What’s the best way you can invest in the future of the church?
The answer: family discipleship.
To invest in your church’s future, you empower parents to disciple their children in the ways of Jesus. It’s God’s “plan A” according to Deuteronomy 6.
We at RENEW.org are passionate about family discipleship! That’s why we have put together Real Life Theology Conversations: A Guide to Essential Questions and Answers for Family Discipleship. This tool takes theology from the 12-part Real Life Theology series and packages it in 52 accessible conversations for family discipleship.
The Book
Real Life Theology Conversations is written for parents to have important conversations with their children (especially 9-12 year olds). Using a simple question-and-answer format, this full-color resource guides you to lead 52 of the most important conversations you’ll ever have with your child. Each conversation is built around a question and has the following elements:
- Interactive questions and answers
- Scriptures to discuss and memorize
- Activities for sharing and applying the truth
The authors are Jason Houser (founder of Seeds Family Worship), Nicole Stine (homeschool mother, RENEW.org writer), and Daniel McCoy (RENEW.org editorial director).
What people are saying about RLT Conversations
Here are four endorsements for this new resource:
“This tool, along with real authentic relationships, will have an impact on our young people. I pray millions will use it.” —Jim Putman, author, Real-Life Discipleship
“I have been doing children’s ministry for over seventeen years, and I can honestly say I haven’t come across a resource as good as this to empower parents to teach their children foundational knowledge!” —Amy Sain, children’s minister, North Boulevard Church of Christ
“We’re thrilled to implement Real Life Theology Conversations into the family discipleship culture of our church.” —Jason Smith, NextGen Pastor, Eastview Church
“A gift to parents and children who want to become more allegiant disciples of King Jesus.” —Matthew W. Bates, author of The Gospel Precisely; professor of theology, Quincy University
An Excerpt from RLT Conversations
One of the co-authors, Jason Houser, founder of Seeds Family Worship, has this to say about the book, taken from the Introduction:
“You as a parent are the most influential person in your child’s life, whether or not you feel like it. God has given you the greatest seat of influence in their life, and it is his plan for you to lead your child into faith.
This principle comes from Deuteronomy 6, which has been the roadmap for parents to disciple their children for thousands of years. . . . We are told to impress these truths onto our children’s hearts. How do we do that? We talk about them when we sit at our house, as we move through our days, whether on foot or in a car. We talk about them at the end of our day when our children are going to bed, and we talk about them again as we launch into a new day.
“This principle comes from Deuteronomy 6, which has been the roadmap for parents to disciple their children for thousands of years.”
By leading your children through these conversations, you are taking the next step of leadership in bringing this scripture in Deuteronomy to life in your home. There are several ways you can walk through this material together. We have outlined a few options here, but feel free to tailor your own plan that will fit well with the rhythm of your family.
- Commit to one day/night per week and walk through all 52 of the conversations in one year.
- In each conversation, the “Now, let’s walk through the answer . . .” section has five parts, so you can plan a five-day-per-week conversation time to walk through the material in more detail over the course of one year. It could also be used as a homeschool Bible curriculum for the year.
- Create your own plan that will allow you to work through the material in a longer or shorter duration that will best fit your family’s schedule and pace.
We believe the key to being successful in this great endeavor and seeing the ultimate breakthrough with your children is to commit to a plan and do your best to stick with it. As with any other commitment, the best way to finish strong is to partner with other like-minded people and take the journey together.
“The best way to finish strong is to partner with other like-minded people and take the journey together.”
We encourage you to do this as part of a church small group, or alongside other families you are doing life with. Renew.org is putting together additional tools for churches to launch groups of families to go through this material together.”
Easy Online Plan for Family and/or Church
We want to invite you to check out our tools for implementing RLT Conversations in your church! Our team has put together church campaign resources (e.g., promo videos, social media promotion, graphics, etc.) and launch party resources (e.g., sample keynote, slide deck, event overview, etc.) to go along with RLT Conversations. In addition, we have put together content videos and social media assets to help encourage families along their RLT Conversations journey. We are planning a nationwide launch during August 2023 and invite you and your church to join us! You can find all these tools and more HERE.