Resourcing Busy Parents in Family Discipleship

Packed schedules make faith at home feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! Discover simple, practical ways to help parents weave discipleship into everyday moments—without adding pressure.

Lucy Rycroft
4 minute read
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As a children’s ministry leader, you don’t need me to tell you how busy families are.

You’ll have your own stories from your community, but they might range from children being out at a different extra-curricular activity every night; parents and carers pouring time into lengthy applications for their child’s neurodiversity diagnosis or mental health support; families running from commitment to commitment as they try to appease the demands of work, school, family, friends and church.

Perhaps you’ve seen some drop-off in attendance since the pandemic, because families who once prioritised church on Sundays now seem unable to do so. Maybe you’re struggling with numbers to your midweek group or after-school club, because of so many other competing activities.

It can sometimes feel impossible to know how to encourage parents and carers in today’s uber-busy, digital age, where increasingly two salaries are required to stay afloat, leaving little disposable time. When keeping children fed and dressed is a battle, how are we supposed to introduce the idea that perhaps a little family bible reading might not go amiss?

As a busy working mum myself, here are five thoughts as you work with parents:

1. Listen and pray with them

Be active and interested in the challenges they face. Offer to pray with them there and then – or later in your personal prayer times. Let them know that their busyness matters to God, and that he is right there with them in the middle of it.

2. Encourage them in what they're already doing

Rather than seeing discipleship as an ‘add-on’, something to get round to eventually, encourage your families to intentionally welcome God in to what they’re doing. Can they pray together whilst waiting for appointments and check-ups? Play worship music in the car on the way to swimming? Chat about what God was doing in their church groups over Sunday lunch?

3. Integrate Bible truths, rather than set extra homework

To parents and carers, take-home sheets from church can sometimes feel like an extra thing to do on top of an already-full to-do list for their kids of daily reading, learning spellings, practising their instrument and calling Grandma. Instead say, 'Today we were learning about how we can trust God even in difficult times. This week when your child encounters something difficult, why not remind them of this truth and pray together about the situation?'

4. Encourage families to pair Bible reading with another fun family tradition

Whether it’s your Saturday morning pancakes or Friday night takeaway and film night, adding a short Bible reading into special family times is not hard to do, but gives your kids positive memories of Bible reading as they grow up. It can be as simple as one verse from a psalm, but might eventually develop into a short passage and discussion.

5. Recommend a small number of helpful resources

There are so many great resources out there, designed to help families grow in relationship with Jesus. But you know your families best. Where are they in their faith journey? What do they need in this moment? What will they be able to access? What will they make time for? Don’t overwhelm your families with recommendations they haven’t asked for, as they’ll soon switch off – but a choice book or two every so often could be the help they’ve been looking for.

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Resources for Parents and Caregivers

Imagine having a treasure trove of exceptional books and podcasts, handpicked for both kids and grown-ups, right at your fingertips. Our list is curated with love and aligns perfectly with our Statement of Faith, so you can trust every suggestion.

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My new book, Busy Family Devotional, has been written from years of experience of trying (and failing) to gather my own family around the Bible. It’s no frills, short, easy, and accessible for any family to do, at any stage in their faith journey. There are no pages of endless questions, involved craft activities or other pressures on frazzled grown-ups. You get 52 concise devotionals which take you through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, in weekly sessions for one year.

Because I believe in the power of God’s word to speak directly to us, that’s essentially what happens in the Busy Family Devotional. To support the Bible passage, you get a fun ice-breaker question, a brief context, three questions (closed, to check understanding, and open, to learn how to grapple with God’s word ourselves), a prayer prompt and optional memory verse. It’s easy, but with depth – and it can be done in just a few minutes over a meal or in the car.

God understands our busy families better than we do. He’s right there in the crazy, ready to meet us and grow our faith. This is good news for busy people, and good news for those who minister to them! So don’t be afraid, don’t fear the crowded schedules, but know that God can and will act within them.

Lucy Rycroft is an author, founder of The Hope-Filled Family and part-time music teacher. She lives in York with her husband and four children.

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