The Loss of Family Discipleship

Has the loss of family discipleship negatively impacted the church and its mission to make disciples?Robert Bosley notes a shift in the pattern of discipleship, especially in the United States, tracing back to the Industrial Revolution and the Great Awakenings. The cultural revolution that systematized schooling and church programs, replacing home-based discipleship, has failed the church. Despite having more discipleship resources than ever before, the church has been unsuccessful in producing true disciples. This is largely because the responsibility of discipleship has been lifted from fathers and placed on the so-called 'experts' in the church.The failure extends further as these assigned individuals, often unqualified, use readily available resources without truly understanding their roles as ministers of the gospel. The result is a glaring gap in the home and in the church, as the discipleship process has been reduced to a programmatic approach, losing its essence and effectiveness. Fathers need to reclaim their biblical roles as the spiritual leaders in their homes, discipling their children and leading them in the ways of the Lord.Ephesians 6:4 (NKJV): 'And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.'