Spiritual Growth and Faith Formation Through Family Practices

Abstract

AbstractFaith that is woven into the fabric of everyday family life shapes us in ways both seen and unseen. It is not something we have to add to our already full lives; it is something that grows right in the middle of what we are already doing. The home serves as a vital place where faith is nurtured, reinforced, and experienced. Families face challenges, including time constraints, distractions, resistance from family members, cultural expectations, and unrealistic feelings of perfectionism and guilt. This thesis examines how the ordinary and grace-filled moments of family life can be environments where faith is cultivated, and it offers ideas to counteract the challenges families face. This study employs biblical exegesis, theological reflection, and historical analysis to explore how family discipleship has been understood from the Old and New Testaments, through the early church, and into contemporary faith communities. To help families, it also incorporates practical strategies that can be integrated daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. This thesis concludes that faith needs to be nurtured within the home while churches provide essential teaching and support. Families must move beyond programmatic participation and embrace faith formation with a commitment to discipleship becoming an embodied practice. Families and churches must work together, not by adding to already full schedules, but by recognizing and cultivating faith in the everyday moments that are already present. Spiritual formation is not about perfection but about presence. When families are encouraged to embrace faith in their daily lives, they create an environment where faith can be passed down for generations to come.