Why Family Ministry Matters
By Matt Moore
At Harvest DeSoto, our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, but what role does the family play in this mission? In recent decades, many churches have seen younger generations drift from active faith. While there are many contributing factors, one consistent reality is that the long-term faith of children is most often strengthened when discipleship takes root at home.
At Harvest DeSoto, we believe Family Ministry plays a vital role in our mission to make disciples. We believe God designed families—not church programing alone—as the primary environment where faith is nurtured and passed on.
That’s why Family Ministry at Harvest DeSoto seeks to come alongside parents and families to equip, encourage, and support them in leading their children to know and follow Jesus.
Parents as Primary Disciple-Makers
Scripture gives parents the sacred calling to lead their children spiritually. In Deuteronomy 6:4–9, God instructs parents to teach His Word diligently and weave His truth into everyday life.
Our Family Ministry recognizes that no one has more lasting spiritual influence on a child than their parents. But that doesn’t mean parents walk alone. We want to equip families with tools, teaching, and community so that faith can flourish both in the home and within the larger body of Christ.
As a church family, we share this calling together — encouraging parents by cultivating a culture of discipleship that spans every generation. We believe all are called to help in the raising and admonition of children in the church family. All people participate in discipleship, from the cradle to the grave.
Marriage: The Foundation of Family
Before there were families, there was marriage. God created marriage as a living picture of the gospel — the relationship between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:22–33).
Strong marriages provide a foundation of safety, grace, and stability for the next generation. Family Ministry begins here: helping husbands and wives grow in Christ, love one another well, and extend that love to their children.
Even when families face hardship or brokenness, the gospel speaks hope. Jesus redeems and restores what is fractured, and the church comes alongside to support and strengthen homes in every season. At Harvest DeSoto, we have multiple focused ministries that help support men, women, and their marriages. From our men’s discipleship program (As the Man Goes) to our annual marriage conference, we believe in cultivating healthy marriages that penetrate into healthy parenting.
The Home: A Daily Discipleship Environment
Every home is a classroom for faith. It’s where children see grace practiced, hear truth applied, and learn what it means to follow Jesus in everyday life.
We know every family looks different, and all face unique challenges. That’s why Harvest DeSoto’s Family Ministry aims to help homes become places where God’s Word is central, prayer is natural, and love is evident—even in the ordinary rhythms of life.
When struggles or needs arise, the church steps in as a spiritual family, surrounding each home with encouragement and care. One way we strive to live this out is to spend regularly praying for and hearing the prayers of our church family. We want to cultivate an environment where families can be vulnerable about their needs, and our church family is ready and willing to intercede on their behalf.
The Church Family: A Community of Faith
Through faith in Jesus, we become part of something larger — God’s family, a family of families. John 1:12 reminds us that those who believe in Christ are given the right to become His children.
This new family is a rich, intergenerational community. Older believers invest in the younger. Singles and couples without children become mentors and encouragers. Children and students grow up seeing faith modeled in the lives of people who love and serve Jesus. This means that even if you do not have biological children, you have a role to play in family discipleship. All people in the Family of God are instructed to love, care for, and raise its members in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
While age-specific ministries can be valuable and meaningful, they work best when they remain connected to the broader life of the church—where worship, learning, and service happen together across generations.
A Unified Approach to Discipleship
Our Family Ministry is guided by two core values: disciple-making and missional living. Every event, class, and gathering flows from these priorities.
We want to see children and students come to know Christ, grow in His Word, and live out their faith — not in isolation, but as part of a community of believers who love and serve together. One of the ways we live this out at Harvest DeSoto is through our monthly family discipleship event, The Bridge. At the first Sunday of every month, children of all ages come together to share a meal, hear a Bible lesson, and spend valuable time in age-specific discussion groups. We also provide guides to equip parents to continue these conversations at home through lessons, family discussion questions, and engaging activities for kids.
This is just one of the ways that we at Harvest DeSoto practically live out our calling to equip families to disciple their children well. We invite all people to participate in this mission with us because after all,Family Ministry is not a separate track of the church’s mission; it’s a vital expression of it.
Let’s Grow Together
Whether you’re married or single, raising children or not, you’re part of a family — God’s family. At Harvest DeSoto, we’re committed to helping one another live out the gospel in our homes and relationships.
If you’d like to learn more or get connected to our Family Ministry, reach out to connect@harvestdesoto.org. Together, we’ll continue growing as disciples — one home, one generation, one heart at a time.