Fatherhood is a sacred calling. God entrusts children to fathers not merely for provision and protection but for the ultimate purpose of discipleship. Your role is not just to raise moral, successful, or well-rounded children—it is to lead them to become disciples of Jesus Christ. This calling is not a burden but a joy. It is an opportunity to partner with God in shaping their hearts to love and follow Him.
Understanding the Joy of Discipleship
Discipling your children is not an obligation to be endured but a privilege to be embraced. It is joyful because it flows from God’s design for the family. When fathers faithfully disciple their children, they reflect God’s heart for the home while building a legacy of faith, so that the next generation will set their hope in God (Psalm 78:7).
Consider these truths:
- Discipleship leads to joy because it aligns your family with God’s purposes.
- Discipleship transforms your home into a place where Christ is honored.
- Discipleship creates opportunities to witness the growth of your children’s faith.
Psalm 127:3 calls children “a heritage from the Lord.” They are a gift, and your role as their father is to steward that gift wisely by leading them in the ways of the Lord.
The role of father takes precedence over even the role of pastor. The family is the first flock, the first congregation, and the first mission field entrusted to a father. In an age of distraction and spiritual passivity, too many men have abdicated this sacred role—not necessarily through rebellion, but through neglect, uncertainty, or lack of intentionality.
The Biblical Foundation
The call to spiritual leadership in the home is not a cultural trend; it is a biblical mandate. From the garden to the Shema to the pastoral epistles, God has charged fathers with the spiritual care of their families.
- Genesis 18:19—God says of Abraham: “I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord.”
- Deuteronomy 6:4–9—Fathers are commanded to impress God’s Word upon their children, to talk about it in the ordinary rhythms of daily life.
- Ephesians 6:4—Paul exhorts: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
This responsibility was never meant to rest solely on the shoulders of pastors or Sunday School teachers. The biblical vision finds your family and the church family running together, partnering together, and passing faith down to the next generation alongside one another. The church’s role is to equip parents, not replace them.
This sort of spiritual leadership takes place when fathers lead their households in family worship. Family worship is defined as the intentional gospel rhythms of teaching God’s Word, praying with and for one another, and praising the Lord together in the home.
A Brief Historical Witness
Our spiritual forefathers took this calling seriously. During the Reformation, men like Martin Luther and John Calvin reinstituted the practice of family worship, encouraging fathers to be the “pastors of their homes.” The Puritans took this baton and ran hard, building homes where daily Scripture reading, prayer, catechism, and singing were the norm.
Richard Baxter believed that any revival in the church would begin with revival in the home. He wrote, “If you desire the reformation and welfare of your people, do all you can to promote family religion. … You are not likely to see any general reformation till you procure family reformation.”
We may live in a different era, but the need is the same. The home remains the primary place where spiritual formation happens. If we long to see revival in our nation, we must first pursue revival in the church, and if we hope to see revival in the church, we must first champion revival in the home. And, if we are ever to see revival in the home, it will be built upon the foundation of family worship.
The Practical Vision
Family worship does not need to be elaborate. You don’t need to preach a 30-minute sermon to your kids or fill your calendar with a dozen new planned events. Family worship is less about adding new things to your schedule and more about adding intentionality to the moments you already have with your family. It is about bringing gospel rhythms into the home as we seek to cultivate a love for Jesus in the hearts of our children.
The goal is simple: to create consistent rhythms in your home where God’s Word is opened, truth is discussed, songs are sung, prayers are lifted, testimonies are shared, and hearts are shepherded.
Whether it’s at the dinner table, before bed, or in the early morning before school, the when is less important than the simple commitment to fill your home with spiritual moments. Make it happen. Start small. Keep going.
Five Tangible Next Steps for Fathers
Let me offer you five simple, foundational steps to begin leading your family in worship and discipleship. Think of these as starting points to get you moving in the right direction:
1. Start with a Simple Plan
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Choose a consistent time—maybe just 10–15 minutes—and commit to three core components:
- Enjoy and teach the Bible (a few verses or a short story)
- Pray with and for one another (keep it short and authentic, and allow each family member to share prayer burdens and praises)
- Bring praise songs into the home (use Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, YouTube music, a guitar, or a piano, and just get some worship music playing in the home, even finding opportunities to encourage the family to sing together)
If you need something to help get you started, here are a few resources you could try:
- The New City Catechism Devotional: God’s Truth for Our Hearts and Minds, by Collin Hansen
- Beginning: Family Worship in Genesis, by Joel R. Beeke and Nick Thompson
- Exploring the Bible Together: A 52-Week Family Worship Plan, by David Murray
- The Biggest Story Bible Storybook, by Kevin DeYoung
As the months go by, you may find that you drift from this plan from time to time. You may experience a season when family worship and these gospel rhythms become less consistent. When that happens, simply gather the family together, renew the passion for family worship, recast the vision, restart the rhythms, and rediscover the joy of family worship.
2. Live by Example
You don’t have to have all the answers. In fact, it’s better if your kids see that you don’t. What they need is to see a dad who pursues Christ honestly and leads from the front. Repent when you fall short. Celebrate grace when you fail. Lead with humility and passion. Our children are always watching, and how we live will always carry more weight than what we say.
Just as Paul often called those he discipled to imitate his example (1 Cor. 11:1), fathers are to lead by example so that their families can imitate them as they imitate Christ. As we run this Christian race, we need to be able to tell our children, “Run with me, and you will run this race well.”
3. Engage in Meaningful Conversations and Share Your Testimony
Discipleship happens through conversations, not just content. Look for natural moments—after a movie, during a walk, after a conflict—to bring God into the dialogue. Ask questions like:
- “What do you think God thinks about that?”
- “How does this story remind us of the gospel?”
- “What does this teach us about what kind of people God wants us to be?”
One way to cultivate a biblical worldview and keep the gospel at the center of our conversations is to find moments when you can share personal testimonies of what the Lord has done in your life. Ask yourself, “Do my children know my testimony?” We have so many stories from our lives that demonstrate how good and faithful the Lord is, and our children need to hear these testimonies. Just as God told Joshua to get memorial stones so that fathers would one day tell their children the testimony of God bringing His people across the Jordan River (Joshua 4), fathers today are to pass down stories of God’s faithfulness to the next generation. Share testimonies of times when God provided, healed, forgave, reconciled, comforted, and restored.
4. Use Resources Wisely
Devotionals, catechisms, apps, and music playlists can be great aids. Use them. But remember: resources can’t lead your family—you are essential. Your presence and intentionality matter more than polished content or user-friendly apps.
5. Prioritize What You Want to Multiply
Whatever rhythms you set today will echo for generations. If your children see you prioritize worship, prayer, the Word, and intentional discipleship, they are far more likely to do the same one day with their own families.
You are not just raising children. You are raising future fathers and mothers, future husbands and wives, future disciple-makers.
Final Encouragement: You’re Not Alone
Brother, you’re not in this fight alone. Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, is with you. The Holy Spirit is your Helper. Your church family runs with you. And the Word of God is your foundation.
Don’t wait until you “feel ready.” Don’t wait until your schedule clears. Don’t wait until your kids are older. Start now. Begin today. Lead your family—imperfectly, humbly, consistently—toward Jesus.
Just remember: a little bit of faithfulness, practiced daily, goes a long way. Gather the family, cast the vision, start the rhythms, and boldly declare, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
