Ministry Café spotlights discipleship in the family

Pastor Craig Etheredge told participants meeting over lunch for the Ministry Café that certain components should be present in churches that are engaged in disciple-making, including a large group gathering for celebration, worship, the Word, and prayer; smaller groups that provide a community experience; and cells where men and women meet separately to be challenged and trained with high accountability. The pastor of First Baptist Church of Colleyville reminded, “You must be an example of what a disciple-maker is to your people.”

“Some of the best moments for me in high school were when healthy Christian friends opened their homes and I got to see Jesus in community,” recalled Ben Stuart of the Breakaway campus ministry on the A&M campus. He advised parents to set up situations where their students can be around influencers worth celebrating.

Parents should want their children to be godly, gainfully employed, and gone, stated Chris Osborne, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Bryan. “The purpose of godly offspring is to not stay in your life but to go somewhere else to live out a godly calling no matter where that takes them,” he said. “Set them free in Jesus Christ.”