Bible truth, raising disciples, and pass me the beans.

How have things changed at dinner time?

Most Family Ministry leaders have been accused of majoring on the “why” of family ministry but being light on the “how to” of family ministry. Parents complain, “We know we are supposed to influence the faith of our kids and make them disciples of Jesus, we just aren’t sure how we are supposed to do it!” This is the reason for today’s blog. The list and the links will provide you with numerous resources for creating an atmosphere for having Faith Talks.

Remember, most families are going to stumble when trying something this new and this valuable. Laugh off the stumbles and learn from them. Please don’t allow your mistakes to deter you from this highest of responsibilities.

The following list was written by Doug Wolter. He adapted this list from “Family Dinner Bible Studies” by Mark Driscoll. Mark Driscoll gives a realistic approach to doing family devotions at dinnertime:

1. Eat dinner with your entire family regularly.

2. Mom and Dad sit next to one another to lead the family discussion.

3. Open the meal by asking if there is anyone or anything to pray for.

4. Someone opens in prayer and covers any requests. This task should be rotated among family members so that different people take turns learning to pray aloud.

5. Start eating and discuss how everyone’s day went.

6. Have a Bible in front of the parents in a translation that is age-appropriate for the kids’ reading level. Have someone (parent or child) open the Bible, and assign a portion to read aloud while everyone is eating and listening.

7. Parents should note key words and themes in the passage and explain them to the kids on an age-appropriate level.

8. Ask questions about the passage. You may want to begin with having your children summarize what was read—retelling the story or passage outline. Then, ask the following questions: What does this passage teach us about God? What does it say about us or about how God sees us? What does it teach us about our relationships with others?

9. Let the conversation happen naturally, listen carefully to the kids, let them answer the questions, and fill in whatever they miss or lovingly and gently correct whatever they get wrong so as to help them.

10. If the Scriptures convict you of sin, repent as you need to your family, and share appropriately honest parts of your life story so the kids can see Jesus’ work in your life and your need for him too. This demonstrates gospel humility to them.

11. At the end of dinner, ask the kids if they have any questions for you.
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12. If you miss a night, or if conversation gets off track, or if your family occasionally just wants to talk about something else, don’t stress—it’s inevitable.

Life is a journey! Family Ministry is a calling. Enjoy the journey! Eat well! Dust yourself off when you fall down! Get back up. Learn from your mistakes. Remember the arduous process Jesus had when He was training His own hand-picked disciples. If Jesus disciples bombed with Him as their teacher, then you should cut yourself some slack if things don’t always go as planned.

Boldly go where few have gone before!