Equipping Parents of Bethel Bible Church, Tyler, Texas, to Use Family Mealtimes in the Spiritual Formation of Their Children

Abstract

ABSTRACT

EQUIPPING PARENTS OF BETHEL BIBLE CHURCH, TYLER,

TEXAS, TO USE FAMILY MEALTIMES IN THE SPIRITUAL

FORMATION OF THEIR CHILDREN

Mark Daniel Kuykendall, D.Ed.Min.

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2016

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Danny R. Bowen

The project seeks to equip parents of Bethel Bible Church to use family mealtimes in the spiritual formation of their children.

Chapter 1 gives the purpose, goals, establishes the context and rationale for equipping parents to use family meals to disciple their children.

Chapter 2 explores the biblical precedent for both parents being the primary disciplers of their children and the power of meals in the spiritual formation of people.

Chapter 3 focuses on the theoretical, philosophical, and practical issues for parents in using family mealtimes in the spiritual formation of their children.

Chapter 4 explains the implementation of the project. The process began by assessing the current practices and perceptions of family discipleship. An eight-week family mealtime devotional curriculum, called “I Spy,” was developed and evaluated. Three identical parent training sessions were conducted and the pre-project survey was collected. Upon conclusion of the eight weeks a post-survey was collected for analysis.

Chapter 5 offers an evaluation of the effectiveness, discusses strengths and weaknesses, and concludes with theological and personal reflections.