Exploring Vocations in Churches and Children's Ministry Impact

Disciple Making Amongst Children (feat. Dave Buehring and Lauri Jarvis) | Lionshare

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Join us in this episode as the LionShare team presents their unique approach to child and youth discipleship. We explore the creation and use of their Discipleship Journey tools for kids, teens, and young adults (LINK), sharing inspiring stories of how these resources are shaping young lives to follow God. Learn how children's ministries can shift from traditional teaching to impactful discipleship, and understand the importance of building strong relational connections between adults and the younger generation. Whether you're a parent, church leader, or mentor, discover strategies to nurture spiritual maturity in children and foster transformative conversations that leave a lasting impact.

Check out Discipleship.org for resources on disciple-making: https://discipleship.org/resources/ 

Check out Discipleship.org Audio Books: https://discipleship.org/resources/ebooks/ 

Key Takeaways:

Transformative Approaches to Child and Youth Discipleship | LionShare

00:00 Welcome to LionShare: Our Mission and Focus

01:50 The Importance of Vocational Discipleship

08:26 Children's Ministry: Raising the Bar

10:17 The Critical Role of Children's Ministry

17:59 Challenges in Modern Discipleship

30:52 Discipleship and Personal Stories

38:46 Introducing ADJ Kids Program

48:21 Leadership Games and Conclusion

Help Us Find Effective Disciple Making Churches

RENEW.org and Discipleship.org are joining together—along with our many partner networks—to come up with a list of the top disciple-making churches in North America. 

In the future, we plan to publish the list so everyone can see—and learn from—the top disciple-making churches that we find.

Will you help us find these churches? You can recommend a church, even your own church, by emailing mason@discipleship.org

What should you look for? Here is a list of the ten character traits of a Reproducing Disciple Making church → https://discipleship.org/blog/help-us-find-effective-disciple-making-churches/?mc_cid=80eb747425&mc_eid=a00a4f11e7 

Resources on Family Discipleship

Family Discipleship Blueprint: A Year-by-Year Guide to Family Discipleship (Audiobook)

Family Discipleship Blueprint: A Year-by-Year Guide to Family Discipleship

Family Discipleship: The Present and Future State of Family Discipleship

Family Discipleship: Jason Houser

Real Life Theology Conversations: A guide to Essential Questions and Answers for Family Discipleship

See Below for a longer description of this episode:

In this episode, we dive deep into LionShare's mission to disciple church members and leaders across various professional sectors, including government, arts, business, media, and education. The speaker warmly welcomes listeners and provides an overview of LionShare’s 23-year commitment to empowering both churches and societal leaders to live and lead by Christian principles.

Lionshare introduces the "Discipleship Journey," a tool guiding individuals in both personal spiritual growth and professional life. The speaker stresses the importance of recognizing church members' vocations and mobilizing marketplace leaders as effective disciple-makers. Using Nashville's healthcare and artist communities as examples, the discussion illustrates how churches can identify and disciple within these dominant professional fields.

Next, we meet Laurie Jarvis, the "Discipleship Journey Kids Coach." With a background as a children's pastor, school principal, and piano teacher from Akron, Ohio, Laurie works with children's ministry leaders, parents, and nonprofits to integrate discipleship into children's education. Laurie shares her insights on discipling children.

Today’s episode highlights key statistics on the importance of early ministry to children, noting that more than half of those who accept Jesus do so before age 12. The discussion then covers the significant role of screen time and digital media in discipling children in today's world.

Laurie answers questions about children's spiritual maturity, sharing stories that demonstrate how kids can grow spiritually and disciple one another. The conversation underscores the importance of strong relationships with children, emphasizing adults' pivotal role in effective discipleship.

Practical resources like the "Discipleship Journey Kids" program are introduced, offering tools for both adults and children to engage in discipleship together. These materials include animated series, take-home cards, and parent prompts to reinforce learning and application in daily life.

The episode also addresses the early exposure of young children to pornography and other adult content, stressing the critical role of parents and church leaders in guiding and protecting children's spiritual and moral development. The speaker shares a personal story about his grandson's inadvertent exposure to inappropriate content and how it was handled wisely.

Finally, the episode discusses "The Leadership Games," a program designed to help young adults in their 20s and 30s grow spiritually and vocationally. This initiative connects young leaders with experienced mentors for year-long discipleship relationships, incorporating real-life problem-solving through an imaginary city framework to tackle contemporary issues from a biblical perspective.

Overall, this episode provides an insightful look into LionShare’s approach to discipleship across all ages and vocations, emphasizing relational ministry and practical tools for spiritual growth.

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