Best Family Discipleship Books

TLDR: A list of the best books on family discipleship that I’ve come across.

Updated April 22, 2025.

Not all family discipleship books are equal. That’s important to know. When it comes to purchasing one for your family, or to give to someone else, it’s best to think specifically of that family’s context and needs. Then consider the best book to match that need. For example, is the family brand new at discipleship, or are they seasoned veterans looking for an extra boost? Are they looking for a book to help them understand what family discipleship is and why it matters, or are they looking for something to give them practical ways to do it? Are they looking for something on family discipleship specifically, or are they looking for a broader parenting book?

Below are some of the best books I have found on family discipleship. For each one, I’ll try to share what I think the better use of it would be.

If you have any suggestions for books to add, I’d love to hear from you.

Book cover images come from Amazon.com.

Anthony, Michelle. Spiritual Parenting: An Awakening for Today’s Families. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 2010.

This is a great book for families that have the basics of family discipleship down and are looking for a way to take it to the next level. It lays out a pretty comprehensive approach, and at times it is written in a way that could make a family new at discipleship or one that is struggling in it feel like they are failing. Think of this as an “advanced” level type of book. Use it or give it out to families who are ready for it.

Chandler, Matt and Adam Griffin. Family Discipleship: Leading Your Home through Time, Moments, and Milestones. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020.

This is the opposite of Spiritual Parenting. This is a fantastic “starter” book on the family discipleship. It lays out a broad framework of why family discipleship matters and provides practical, attainable ideas for how to begin. It doesn’t cover a specific strategy for what to cover in family discipleship, so it is best paired with a book that does that. Think of this as a “beginner” level type of book.

Dembowczyk, Brian. Faith Foundations: 99 Devotions to Help Your Family Know, Love, and Act Like Jesus. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2025.

In some ways, this is a follow up to Family Discipleship that Works, but it can certainly stand alone too. The 99 family devotions are built off of a family catechism to teach the core doctrines of the faith. And while the devotional time is not the same as the model in Family Discipleship that Works, several components are, such as welcoming a time for questions and wonder statements and capping each devotion by pointing to Jesus and how we can live like him.

Dembowczyk, Brian. Family Discipleship that Works: Guiding Your Child to Know, Love, and Act Like Jesus. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2024.

Call me a “homer,” but what can I say? I wrote this book to help families, and I truly believe it can do that, not because of me, but because of Jesus who I tried to point it toward. The big takeaways here are (1) family discipleship has never worked in America, (2) we need to try a new approach that is faithful to Scripture, (3) discipleship is about acting, not just knowing and believing, and (4) we are called to act like Jesus.

Evans, Tony. Raising Kingdom Kids: Giving Your Child a Living Faith. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2014.

This could be a great partner with Family Discipleship above. It’s encouraging and accessible and provides some direction of the content to share in family discipleship. This is a great well-rounded book on the topic. It could be my choice of books to give out if I could only give one out and/or if I didn’t know a family’s context.

Garland, Diana R. Inside Out Families: Living the Faith Together. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2010.

This book sort of stands alone in this list. Instead of focusing on family discipleship vision and philosophy or the practical content of what to teach, this one sees families serving together as integral. It’s a book on how families can “do” their faith more than how it can be passed along. Although doing faith surely magnifies the chances of it being passed down.

Holmen, Mark. Impress Faith on Your Kids. Nashville, TN: Randall House, 2011.

This book is designed around Deuteronomy 6 and the command to impress, or imprint, faith on our kids. It provides a good explanation of that critical command and ways that families can do it. It’s a good balance then, of presenting the why and the how.

Kimmel, Tim. Grace Based Parenting: Set Your Family Free. Nashville, TN: W Publishing, 2004.

This book isn’t as much one on family discipleship as it is in a parenting approach that is saturated with grace. So this would not be a book I would recommend for families who need help specifically with discipleship. However, it’s too good and too helpful for parenting in general to leave off this list. Plus, if we are not loving our kids well and parenting with grace, we hinder our discipleship efforts.

Powell, Kara, and Chap Clark. Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011.

This has students in mind more than kids, but the principles apply to discipling kids too. And this book is wonderfully gospel-centered. This would be a natural for parents of middle schoolers or high schoolers. But it would also be a really great book to use as a standard go-to in this area.

Rainey, Dennis, et al. The Art of Parenting: Aiming Your Child’s Heart toward God. Bethany House Publishers, 2018.

If you are looking for a comprehensive book on parenting—ranging from philosophy down to the very practical—this is a great one to consider. It does hit on discipleship, but only as part of the broader subject matter. This could be a solid choice for new parents.

Thomas, Gary. Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls, Revised, Updated edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017.

Much like Grace Based Parenting, this one isn’t really about discipleship, but rather about a theology of parenting. And unlike all the other books on this list, this one focuses on the parent—how parents are changed by their children. This would be another strong book to consider for new parents.

Wilson, Dave and Ann. No Perfect Parents: Ditch Expectations, Embrace Reality, and Discover the One Secret That Will Change Your Parenting, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2024.

This is a story-rich, incredibly transparent book that focuses mostly on the goal of parenting, with connecting points built from that goal that extend to parenting in general and to family discipleship more specifically. This would be a solid “starter” book for parents in either lane. The Wilson’s provide a sound goal of parenting and formula for parenting, and then walk through several seasons of parenting to connect the dots.