“We must not lose the generations,” warned Gwen De Rosario, director of the Asia Evangelical Alliance’s Family & Children Commission. She’s right — and today, we’re standing dangerously close to that very edge.

De Rozario laid out a bold and necessary shift: churches must stop functioning as the primary source of discipleship and start becoming equipping centers for families. After all, real, lasting faith is passed on person-to-person. It doesn’t happen once a week in a Sunday school classroom, but every day around the dinner table, in the car, during bedtime prayers.

“We cannot speak of expanding gospel witness while losing the next generation through inattention to family life,” De Rozario said. “Families matter to God. They are the center-piece of a Biblical social order. They have always been integral to how God works through history.”

Abraham taught Isaac. Moses instructed Israel to talk about God’s law with their children when they sit, walk, lie down, and rise up (Deut. 6:4–9). Scripture assumes that the home is the primary classroom.

Yet when children only hear God’s Word on Sunday, the world disciples them the other six days. The result? Packed pews today, but a disappearing generation tomorrow.

Cultural Chaos Is a Discipleship Failure

If we need proof of what happens when families step back from their discipling role, we don’t have to look far.

In Idaho, officials recently declared May–June “Traditional Family Values Month.” The decision sparked celebration — and almost immediately, a cultural clash. Father of six and business owner Mark Fitzpatrick responded by hosting a festival to publicly affirm God’s design for sexuality. Families poured in, grateful for a chance to stand for truth in a culture that pressures believers into silence.

But the pushback was immediate and loud. Pro-LGBTQ+ activists protested, heckled, and attempted to shut the event down. Fitzpatrick wasn’t surprised.

“They guilted us into ‘loving and accepting them’ to the point that we have half-naked men reading books to children in libraries,” he said. “We now need to step up and push back.”

For Fitzpatrick, it’s all about restoring the light that has dimmed inside Christian homes. For too long, he argues, discipleship has been outsourced and neglected, leaving a generation shaped more by social media than Scripture. His mission is to help families reclaim what God entrusted to them.

The Harvest We’ve Overlooked

Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world — not because of soaring conversion rates, but because of strong family discipleship and generational continuity. What if Christian families took their responsibility just as seriously?

“If every church member intentionally discipled others in their home, the multiplication impact would be substantial,” De Rozario said.

Parents, grandparents, and even older siblings have a sacred charge: train the children entrusted to them in righteousness.

It’s Time to Act

Now is the moment to reengage in daily discipleship. Read Scripture at dinner. Pray together before bed. Talk about what it means to follow Christ in a confused world. Equip children to stand when they’re challenged, pressured, or unsure.

If we want our children to honor God’s words, know what’s right, and follow Christ — it starts now, with us, at home.