Update
A closer look at family disciple making
Challenge
Leaders are called upon to humbly serve and invest in churches, denominational and organizational leaders, and movements, all striving together to fulfill Great Commission, Commandment, and Collaboration. However are we seeing evidence of Kingdom change? There is a growing realization that we are not as healthy as we could be.
Solutions must start at home
When embarking on the journey to better health, we discover that it commences with a shift in mindset, recognizing that true change begins with our own consistent actions. Transforming a culture necessitates embodying its principles ourselves before we can advocate for them effectively. As we delve into the principles of discipleship, it’s crucial to introspect and invite divine examination into our lives, evaluating our commitment to discipleship within our personal lives and families. From there, we can extend support and guidance to others seeking similar transformation. The church’s approach to this directive—whether as individuals or as a collective community—significantly shapes its impact. Examining the intricate interplay between church and home dynamics becomes imperative.
Amidst the distractions and pressures of our culture of today, families find themselves in dire need of steadfast support from the church. Research emphatically underscores the urgency for strategic family discipleship, urging the church to forge deliberate partnerships aimed at fortifying Christian households.
The Asia Evangelical Aliance strategy for disciple making
Objectives
Across Asia, the Church and numerous Christian families find themselves grappling with the challenge of passing down the legacy of faith. Recognizing this pressing need, the Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA) issues a clarion call to all churches and families to unite in the vital endeavour of generational discipleship.
The AEA is making significant strides in its strategic focus on Family Discipleship. The AEA Family Discipleship Task Force has been working diligently as seen through its meticulous documentation of issues, processes, as well as their proactive sharing of definitions and strategic plans. Download the full report here.
Collaborative efforts from the AEA Children commission and Women’s commission team have culminated in a partnership with the D6 movement – based on the principles of Deuteronomy 6 and dedicated to equipping ‘Church & Home’ leaders, raising awareness, and disseminating family discipleship resources throughout the region. On May 17th to 18th, 2024, they will host the D6 Asia Family Discipleship Conference via Zoom. (https://asiaea.org/d6asia)
Key achievements include
Strategic Team Formation: AEA assembled a dedicated team committed to advancing Family Discipleship initiatives. Notable individuals include Mathew Ling, PC Mathew, Handoko Ngadiman, Grace Hee, and Gwen De Rozario. At their Asian Church and Mission in a New Landscape (ACML) consultation in Sentul in Oct 2023, 41 leaders from various countries joined this task force to strategize on how to empower families and church leaders and build a culture of family discipleship.
Awareness and Engagement: Yearly events serve as pivotal moments for fostering awakening and facilitating the understanding and implementation of Family Discipleship principles in churches. The D6 Asia movement AEA has embarked on is one catalyst to bring transformative change – to date this has seen the launch of D6 Japan in 2022 and D6 Thailand on 16 May 2024. To check out more about D6 Asia click here.
Equipping Initiatives: The task force has started a training and mentoring platform to help pastors and church leaders who want to see family discipleship take root in their churches. This group is being formed into a community of leaders and advocates for family discipleship. They are also looking to work with seminaries and key thought leaders to build a pool of Asian-centred resources.
Ongoing Developments: At the AEA General Assembly August 7th to 11th, 2024, space has been created to further the strategies for building a family discipleship culture in Asia
Online Conference
D6 Asia is for all the countries in Asia with the exception of Singapore, Malaysia and Korea which will have local in-person opportunities.
D6 Asia ‘Pioneer countries’ Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan can register for free. Registration closes 15 May 2024 (https://asiaea.org/d6asia)
Simultaneous interpretation will be available for the main sessions in: Hindi, Indonesian, Khmer, Mongolian and Thai.
Worldwide research results on the Great Commission
As noted in the highlights, the recent Great Commission report released by Lausanne sheds light on a crucial aspect of our mission. They surveyed major evangelical leaders worldwide, asking about opportunities and challenges for the Great Commission in their regions. The resounding response? The paramount importance of discipleship. This reinforces what has been emphasized since our last General Assembly: discipleship must form a core part of our strategy and focused efforts if we are to fulfill our mission effectively.
Valuable insights regarding the global landscape of discipleship underscore the Church’s heightened focus on theological education for new believers, ranging from 15-28% across different regions. However, there’s a noticeable gap in nurturing the integration of faith with everyday challenges. A parallel theme emerges when assessing how intentional we are in integrating into church life versus societal/cultural integration. This data underscores our urgent call to seek and intentionally build a strategic discipleship plan not only for our churches but for ourselves as well.
Mobilize 100 missional families of exploration and service together
There’s been a growing wave of momentum surrounding the welfare of families and the indispensable role of children within this narrative. Recent dialogues between GoPlay and the Global Children’s Forum have raised a profound question: How can we inspire a million families worldwide to embrace a missional mindset in both thought and action?
In response to the pressing needs of our world and in collaboration with our Kingdom partners, they embarked on a visionary journey, pondering how God might pave a path to empower and mobilize 100 missional families to embark on a journey of exploration and service together. In March 2023, these visionary minds convened as collaborative partners to unify various movements and initiate working groups. The outcome was the articulation of a collective statement, symbolizing their unified pursuit of a shared objective.
These movements are taking substantial strides and providing invaluable tools for this transformative journey, which are readily accessible on their website.
Resources
Parenting with a Global Vision
Introducing “Parenting with a Global Vision,” produces by Via, is a transformative 6-week journey crafted for parents to unearth the significance of consistently shepherding their children towards God’s heart and the expansive tapestry of His global intentions. This resource not only equips parents with invaluable insights but also furnishes them with tools to engage their children in the exploration. Accessible as a digital download at a nominal fee, or opt for a printed copy for a slightly higher investment covering printing and shipping costs.
In the chaos and busyness of life, parents lose focus on the importance of taking time to disciple their children past the immediate needs of the day. The challenges are real, but in the midst of all, we are called to remind our purpose and the invitation Jesus gives to all of us to be part of the Great Commission and share the greatest story ever told.
This remarkable resource serves as a beacon for both group and individual studies, guiding families to embrace their role in God’s narrative while fostering rich, soul-stirring dialogues with fellow parents on this shared voyage of faith and discovery.
More details can be found HERE
D6 Training material
D6 family ministry movement, derives its name from Deuteronomy 6 in Scripture. The movement emphasizes the importance of passing down faith and values from one generation to the next, echoing the commandment to impress upon future generations. For more details click HERE.
D6 is a family ministry movement connecting church and home. Barnas research shows the we lose 64% of the kids who grow up in church. D6 aims to address this issue by offering support, resources, and strategies for families and churches to focus on the family unit as the cornerstone of discipleship. Overall, it encourages a comprehensive generational discipleship approach for faith formation and community building within families and churches.
To see one of the sessions on generational disciplship approach check ou @d6asiafamilyconference243
