In the last 20ish years, a movement has risen that focuses on encouraging and equipping parents to disciple their children.

This is a good thing. We know no one has more influence in a child's life than his or her parents. And Scripture makes it clear that parents are to pass on their faith to their children.

But, I wonder if, in the push to get parents to disciple their children, we have forgotten something.

You can't pass on something you don't first have yourself.

Deuteronomy 6, which is a mantra passage for the movement, says this in verse 7 (MSG): "Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children."

Notice that it says parents must first know God's Word themselves if they are going to pass it along to their children.

In the majority of cases, I'm afraid we haven't focused enough on teaching parents God's Word, so they in return, can teach it to their children.

Want proof of this?

A recent survey among church-going parents revealed that 51 percent do not know what the term "the Great Commission" means.

25 percent say it does ring a bell, though they can't remember what it is. Six percent say they are not sure if they have ever heard the term before.

Let's narrow that down to today's parents, who are Gen Xers and Millennials.

Only 17 percent of church-going Gen Xer's know the Great Commission. Only 10 percent of church-going Millennials know the Great Commission.

Unless something changes, just a small, small percentage of Gen Z will even know Christ's last command and marching orders for us as believers.

Think about it. Only 5-6 percent of the next generation of church-going kids will know the Great Commission. "If we produce parents who have a weak, water-downed, shallow faith, then that is what they will pass onto their children."

So what needs to change? The church has to get serious about discipling parents, so they in return can disciple their children.

What are some steps we can take to see this happen?

Focus on parents first. It's time we get serious about producing fully devoted, Christ-following parents who are grounded in God's Word. Our teaching and preaching must be balanced with information and application, so parents have a solid knowledge and understanding of God's Word and how to live according to His purposes.

This must happen in the worship service, in adult small groups, in men's ministry, in women's ministry and in every other format where adult discipleship is supposed to happen.

This will give parents the knowledge and tools they need to disciple their children and see them grow up to know Jesus and His Word.

Target parents at key milestones. Do you have baby dedication? If you just call it "baby dedication" or "child dedication," then change it to "Parent and Child Dedication."

Several years ago, I had started a new role as children's pastor at a large church. At the time, the church had child dedication two to three times a year. Parents registered online, but there was no class or meeting with the parents prior to the dedication. We simply met the parents in the auditorium the morning of the dedication.

After going through a few of the dedications, it became clear to me that many of the parents had no idea what the dedication was about. And it wasn't their fault. We simply weren't taking the opportunity to teach them at this important time in their life.

And so, I started a class that parents were required to go through before they dedicated their child. And in that class, we not only taught parents what the dedication was about, but we also took time to give them a biblical foundation for parenting and a strategy to disciple their children.

We saw great fruit come out of this.

There are key times, milestones, in a family's journey, where they are very open to your input and influence. These are times, that at first glance, appear to be focused on their children. But if you will be intentional about also focusing on parents during these times, you can make a huge spiritual impact in the lives of parents as well. Don't miss these opportunities to teach and disciple them.

Here are some of the key times and resources available to help you implement this. These are proven resources that have been used to disciple thousands of parents in a local church setting.

• Parent and Child Dedication: Parent and Child Dedication class and strategy will be available starting May 20 at this link.

• Bible Presentation and Celebration: As kids transition into elementary school, you can use this resource to teach not only them, but their parents as well, foundational truths about the Bible and how to make it a priority in their life.

• Faith Commitment: When a child is asking about beginning a relationship with Jesus, you can use the Starting Point class and strategy to reach not only the children, but their parents as well.

• Baptism: When a child is asking about being baptized, you can use the Baptism Class curriculum to not only teach children what baptism is but also their parents. Do this, and you'll not only see kids baptized on a regular basis, but parents as well.

• Elementary Graduation & Celebration: When kids are transitioning into middle school, you can use this resource to not only prepare them for middle school, but also to prepare their parents for parenting during the middle-school years. Key parenting and discipleship strategies are taught.

Partner with adult ministry. Rather than being a silo that only impacts children, reach out to the adult ministry in your church and partner with them to disciple parents. This could look like you teaching an adult Bible study, leading a small group of parents, collaborating with your pastor for a teaching series about family and so on.

Take the initiative in discipling parents. Often in children's ministry, we have the mindset that it's our job to disciple children and it's adult ministries' job to disciple parents. Change your thinking and take the initiative in discipling parents. Host a parenting seminar. Offer family discipleship classes. Create opportunities for parents and kids to serve together. Include discipleship questions for kids to ask their parents in your take home materials.

I mentioned earlier the verse in Deuteronomy where Moses urges parents to get God's Word in them first, so they can in return, get it in their children. There's a great example of this found in 2 Timothy 1:5. It says this: "[I am] remembering the genuine faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and that I am persuaded lives in you also."

If we are going to see the faith passed onto the next generation, we must first see parents filled with it.

Dale Hudson has been in children's ministry for over 27 years. He is the director of children's ministry at Christ Fellowship Church in south Florida. Christ Fellowship has nine campuses and ministers to over 25,000 people on weekends. Dale leads a children's ministry staff team of over 70 and a volunteer team of over 2,600. He has authored 100 Best Ideas to Turbocharge Your Children's Ministry, 100 Best Ideas to Turbocharge Your Preschool Ministry, Children's Ministry in the 21st Century, Sunday School That Works, the churchleaders.com Top 100 book, and If Disney Ran Your Children's Ministry.

Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!

FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.

The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.