Raising Kids in Faith — What We Believe About Family Discipleship at FBC Fenton

## Raising Kids in Faith — What We Believe About Family Discipleship

One of the most important questions a Christian parent can ask is not "What church program can I put my kids in?" It is "How do I raise my children to know and love Jesus?"

Those are different questions. And the difference matters.

At First Baptist Church of Fenton, we are committed to helping families answer the second question — because we believe that lasting faith is formed primarily in the home, not in a classroom, and that the most powerful discipleship environment your child will ever be in is a household where the gospel is lived, spoken, and loved every day.

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## The Biblical Framework

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 is one of the most important passages in the entire Bible for parents. God commands His people to love Him with everything — and then immediately tells them to pass that love on to their children. "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Not just Sunday school. Not just church. Every day. Everywhere. All the time.

The New Testament echoes this. Ephesians 6:4 tells fathers to bring up their children "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." The word for "instruction" there is *nouthesia* — it means putting the Word of God into a child's mind and heart through consistent, personal, relational engagement.

This is primarily a parental calling. The church's role is to support, equip, and supplement what happens in the home — not to replace it.

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## What That Looks Like in Practice

Family discipleship does not require a curriculum or a perfectly structured family devotional time (though those can help). It requires intentionality and consistency. Here are some practical starting points:

**Talk about God in everyday life.** Deuteronomy 6 describes discipleship as woven into the fabric of daily life — walking, sitting, lying down, rising. When your child asks a hard question, that is a discipleship moment. When something goes wrong, that is a discipleship moment. When something beautiful happens, that is a discipleship moment. Point to God in the ordinary.

**Pray with your kids.** Regular, honest, specific prayer — not rote prayers before meals, but real conversation with God that your children witness — teaches them that God is real and accessible.

**Read the Bible together.** It does not have to be long. A passage, a few questions, a brief prayer. Consistency matters more than length. If you are not sure where to start, our Family Devotional series (available in the blog) was written specifically for this.

**Bring them to church consistently.** Not as a substitute for home discipleship, but as the community that reinforces, strengthens, and models faith in real people around your family. Church is not optional for Christian formation — it is where your children see that faith is not just something your family does, but something an entire community is committed to.

**Be honest about your own faith.** Children are perceptive. If your faith is vibrant, they will see it. If you are going through a hard season, you can be honest about that too — and model what it looks like to trust God when it is hard. Authenticity is one of the most powerful discipleship tools a parent has.

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## What FBC Fenton Offers Families

We take family ministry seriously at FBC. Here is what we offer to support parents in this calling:

**Rooted Kids Ministry (Sundays)** — Age-appropriate Bible teaching for children from nursery through 5th grade. Our Kids Ministry team is trained, background-checked, and passionate about helping children encounter the real Jesus — not a cartoon version.

**Awana (Wednesday nights, 6:30 PM)** — A structured program that combines Scripture memory, discipleship, and fun for PreK through 5th grade. Awana has shaped the faith of millions of children worldwide over decades. We are proud to offer it.

**Youth Ministry (Wednesday nights, 6:30 PM)** — Grades 6–12. A community where teenagers can ask hard questions, build real friendships, and be discipled by adults who genuinely care about them.

**Family Night Small Groups** — Sunday evenings at 5:30 PM, we offer a Small Group specifically designed for families — with activities for children and discussion for parents on topics including parenting, marriage, home life, and finances.

**Next Steps Classes** — We regularly offer classes specifically on parenting, family discipleship, and raising children in faith. Check our Next Steps program for current offerings.

**Biblical Counseling** — For parents walking through particularly hard seasons — a prodigal child, a struggling teenager, family conflict — we offer confidential pastoral counseling.

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## A Word to Imperfect Parents

You will not do this perfectly. No parent does.

You will have days when you are too tired to read the Bible with your kids. Days when you lose your temper and undermine everything you preached at breakfast. Days when your teenager rolls their eyes and you wonder whether any of it is getting through.

Keep going anyway. Parenting in faith is not a performance. It is a long obedience in the same direction — showing up, being honest about your failures, asking for forgiveness when you need to, and trusting that God is at work even in the moments you cannot see it.

Your children are watching. Not just for perfection — but for authenticity. A parent who loves Jesus imperfectly and honestly is far more powerful than a parent who performs religious life without it.

We are here to help. Talk to Pastor Cody about kids and youth, or Pastor James about family life and discipleship. We'd love to walk alongside you.

**[Explore Kids Ministry](/ministries/children)** | **[Find a Family Small Group](/next-steps)** | **[Contact Us](/prayer)**