The church plays an essential role in making disciples, but parents cannot outsource the spiritual formation of their children to the church.
In this episode of the Disciple Making Leader Podcast, Ben Borgman is joined by Dallas and Martha Harvey to explore why disciple‑making in the home is so critical. Before getting into the practical “how,” they spend this conversation digging into the biblical responsibility parents have to lead their children toward Jesus and the cultural pressures competing for their attention.
From screens and school to sports and activities, children are being discipled every day. The question is not whether they will be influenced, but who and what will shape them. Dallas and Martha share from their own experience as parents, including ways God challenged them to make faith a more intentional part of life at home.
This conversation is ultimately about responsibility, opportunity, and urgency. Parents don’t have to be perfect or have everything figured out. They do have to recognize the influence God has given them and begin taking intentional steps to disciple their children.
And this is only part one. In the next episode, Dallas and Martha get into the practical side: what does disciple‑making actually look like in the home?
Overview:
- 00:00 Discussing Home Disciple-Making Importance
- 05:45 Reflections on Family and Faith
- 08:57 Experiencing change through disciple-making
- 11:10 Living a Lifestyle of Faith
- 13:59 Being intentional as parents
- 17:24 Importance of Teaching Faith to Children
- 21:43 Parental responsibility in religious upbringing
- 24:26 Helping Families Lead Faith at Home
- 27:10 Opening up about family life
- 29:08 Family mealtime and meaningful dialogue
- 34:00 Importance of early childhood influence
- 37:18 Discussing spiritual priorities at home
- 39:22 Joining and using free resources
Discussion Questions:
- Why do many children walk away from faith and church as they grow older? How does what they observe at home impact this decision?
- What are some ways that parents may unintentionally ‘outsource’ the spiritual development of their children to the church? Why is this a problem?
- Compare the hours kids spend in church versus at school, on screens, and with their parents. What implications does this have for disciple-making at home?
- By what age is a child’s worldview largely formed, and when do most decide about their relationship to church? What urgency does this create for parents?
- How do you describe the biblical responsibility of parents for spiritual leadership in the home? Where do they see support for this in Scripture?
- What are some common excuses parents give for not engaging in disciple-making at home, and how do the speakers respond to these concerns?
- How does the house fire analogy illustrate the unique role and responsibility of parents in their children’s spiritual life?
- Why do the speakers think that modeling faith in everyday life is more impactful than simply having organized or formal spiritual activities at home?
- What challenges do modern families face in creating meaningful connection and dialogue at home? How might these challenges be addressed?
- What is the ultimate motivation and goal for disciple-making in the home, as emphasized by Martha Harvey in her final thoughts?
Topics Covered:
- Why disciple‑making in the home is so critical
- Why parents cannot outsource discipleship to the church
- The unique influence parents have on their children
- How screens, school, peers, and culture are discipling our kids
- The biblical responsibility of parents to teach their children the way of the Lord
- What Deuteronomy 6 says about everyday discipleship
- Why kids need to see faith lived out, not just taught
- The danger of compartmentalizing faith to Sunday mornings
- What to do when you don’t feel qualified to disciple your kids
- Why you don’t need to be a Bible expert to lead your family
- The importance of modeling faith in ordinary moments
- Why intentionality matters when family time is increasingly squeezed
- The long‑term impact parents can have on their children’s faith
- Starting family discipleship even when you’ve never seen it modeled before
- Why imperfect beginnings are better than doing nothing
- The ultimate goal of preparing our children to meet Jesus
