There is an old saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” What if we took this same approach in discipling our families.

No doubt, you have families in your church who are doing a phenomenal job discipling their children. It’s evident because you see it in their kids. What if you could equip these families to be mentors to other families in your church who are struggling, discouraged or overwhelmed with their discipleship efforts? In other words, teaching these overwhelmed families “how to fish.”

Faith at Home has developed a new approach to family ministry called Faith at Home Mentoring. The goal of this new approach is to redeem intentional family discipleship. It is based on two well-known verses and three equally important strategic elements.

The Lord calls us to “make disciples” of all nations, all people groups, all who live in our community and especially those who live in our house.

Element 1: Connecting your child’s heart to God
Every believing parent wants to see his or her child come to a saving knowledge of Christ. This element is centered on the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:19-20: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The Lord calls us to “make disciples” of all nations, all people groups, all who live in our community and especially those who live in our house.

Element 2: Connecting your heart to God
This element focuses on the Great Commandment, found in Mark 12:30a: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” We need to help parents see the importance of loving God with everything they have. A parent’s life is in full view of their kids. Therefore, striving to live their lives based on God’s Word is crucial in leading well. To help parents with this element, we offer resources such as Reading Your Bible with Confidence Discovery Guide and an online classroom course.

Element 3: Connecting to your child’s heart
Moms and dads need to be intentional with this element. When they endeavor to connect to their child’s heart, it opens the door to deepening, long-lasting relationships and the potential for their child to connect their heart to God. To help parents with this element, we offer easy-to-use tools to make connecting to their child’s heart possible. These resources include One-Minute Family Devotion, Faith Talks Family Devotions and Acts 2:39 Missional Families.

Since families may still be unable to meet together in large groups at church, maybe now is the time to consider families teaching other families “how to fish.”