In a powerful presentation at church, Dr. Richard Ross shared sobering statistics: half of high school graduates leave the church, while half stay. But what determines which path our children will take? Dr. Ross offered practical (and Biblical) wisdom for parents seeking to nurture lasting faith in their children.
The Foundation: Faith Through Relationship
Dr. Ross emphasized that faith isn’t transmitted through mere attendance or obligation. Instead, it moves through authentic relationships and genuine connections. He stressed that parents must intentionally weave Jesus into daily family life – not just church life. He gave ideas to incorporate daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.
Daily Practices for Faith-Filled Families
Prayer as Your First Defense
Dr. Ross asked what you would do if you knew there was a bad man in your house? Would you crawl and hide in your closet until he left, or would you go out fighting, doing whatever you could to protect your family … especially your children?
Then he flipped the notion and reminded us that spiritually, you have a bad man in your house.
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8
Dr. Ross encouraged parents to view daily prayer as a spiritual battle for their children’s hearts.
Beyond Mealtime Prayers
Dr. Ross challenged parents to expand prayer beyond traditional meal blessings:
- Pray with children before their day starts
- Address specific fears and challenges
- Include bedtime prayers
- Focus on courses, success, and daily concerns
He referenced Deuteronomy 11:19, “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Living Scripture in Real Time
“Kids need to know the book (Bible), but they need to see the movie through your life,” Dr. Ross explained. He emphasized that children should witness parents living out scripture in daily decisions about things like:
- Budget management – “We can’t spend money on this because we are going to support this mission instead.”
- Vacation planning – “We can’t go here because we are going to go on a mission trip instead.”
- Schedule priorities – “We can’t do travel sports because it will take us away from church too many Sundays in a row.”
Weekly Family Worship Rhythms
Dr. Ross advocated for intentional weekly family worship time, suggesting at least 15 minutes of worship including family scripture reading.
Dr. Ross gave us three super practical places to find things to talk about:
- The Sunday sermon (just grab one interesting point or question)
- Your Bible study group (share what grabbed your attention), or
- Your morning devotional time (pick one thought to share).
Family worship should also incorporate prayer time. Keep it short and simple – just ask your kids what’s happening at school. Do they have friends you could pray for? What are they worried about? He also encouraged you to break up prayer time. Maybe you go to the window and pray for the lost people in your neighborhood. Maybe you gather in a circle and you pray over your children. It’s important for your kids to hear you pray for them and for others who don’t know Jesus yet.
Often times parents feel like they don’t have the time in their family schedule to work in 15 minutes of family worship a week. Dr. Ross challenged the notion. You probably spend at least 15 minutes a week scrolling social media. You probably spend at least 15 minutes a week binge watching television.
“You have the time, you just need the will to worship as a family,” Ross noted.
Monthly and Yearly Faith-Building Activities
Monthly Service Projects
Dr. Ross emphasized that “the strongest discipleship experience children can have is discipling with mom and dad” through monthly service projects that demonstrate “compassion in the name of Jesus.” Some practical ways families can serve locally include: adopting a local teacher and classroom to support throughout the year, cooking meals for new parents or sick neighbors, helping elderly neighbors with yard work, organizing a neighborhood food drive for the local food bank, visiting shut-ins from your church, or sponsoring a child from another country and writing letters together. Dr. Ross stresses that the key isn’t just doing good deeds, but intentionally talking about Jesus with those you serve – whether that’s explaining to your children why you’re serving or sharing your faith with those you’re helping.
Transforming Vacation into Mission
Dr. Ross suggests flipping the script on your family vacation by dedicating the final day to serving others – he calls it “Jesus Day.” On this special day, your family could serve at a local food bank near your vacation spot, clean up a beach or park, visit a nursing home to bring joy to residents, deliver care packages to the homeless, or help at an animal shelter together. This simple shift, Dr. Ross explains, turns vacation time into a powerful opportunity for your child’s spiritual growth, showing them that faith isn’t just something we talk about – it’s something we live out, even on vacation.
A Heartfelt Warning to Parents
Dr. Ross closed with a poignant message. When you think about raising your children, think about saying this to them: “I love you so much… I don’t want you to join the group of middle age adults who sleep until noon on Sunday.” He explained that such choices (implying their kids aren’t being raised in church) affect not just our children but potentially our grandchildren’s eternal destiny.
Taking Action Today
The key question Dr. Ross left parents to consider was simple but profound: “Do you feel drawn to being more overt about your faith with your children?”
In today’s increasingly secular world, Dr. Ross’s message reminds us that passive faith rarely transfers to the next generation. Instead, passing your faith onto your children requires intentional, daily effort to model and share our faith with our children.
Remember, as Dr. Ross emphasized, every parent has the time – what’s needed is the will to make faith formation a priority in family life.
Have you found specific ways to incorporate faith discussions into your family’s daily routine? Share your experiences in the comments below.