Roots and Branches: Raising Children to Follow Jesus Beyond the Home

Little Seeds, Big Fruit Series — Blog 6

September 8, 2025

Becky Chocklette

Seeds Grow Roots and Branches

Every seed planted in soil contains the potential for both roots and branches. Roots dig deep into the ground, anchoring and nourishing the plant. Branches stretch outward and upward, reaching into the world around them, bearing fruit, and giving shelter.

In the same way, a child’s faith must grow deep roots in God’s Word and presence, while also stretching outward in faithfulness and mission. Parenting, then, is about helping children develop both: roots that anchor them in Christ and branches that extend in faithfulness and fruitfulness to bless the world.

This blog explores the twofold task of raising children with deep roots in God and strong branches that reach into the world to glorify Jesus.

Parenting for Roots and Branches

1. Growing Deep Roots in Faith

Roots provide strength and stability to withstand storms. Without them, even the tallest tree will topple. Parents are called to help their children grow deep roots in faith that will sustain them throughout life.

Joshua 24:15 (NIV) gives us the guiding commitment:

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Deep roots are cultivated when children see Scripture, prayer, and service as consistent parts of family life.

• Scripture: Teach children to love God’s Word. Read it daily, discuss it at meals, and encourage memorization. Roots grow strong when truth is hidden in the heart (Psalm 119:11).

• Prayer: Model honest prayer in joy and in struggle. Show that prayer is not just ritual but relationship.

• Service: Engage children in serving at home, in church, and in the community. Service grounds their faith in action, reminding them that following Jesus means loving others.

Paul David Tripp writes that “parenting is not first about what we want for our children or from our children, but about what God in grace has planned to do through us in our children.”[1] Helping children grow roots is not about control but about pointing them to the One who anchors them eternally.

2. Helping Branches Stretch Outward

Just as roots must go deep, branches must also reach outward. Parents must not only ground children in truth but also encourage them to extend outward in service, responsibility, and discipleship.

Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew 28:19–20 (NIV) reminds us:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Children are not meant to remain under the protective canopy of home forever. They are meant to extend their branches outward — bearing fruit, giving shade, and providing shelter to others through the love of Christ. Parents encourage healthy branches by:

• Asking Questions: Encourage children to wrestle with their beliefs. Don’t fear doubts — see them as opportunities to point them deeper into truth.

• Providing Service Opportunities: Let children serve in tangible ways, whether on mission trips, at food pantries, or by leading at church.

• Teaching Responsibility: Give children increasing responsibility at home and in relationships. Trust them to make choices and learn from mistakes.

• Building Resiliency: Help them navigate failure with grace. Teach them that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

As Teresa Roberts explains, “our role as parents is not to build cages of safety but to raise disciples who can grow — rooted in the gospel and extending outward into mission.”[2]

3. Trusting God for Growth

No matter how faithfully parents plant seeds, water them, and tend the soil, growth ultimately belongs to God. Paul captures this truth in 1 Corinthians 3:7 (NIV):

“So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

Parents must hold their children with open hands, trusting that God is the Master Gardener. We plant seeds through Scripture, prayer, and service. We water them with encouragement, discipline, and love. But it is God who causes roots to deepen and branches to grow.

Trusting God requires releasing control. As children grow and extend their branches into the world, parents may feel fear. But confidence comes from knowing that God’s Spirit goes with them. Just as a tree’s branches are sustained by its unseen roots, children who are grounded in Christ will carry their faith into the world even when parents are no longer present.

[1] Paul David Tripp, Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024), 15.

[2] Teresa Roberts, Raising Disciples: Guiding Your Kids into a Faith of Their Own (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2024), 146.

From Seeds to Lasting Fruit

John’s words in 3 John 1:4 capture the deepest joy of Christian parenting:

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

Parents, your calling is to plant seeds that grow into both roots and branches. Roots that anchor children in God’s unchanging truth. Branches that extend to serve, love, and live boldly for Christ beyond the safety of home.

The fruit of your parenting may not always be immediately visible, but the seeds you plant today will bear fruit tomorrow. As you read Scripture together, pray in the ordinary moments, serve with compassion, and encourage your children to extend outward in mission, you can trust that God is faithfully at work.

You are raising disciples who will carry the gospel further than you ever could — strong trees with deep roots and wide branches, bearing fruit for generations to come.