents,
We value faith and family because God values faith and family. In fact, God created you (the parent) to be the primary spiritual influence in your child’s life. We know that can feel a little scary or intimidating at times. Spiritual discussions are intimate and, therefore, can feel a little bit awkward at first. You may feel nervous and scared, wondering how your kids are going to react. Others might have tried something similar that didn’t work, so you want to be cautious.
That’s why our desire is to come alongside you (not replace you) and to equip you with encouragement and the practical tools you need to lead your children in spiritual practices, conversations, and in growing to become more like Jesus.
One way you can help your children grow in their faith is by creating opportunities for them to ask questions and explore their beliefs, as well as discuss their doubts and fears. Talking about God, who He is, and how we can all can rely on Him will impact your kids in a big way. Don’t shy away from these conversations about faith, doubts, or fears. Instead, share with your kids about what God is doing in your life and why you trust in Him.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Here’s the reality, discipleship does not need to be a far-off concept. It doesn’t need to be intimidating, scary, or reserved for the “professional Christians” to do at our church. Discipleship is simply being a follower and student of Jesus and then teaching your kids to do the same. It happens in everyday life, it happens at home, and you can do it.
Take a few minutes to check out this month’s blog article for some ideas to help you as you become more intentional in leading your kids spiritually. You’ll be glad you did.
[ INSERT LINK TO M2P PARENTING BLOG ARTICLE ]
And don’t forget to check out this month’s Online Parenting Class Video.
[ INSERT LINK TO M2P ONLINE PARENTING CLASS VIDEO ]
Thank you for allowing us to partner with you as you lead your family. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
In this alongside you,
[ INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE ]
M2P June KIDS Parent Video Script
Let’s play a game. I’m going to ask you a question, and I want to see what your response is. Now obviously, I’m not really going to see your response, but I want YOU to pay attention to your response.
Ready? When it comes to what you want for your kids in the future, what rises to the top of the list? What do you think about when you picture your kids and their young adult years? Now I know that might be a long way away for some of you, but it’s worth thinking about now.
My guess is your answer is some version of the word “successful.” You want for your kids to be successful in life. That means they have had a season of being successful in school, maybe successful in sports, and successful in their relationships. You just hope for them to be successful, whatever that looks like in your mind.
But let me possibly put a different picture in your mind. Not that I don’t want for my kids to be successful; believe me, I do. However, there is something that I want more than that. Would you say that you want for your kids to be disciples? Specifically, disciples of Jesus. We all know that a disciple is simply a follower or student of someone else, and my guess is you wouldn’t be watching this video if you didn’t have a sense of what discipleship is. You may hear about it at your church, know that it’s an important process, and you may even cringe a little bit when you think about it. Discipleship can be something that is reserved for those “super spiritual” people over there. It’s what the pastor does and teaches. We go to church and are good members, but those people over there are the disciple-makers.
However, I would love for you to consider something different when it comes to both being a disciple and where discipleship happens. Do you know that you are called to be a disciple? If you are serious about your faith and you call yourself a follower of Jesus, discipleship has to be a part of your life. You have to be spending time with God, learning his Word, and doing your best to live out a life of faith every day. Too many of us settle into being a “casual” Christian, and we don’t take discipleship seriously. Trust me; I’ve been there.
I also want you to consider the idea that the best discipleship actually doesn’t happen at church; it happens at home. And the best people to disciple kids into a true relationship with God through Jesus aren’t children’s pastors or ministers, or even volunteers at church–it’s you as their parents. Again, I’d like to see your response to that. Because most of us might be a little scared of that. We know that we aren’t perfect, and we are worried that we don’t have what it takes to communicate what it means to live a true life of faith to our kids. But I want for you to know that you are perfectly positioned to be the best spiritual leader your kids could ever have. Your love for them will never be surpassed by anyone else, and if you are a true disciple yourself, then you will believe that the most important thing you can pass on to your kids is a life of faith. The picture of success changes, and you will focus on not just the things that the world says are success but what God says is success.
So, here are a few simple ideas for you. First, model what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Let your kids see you reading the Bible and having quiet time with God. Let your kids hear you praying and asking God to be in the middle of your life. Let your kids see you live a life of love and generosity. This modeling will go further than you could possibly imagine.
Second, pray together as a family. When your kids are young, begin to ask them what you can be praying for in their life. When a kid knows that a parent is praying for them, it gives them more confidence in their own faith in God. Also, share with your kids things they can be praying for when it comes to your life. Obviously, only share what is appropriate, but asking them to talk to God on your half is another powerful part of their discipleship.
Finally, talk about not just following God’s law (the “rules”) but talk about how God is moving in your life. Share about what you are learning and how God is molding and shaping your thoughts and actions. These conversations don’t have to be scheduled family devotions but can just become a normal and natural part of your family’s life. The more comfortable you get talking about Jesus and how he is impacting your family, the more comfortable your kids will be with doing the same.
Here’s the reality, discipleship does not need to be a far-off concept. It doesn’t need to be reserved for the professional Christians to do at church. Discipleship is simply being a follower and student of Jesus and then teaching your kids to do the same. It happens in everyday life, it happens at home, and you can do it.