Two institutions God has set up to build his people are the family, and the church. Both are important and it is critical that they interconnect.
John McClean credits his Christian upbringing for laying a solid faith foundation for him. Growing up in a country town, he experienced consistent discipleship through family Bible reading and prayer, led by his parents. His father, a busy doctor, prioritised these moments, demonstrating the value of grounding family life in God’s Word. John recalls the formative impact of family discussions on theology and Christian living during his teenage years, coupled with encouragement from the youth ministry both within and beyond his church.
Now a father, grandfather, Bible college vice principal, and theologian, John has navigated the intersections of faith, family, and ministry, offering insights into how discipleship can flourish within families and churches.
John says, “The storyline of the Bible is just so focused on families. There are some people who become Christians apart from a Christian family and so in the first instance, all of their discipleship happens in church, and that’s great, and we want that to happen. But God makes it abundantly clear that discipleship in the family is foundational. Ephesians 6:4 tells us that God has appointed parents to raise children in the Lord. This reflects the biblical pattern of the significance of having and raising children.”
John’s ministry journey began with roles in youth ministry, including serving as a minister in Cowra, where he took on youth ministry responsibilities alongside his broader pastoral duties. Now, as Vice Principal at Christ College, where he has served for 22 years, John continues to train and equip Christian leaders.
At PY Encourage Sydney earlier this year, we invited John to come along and train ministry leaders in how to foster partnership with parents. He emphasised understanding and respecting parents’ expectations, maintaining open communication, and finding ways to support families in their discipleship journey. Practical advice included equipping leaders to facilitate conversations between parents and teens, respecting confidentiality, and avoiding getting caught in conflicts between the two. He also encouraged youth ministries to engage with non-Christian families by building trust and offering opportunities for connection.
It is clear that the most effective Christian discipleship happens when parents and the church work together. At PYNSW we long to see ministry leaders confident in partnering with parents in their important discipleship work. We are thankful for the work of people like John who help us to help our ministry leaders around the state to make this happen by partnering with the parents in their midst.
We want to continue training like this and more! We want to be financially sustainable and viable as a ministry to keep being creative in training and helping local Presbyterian churches.
Will you help us to continue to create spaces, resources, and opportunities to partner with ministry leaders and parents?