Healthy Homes: A Vision for Family Discipleship

BY KALEB SAUCER

Something is breaking down in the heart of the family.

We’re witnessing a generation of kids growing up with little spiritual foundation and walking away from church after high school. Parents feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to disciple their children. Marriages are strained, homes are chaotic, and the local church often struggles to bridge the gap between Sunday services and Monday life. Recent studies by Lifeway, Barna, and others have suggested:

·      Only 9% of Americans in total and 4% of teens and young adults have a biblical worldview (Barna)

·      Only 29% of born-again parents say their faith is the most important influence on their parenting (Lifeway)

·      While 62% of parents bring their kids to church at least once per month, only 29% read God’s Word to their children

·      Between 60% and 80% of young adults will leave the church after graduating high school (various studies)

If this is true, it is not for a lack of programs, camps, conferences, or events. Every church could improve its ministry to kids and youth, leaders could be trained better, and more money could be invested in these efforts, but would it actually move the needle? We stand at a crossroads – either we ignore the warning signs or we retrain our thinking and reclaim a biblical view of what the discipleship of the next generation should actually look like.

Healthy Homes, a new ministry of the UPCI and the Pentecostal Resources Group, stands in response to this crisis. Its mission is simple: to equip the home and church for family discipleship. At the core of this vision is The Healthy Homes Blueprint, four foundational truths that are essential for this idea to thrive.

1. Parents and Grandparents Are Called to Lead in Discipleship

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” — Deuteronomy 6:6–7 (NKJV)

The Bible is clear: the primary spiritual leaders in a child’s life were never supposed to be pastors, Sunday school teachers, or youth workers, but parents and grandparents. God’s design has always been for discipleship to begin in the home through everyday moments, ordinary conversations, and consistent modeling of faith. Unfortunately, many parents, whether out of fear, insecurity, or simply because they haven’t been discipled themselves, have outsourced the spiritual formation of their children to the “professionals” at church.

According to one of the studies done by Lifeway, of young adults who stayed in the faith, 43% said the example of their parents was the biggest factor. If we want to stop the negative trend of young people leaving the faith, the church must help parents and grandparents reclaim their biblical role as leaders in the discipleship of their kids and youth.

This doesn’t mean parents have to be perfect, but they do have to be present. When families invite God into the ordinary rhythms of daily life, something powerful happens. Spiritual conversations become natural, the Bible becomes familiar, and faith takes root in real life. Churches should support, equip, and resource parents, but they should not replace them.

2. Gospel-Centered Marriages Create a Foundation for Healthy Families

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” -  Ephesians 5:25–26 (NKJV) 

One of the greatest gifts parents can give their children is a strong, Christ-centered marriage. When kids see love, respect, and unity between their parents, they’re more likely to view faith as credible and trustworthy.

Marriage is where the gospel is lived out most visibly: forgiveness, sacrifice, grace, and commitment. These values, when modeled consistently, teach children how to relate to God and others. While no marriage is without challenges, those difficulties highlight the need for intentional growth and healing. Healthy Homes has a vision to help nurture strong marriages that create a foundation where families can thrive spiritually and children can witness faith lived out authentically.

3. Kids and Youth Ministry Should Be Aligned with the Home

“...for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...” — Ephesians 4:12–13 (NKJV)

A challenge in many churches is ministry silos, where children’s ministry, youth ministry, and adult ministry all operate independently, with little overlap or shared purpose. Healthy Homes envisions a better way: integrated ministry where the spiritual formation of kids and teens is part of a larger family discipleship strategy. Rather than creating ministry that pulls kids away from their parents, we create ministry that pulls families together.

This means viewing parents as allies, not adversaries. It means inviting them into the process and equipping them “for the work of the ministry” of discipling their kids. It means recognizing that faith development doesn’t begin and end at the church doors. And it means resourcing leaders to support the family as a whole, not just one age group at a time. When ministry teams collaborate around a shared vision for the family, the result is a more consistent, more powerful faith formation journey for every member of the household.

4. Intergenerational Relationships Deepen Discipleship

“One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.” — Psalm 145:4 (NKJV)

We live in an age of generational separation. Kids and youth are often isolated with peers their own age, missing out on the richness that comes from relationships with older believers who can model a life of faith.

Many churches are multigenerational; they have many generations present. But, intergenerational discipleship takes this a step further. Those varying generations are not just present in the same congregation, but they are interconnected as people of all ages worship, serve, and grow together. Studies show that intergenerational discipleship, a connection with mature, nurturing, non-familial adults, is one of the most effective tools for creating lasting faith in the lives of kids and youth.

This looks like older saints mentoring young couples, youth serving alongside adults in ministry, and children participating in corporate worship. It’s not always clean or quiet, but it is powerful.

When children see faith lived out in real, flawed, everyday adults, they begin to see that following Jesus isn’t just for Sunday, it’s for a lifetime.

The future of the church depends on what happens in the home. If we want to see strong churches, we must first see Healthy Homes - homes where faith is taught, marriages are strengthened, generations are connected, and parents are equipped to lead.

Family discipleship isn’t optional. It’s essential. And the church is uniquely positioned to call families higher, walk with them through their struggles, and provide the biblical foundation they need to thrive. 

Healthy Homes is all about family discipleship, and we are just getting started.