Raising Kids and Teenagers as Disciple-Makers: A Family Approach

Disciplemaking begins at home. Parents who raise their children and teenagers to follow Jesus’ commands and actively make disciples are not just being strategic — they are forming the next generation of multipliers. Children can make disciples. Teenagers can make disciples. The everyday rhythms of family life are one of the most powerful training grounds for disciple-making with kids.

Having done this with our kids at all ages, I speak from experience when I say: this can be a tremendous joy!

Why American Church Culture Works Against This

Though kids’ church and youth groups offer real benefits, we need to be careful about how much we segment our children from the broader body. When kids are consistently separated into their own programs, they can stop being seen — by themselves and by us — as full members of the royal priesthood.

Kids can be remarkable disciple-makers. They are passionate, genuine, and bold in ways that put many adults to shame. Their uninhibited faith is not a liability to manage. It is a gift to release.

Teenagers are sometimes awkward and nervous talking about Jesus. Other times they are the boldest people in the room. Filled with God’s Spirit and empowered by the adults in their lives, they can be mightily used by God. As Paul wrote to Timothy: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young” (1 Timothy 4:12).

How to Make Disciple-making a Way of Life for Your Family

Rather than viewing faith as something children “learn” at church, the goal is to help our kids follow Jesus in real life — and eventually to help others do the same. Jenn Chang talks with Adele about this on this week’s episode of the Dare to Multiply Podcast.

Jesus made disciples by walking with people, involving them in ministry, and inviting them into obedience. This works with kids and teens too. Discipleship happens while driving to practice, eating meals together, navigating conflict, and celebrating victories. These ordinary moments are a powerful training ground.

Instead of asking only “What did you learn today?” try asking “What do you think Jesus is saying to you?” and “How did being a witness for Christ go today?” Simple, repeatable questions help children understand that following Jesus is active and personal — not theoretical.

Encourage them to develop habits of sharing with others. Questions like “Who did you get to encourage or share a Bible verse with today?” or “Did you notice any kids our family could be praying for?” help children see themselves as disciple-makers in daily life, not just recipients of discipleship.

How Children Move from Believers to Disciple-Makers

Children and teenagers consistently surprise us with their capacity to love, pray, and share their faith when given the opportunity. Disciple-making families do not wait until kids are grown to involve them. From an early age, children can learn to pray for friends, share what God is teaching them, and invite others into spiritual conversations.

Teenagers especially are hungry for purpose. When we empower them to live out their faith in schools, on sports teams, and in friend groups, they begin to see discipleship as something they do — not something adults do for them. That shift is everything.

Multiplication happens when kids learn early that being a disciple means helping others follow Jesus too. That is the pattern of every Disciple Making Movement: one generation equips the next to reach the one after that.

IMPORTANT STATISTIC 

According to the Barna group, about two‑thirds (64%) of born‑again Christians made their commitment to Christ before age 18, and nearly half (around 43%) did so before age 13. 

You Do Not Have to Be an Expert

Many parents feel ill-equipped to disciple their children. This is a common concern. Disciple-making does not require you to have all the answers. Modeling humility, repentance, prayer, and obedience is what all you need.

When children see us practicing what we preach — apologizing when we are wrong, praying when we are unsure, trusting God in hard moments, making our own attempts to share Jesus with those around us — they learn how faith actually works. Not in theory. In life.

As kids practice obedience in small ways, their confidence grows. Over time, they take initiative: leading prayer, opening Scripture, and starting spiritual conversations with others. This is how disciple-makers are deeply formed — not in a classroom alone, but in a family.

Trust God with the Outcome

Ultimately, we cannot control our children’s faith journey. What we can do is faithfully model and invite them into obedience. God is the one who grows disciples. As we intentionally disciple our kids and teens, we participate in His larger mission of multiplication — and we get to raise kids who genuinely love Jesus in the process.

Raising disciple-makers does not require perfection. It requires availability, faith, and a willingness to walk with Jesus together, one ordinary day at a time.

-Do you see your kids as disciples who could make other disciples?

-What concerns do you have about encouraging children to be disciple-makers before they are adults?

-How have youth or children inspired you to boldness or greater faith?

Share in the comments below, or join the conversation in our free Dare to Multiply community. Hundreds of disciple-makers around the world are pursuing this together.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I teach my kids to make disciples?

Start with simple, repeatable questions in everyday life: “What is Jesus saying to you today?” and “What could obedience look like this week?” Children learn disciplemaking by watching parents model it and being included in it — not by being taught it separately. Family meals, car rides, and ordinary conversations are the training ground. Disciplemaking with kids begins long before any formal program.

At what age can children start making disciples?

Children can begin making disciples earlier than most parents expect. Even young children can learn to pray for friends, share what God is teaching them, and notice others who might need encouragement. Teenagers can lead conversations, open Scripture with peers, actively invite others into faith, and then help them grow. The goal is not to wait until they are ready — it is to involve them now. 

What is a disciple-making family?

A disciple-making family is one where following Jesus is treated as active and relational, not something that happens only at church. Parents model obedience, repentance, and faith in front of their children. Kids are included in spiritual conversations and encouraged to share their faith with others. The family sees itself as a unit on mission together, not just a household that attends church.

Does disciple-making with children work in a DMM context?

Yes – Disciple Making Movements (DMMs) around the world consistently show that children and youth are among the most effective disciple-makers when empowered. Movements grow fastest when every believer, regardless of age, is expected to share faith and reproduce disciples. Children raised in DMM families can lead other kids to faith, disciple them, and begin simple discovery groups that multiply.  

What if I don’t feel qualified to disciple my children?

You do not need to have all the answers. Disciple-making does not require expertise — it requires modeling. When your children see you praying through uncertainty, apologizing when you are wrong, and making your own attempts to share Jesus with others, they are being discipled. Your faithfulness, not your theological knowledge, is what forms disciple-making faith in the next generation. 

About the Author: Cynthia Anderson is the founder of Dare to Multiply and the author of The Multiplier’s Mindset: Thinking Differently About Discipleship. She has spent decades equipping families, practitioners, and church leaders in Disciple Making Movement principles across every region of the world.