My grandparents once had a wall of pictures in the long hallway at the top of the stairs in their home. I can remember my mom and aunts standing around the pictures after a new cousin was born, talking about how much the new addition favored one older relative or another. These days it seems like everyone is tracing their ancestry and genetic history. Discovering where we’ve come from helps us to understand something about ourselves.

That’s one of the reasons I love Martin Luther. He’s like a bombastic German uncle who has helped me to understand both the centrality of the gospel and the Bible’s two-fold strategy for family discipleship.

Luther’s plan for reaching the next generation began with a focus on the family. He was passionate about parents teaching their children, but the Reformer’s experience visiting the churches of rural Saxony in the late 1520s seems to have convinced him of the need for some institutional safeguards as well. In many ways, the story of contemporary family ministry mirrors Luther’s journey. See my full reflections on Luther’s trip to Saxony at Phoenix Seminary’s Shepherds and Scholars blog.