At a Glance
More than 60% of children who grow up in church will walk away from it in their young adult years, according to Barna. Why is this happening—and what can be done to reverse the trend? Dr. Josh Mulvihill, Executive Director of Church and Family Ministry at RenewaNation, joins us to unpack the root of the crisis: a breakdown in biblical discipleship. He shares a compelling vision for how families, churches, and schools can work together to raise children with resilient, gospel-centered worldviews—and why it starts with parents reclaiming their God-given role as the primary disciplers.
Main Topics:
- The Discipleship Disconnect – Why many Christian parents now believe it’s the church’s job to disciple their kids
- The Three-Stranded Cord – How family, church, and education can align to build a strong biblical foundation
- The Power of Grandparents – Why grandparents are overlooking their vital biblical role in passing down faith to future generations
Raising gospel-centered families isn’t about perfection—it’s about faithfulness, and the courage to make your home the frontlines of spiritual formation.
Special Guest
Dr. Josh Mulvihill serves as the Executive Director of Church and Family Ministry at RenewaNation, where he equips parents and grandparents to disciple their families and consults with church leaders to help them design Bible-based, Christ-centered children’s, youth, and family ministries.
With nearly two decades of pastoral experience, Josh has a Ph.D. in Family Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including Biblical Grandparenting, Preparing Children for Marriage, Biblical Worldview, and 50 Things Every Child Needs to Know Before Leaving Home.
Josh and his wife, Jen, homeschool their five children and live on a farm in Minnesota, where they raise KuneKune pigs, heritage breed chickens, and their black lab, Liberty.
What You'll Hear
Using the link above, you can read the transcript or listen along while highlighted text follows the podcast audio.
"A secular worldview always fails and I think we’re seeing people tasted it and realized this doesn’t work in real life.”
Josh Mulvihill [56:54]
Quotes
Go Deeper
Grandparenting: Strengthening Your Family and Passing on Your Faith
Many powerful voices are influencing your grandchildren, from those at home and in school to those in the world of entertainment and media. What can you do to speak wisdom and truth into their lives?
Grandparenting gives you a biblical foundation for investing spiritually in your grandchildren and walks you through principles of influencing them for Christ-from sharing the Gospel with unbelieving grandchildren to discipling them to a mature faith in Jesus. Josh Mulvihill, a leading expert on Christian grandparenting and an experienced pastor, explains the role of a grandparent according to the Bible, discipleship practices, and biblical principles to strengthen family relationships.
Perfect for individuals, small groups, or Sunday school classes, this book gives you the tools you need to intentionally influence grandchildren for Christ.
Your grandchildren need you-and not just as a companion or baby-sitter. God designed you to pass on a rich heritage of faith in Christ and make a difference in their lives.
Family Ministry: How Your Church Can Shepherd Parents and Grandparents to Make Disciples
Capture a biblical vision for family ministry at your church.
Family Ministry will help your church shepherd parents and grandparents to make disciples. In this book you will discover what family ministry is, why it matters, and how to establish a family ministry in your church as we explore nine biblical characteristics of a vibrant family ministry. Family Ministry will help you grow in your theology and create a comprehensive and customizable strategy that is biblical, sustainable, and fruitful. It’s a helpful resource for senior pastors, executive pastors, men’s and women’s ministry leaders, children’s pastors, youth pastors—anyone that cares about family discipleship.
Imagine the impact of parents and grandparents in your church intentionally and actively discipling their children and grandchildren for lifelong faith in Jesus. I believe it can happen, and this book will show you how.
Why Social Justice is Not Biblical Justice: An Urgent Appeal to Fellow Christians in a Time of Social Crisis
By Scott David Allen
“Highly recommended!” – Wayne Grudem, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies, Phoenix Seminary
“I urge you to read and share this book immediately and widely!” – Kelly Monroe Kullberg, author of Finding God Beyond Harvard: The Quest for Veritas
“We have long needed a book like this. Every serious Christian—especially every pastor—should read and heed the wisdom it contains.” – Tom Ascol, Senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church (Cape Coral, Florida), President of Founders Ministries
“We are a wounded nation now, and Christians need to bind up wounds and not make new ones. Instead of scorning those who push for social justice, we should recognize that leftist ideologues have twisted the concept of social justice, and some Christians have naively gone along with the distortion. Scott Allen offers an alternative that’s crucial to consider.” – Marvin Olasky, Editor in chief of WORLD magazine
Prepare yourself to defend the truth against the greatest worldview threat of our generation.
In recent years, a set of ideas rooted in postmodernism and neo-Marxist critical theory have merged into a comprehensive worldview. Labeled “social justice” by its advocates, it has radically redefined the popular understanding of justice. It purports to value equality and diversity and to champion the cause of the oppressed.
Yet far too many Christians have little knowledge of this ideology, and consequently, don’t see the danger. Many evangelical leaders confuse ideological social justice with biblical justice. Of course, justice is a deeply biblical idea, but this new ideology is far from biblical.
It is imperative that Christ-followers, tasked with blessing their nations, wake up to the danger, and carefully discern the difference between Biblical justice and its destructive counterfeit.
Why Social Justice is Not Biblical Justice aims to replace confusion with clarity by holding up the counterfeit worldview and the Biblical worldview side-by-side, showing how significantly they differ in their core presuppositions. It challenges Christians to not merely denounce the false worldview, but offer a better alternative—the incomparable Biblical worldview, which shapes cultures marked by genuine justice, mercy, forgiveness, social harmony, and human dignity. Learn more or download the free study guide.
