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Zealous: 7 Commitments For the Discipleship of the Next Generations
Are you burdened for the children growing up in your home and church to trust in Christ? Do you wonder if you’re doing the right things to lead them to saving faith? Have you lost heart in your efforts to teach and guide the next generation? “Do not be slothful in zeal,” the apostle Paul urges, “be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” (Romans 12:11) The next generation needs parents, teachers, and church leaders who are zealous for their discipleship. But where does zeal come from? And what does zealous discipleship look like day to day? In Zealous, long time pastor and Truth78 executive director David Michael describes a fervor and diligence born out of a passion for God and His glory and presents the following seven commitments that provide a vision and framework for the discipleship of the next generation...so that they might set their hope in God (Psalm 78:1-8). 1. Embrace a biblical vision for the faith of the next generation. 2. Foster a robust partnership between church and home. 3. Teach the breadth and depth of the whole counsel of God. 4. Proclaim the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. 5. Disciple the mind, heart, and will. 6. Pray with dependence on God’s sovereign grace. 7. Inspire worship of God, for the glory of God.
134 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2020
19 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
David Michael
6 books2 followersDavid and his wife Sally co-founded Truth78 (formerly Children Desiring God) with a strong commitment to casting vision and developing resources for the spiritual development of children in the home and at church. These resources reflect the passion for truth and the theological and doctrinal commitments that has marked the ministry of John Piper who was David and Sally’s pastor and ministry colleague for 33 years. In 2019, after serving as the pastor for next generations at College Park Church in Indianapolis for 5 years, David transitioned to the role of executive director at Truth78 to focus on continuing to spread the vision and equip churches around the world. David and Sally have two adult daughters and three grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 10, 2020
Fantastic!
June 21, 2021
I loved the chapter on prayer and would give that chapter five stars - it is titled "Pray with Dependence on God's Sovereign Grace" and it was inspiring and informative about how prayer can transform our hopes and realities as we teach our kids about God, ultimately acknowledging none of it is in our control.
In many places, however, the purposes of the books would have been better served if it was differentiated by age level or showed an understanding of child development. For example, the author says teaching kids that "God loves me" puts the emphasis on the wrong place; instead we should teach "God is so loving and gracious that He loves undeserving sinners like you and me." But for preschoolers or even older kids who come to church without prior religious experience, "God loves me" is a great place to start. You of course want to get to the second sentence and a deeper understanding eventually, but you can't do that without the foundational belief that God loves you. The author also makes a dig at the repeated refrain in VeggieTales: "God made you special and he loves you very much," saying it takes the focus off of God and his glory. As entertaining as VeggieTales is, it is meant for preschoolers and that is an age-appropriate thing to learn. A child needs to know that about God before they want to learn more.
The author also says about teaching children: "rather than ask them how they 'feel' regarding a particular text or biblical truth, show them what desires and affections God commands in response." I don't think it should be either/or. If we want our kids to understand and live out biblical truth, it's good to check in on how they feel about it. Making text-to-self connections is something they are used to doing in school and is a way to help them reflect on and sit in some of the more challenging and difficult commands of God. The Psalms are full of David and others saying how they feel about God's commands. We should not strive to have them memorize information, but to evaluate and analyze it. Bloom's taxonomy maps out how this is moving from factual knowledge to self-knowledge, a deeper understanding.
There is also an imagined interview with an older child who is wanting to join the church which the author frames as the child showing little understanding of faith. To me though, it looked like an uncomfortable conversation between a child and three adults who seem to want him to spout off a memorized answer that would easily encapsulate his understanding of faith in the same way he can rattle off batting averages of his favorite baseball team. I would urge that church to have a different process for membership that involves the parents and a series of conversations or classes so they can get a well rounded view of what the child believes.
The most bizarre teaching point though was this: "In recent years there has been an overemphasis on explicitly linking every Bible lesson to Jesus and the gospel." He doesn't go into details about which teaching materials do this and doesn't give an example. But I see this done very well in The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name and I hope he's not talking about that. It can be hard as a child to understand the overarching story the Bible is telling, and giving some context for it is helpful.
In many places, however, the purposes of the books would have been better served if it was differentiated by age level or showed an understanding of child development. For example, the author says teaching kids that "God loves me" puts the emphasis on the wrong place; instead we should teach "God is so loving and gracious that He loves undeserving sinners like you and me." But for preschoolers or even older kids who come to church without prior religious experience, "God loves me" is a great place to start. You of course want to get to the second sentence and a deeper understanding eventually, but you can't do that without the foundational belief that God loves you. The author also makes a dig at the repeated refrain in VeggieTales: "God made you special and he loves you very much," saying it takes the focus off of God and his glory. As entertaining as VeggieTales is, it is meant for preschoolers and that is an age-appropriate thing to learn. A child needs to know that about God before they want to learn more.
The author also says about teaching children: "rather than ask them how they 'feel' regarding a particular text or biblical truth, show them what desires and affections God commands in response." I don't think it should be either/or. If we want our kids to understand and live out biblical truth, it's good to check in on how they feel about it. Making text-to-self connections is something they are used to doing in school and is a way to help them reflect on and sit in some of the more challenging and difficult commands of God. The Psalms are full of David and others saying how they feel about God's commands. We should not strive to have them memorize information, but to evaluate and analyze it. Bloom's taxonomy maps out how this is moving from factual knowledge to self-knowledge, a deeper understanding.
There is also an imagined interview with an older child who is wanting to join the church which the author frames as the child showing little understanding of faith. To me though, it looked like an uncomfortable conversation between a child and three adults who seem to want him to spout off a memorized answer that would easily encapsulate his understanding of faith in the same way he can rattle off batting averages of his favorite baseball team. I would urge that church to have a different process for membership that involves the parents and a series of conversations or classes so they can get a well rounded view of what the child believes.
The most bizarre teaching point though was this: "In recent years there has been an overemphasis on explicitly linking every Bible lesson to Jesus and the gospel." He doesn't go into details about which teaching materials do this and doesn't give an example. But I see this done very well in The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name and I hope he's not talking about that. It can be hard as a child to understand the overarching story the Bible is telling, and giving some context for it is helpful.
February 5, 2023
A really helpful, inspiring, and calibrating read for those involved in shepherding the next generation in the local church.
January 16, 2024
Impactful and useful motivators for ministry and discipleship! Stirs the hearts and affections for Christ which encourages us to pour into the future generations!
March 28, 2024
I pray the next generations of the church would have a Big view of God.
October 23, 2025
If you are discipling children or teens—as a parent, church leader, or ministry volunteer—read this book!
April 23, 2020
Although I can see this being geared toward workers in Children’s Ministry, this is a short but excellent (and free!) read for anyone who has a heart for the next generation. I was very challenged and blessed as a mom to read the 7 Commitments to be zealous in serving the Lord in discipling our children.
“Zeal in Scripture is not simply enthusiasm. It is fervor and diligence born out of a passion for God and His glory. It is the result of a heart on fire for the glory of God that is uncontainable and spills out in zealous evangelism, discipleship, service, and good works.”
Even as a Christian homeschool mom, I don’t have this type of zeal. Or if I do, it comes in spurts. I will spend more time going over the 7 commitments and thinking of how to apply this in our family life. One thing I really appreciated and hope that you don’t pass over, are the appendices with the Vision statements and documents of different ministries and organizations. They’re beautiful and I’m sure can be adapted to your own family or ministry. The author has much experience and much zeal, and it really shows.
“Zeal in Scripture is not simply enthusiasm. It is fervor and diligence born out of a passion for God and His glory. It is the result of a heart on fire for the glory of God that is uncontainable and spills out in zealous evangelism, discipleship, service, and good works.”
Even as a Christian homeschool mom, I don’t have this type of zeal. Or if I do, it comes in spurts. I will spend more time going over the 7 commitments and thinking of how to apply this in our family life. One thing I really appreciated and hope that you don’t pass over, are the appendices with the Vision statements and documents of different ministries and organizations. They’re beautiful and I’m sure can be adapted to your own family or ministry. The author has much experience and much zeal, and it really shows.
July 13, 2025
Excellent! Will be reading this again in preparation for a class but this should be handed out to everyone. Everyone in the church should read this book and assess for themselves how zealous are they for the Lord? And especially, how committed are they to the bringing up and discipling of the next generation?
January 15, 2021
A must-read for anyone shepherding the next generation...especially parents! I’ll be coming back to this again and again to solidify the seven commitments and refresh my soul toward zeal in discipleship.
May 14, 2025
Encouraging book for folks in ministry to stay steadfast, to work as unto the Lord. Would have loved a few of the points to be fleshed our a bit more with practical applications, but this was a great book to read as a staff!
April 25, 2020
Very encouraging and inspiring. Fuels my passion for helping generations know and love the glorious God of the Bible and embrace the salvation accomplished by Jesus Christ.
July 22, 2022
A short and sweet book to increase your excitement for discipling the next generation of believers.
September 2, 2022
Helpful for sure! Definitely a good foundational book for youth pastors, children pastors, and Christian parents.
January 5, 2025
Excellent and challenging in a healthy way. Make sure you read the final chapter which brings the challenge into perspective and will encourage your souls commitment
December 9, 2021
As a children’s ministry director this book helped me refocus on where the emphasis should be in my ministry and gave me helpful language to communicate this vision to volunteers and parents! It also encouraged my weary soul. The last chapter “Do Not Lose Heart” is priceless for the discouraged (and we are all there sometimes) ministry soul!
April 3, 2021
David Michael provides helpful tips for discipline and raising up the next generation of believers. This book is primarily target at building a children’s ministry that is focused on making lifelong disciple makers. Over all, it provides practical ways for church leaders to do this.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews