Christian Family Conversation Topics for Summer

FAITH CHRISTIAN FAMILY CONVERSATION TOPICS

While every family knows faith is an essential, it can often be the hardest one to have an authentic conversation about and not just fall into Christian cliches. Summer is a great inflection point during the year, so these family discussion topics can help your family take a pause to evaluate more honestly together.

• How have we been learning more about the character of God? And what specifically have you learned?
  Use this topic to get insight into the faith habits that have been impactful or the organic moments that have played a role in your family knowing God more intimately. For example, maybe a challenge that your family went through recently was a big catalyst moment for everyone to deepen their knowledge of God being sovereign.
• Where has our faith felt the most distant or disconnected so far this year?
  Asking this question as the reverse of the previous topic will help your family also be honest about the struggles so that you’re not just focused on the Christian cliches. Help your family unpack the root of why those areas have been challenges and what you can do to support each other.
• How does the way you act on a daily basis show the character of God and where can it improve?
  Make sure to challenge people with this topic. It’s not just cherry-picking examples, but you want to create an honest evaluation about what the sum total of your daily actions display. Consider having each person write out a list of actions that are part of their day and evaluate together.

GROWTH CHRISTIAN FAMILY CONVERSATION TOPICS

The next area to discuss as a family this summer is growth. You are halfway through the year, so you need to make sure everyone is clear about where you are trying to head as a team. Use these topics as starting points, and add your own specific to the goals you have as a family.

• What is a boundary we need to set this summer in order to prioritize what God is calling us to as a family?
  This family discussion topic should help prompt you to talk about what you believe God wants your family to do, both in the summer and the rest of the year ahead. Once you have that clear perspective, you can start to hone in on the lines you need to draw that will help keep it a priority. For example, maybe you all need a rule around screentime during your Sunday dinner so you keep rest as a central part of your family.
• How do we define and practice discipleship in our home? Are there ways influences we don’t want are also discipling us?
  This topic should help drive a closer look at what is actually happening vs what you want to happen in your family life. Discipleship has Christian connotations; however, there are many ways we also become disciples, intentionally or not, of other influences. For example, what content does your family spend the most time consuming?
• What words best define the identity of our family right now? What do you want to change or want more of?
  Family identity is being set whether you realize it or not, so use this family discussion topic to hear what your family is thinking. Make sure that you talk about who you are right now vs who you want to be.

DISCERNMENT CHRISTIAN FAMILY CONVERSATION TOPICS

The last area to touch on as a family this summer is your potential blindspots, where you need to exercise further discernment. Especially when life is busy, it’s easy just to get set in your regular routine but that can cause your family to miss opportunities or start to go down a slippery slope unintentionally.

• What practices do we use as a family to truly see and love our neighbors?
  It doesn’t just have to be your physical next-door neighbors either! Jesus says this should be one of our defining traits as Christians, so you need to be examining this topic as a family. You don’t need more busyness of things to do, but you do need to be prioritizing life so that the important things get the space they need. (Check out our guide on pruning as a family to help you get back to what matters most!)
• Does the current pace of our home allow us to have rest and stay connected? Or what are we doing that may have a long-term cost?
  This question in particular is a great way to hear the opinions of every member in your family. Make sure they know it’s a safe place to share perspectives without being judged or argued with. Talk about what good rest and connection looks like too!
• How are our current communication practices helping or hurting our relationships? What is something you think we could add or something we could stop?
  Communication ultimately is one of the core pillars your family will stand on, so using discernment here of what is having an impact will help you identify where to grow. Sometimes, the smallest tweaks can make the biggest difference.

REGULAR CONVERSATION SETS YOUR FAMILY UP FOR SUCCESS

At the end of the day, whether it’s summer or another season, one of the most crucial rhythms for your family simply is intentional conversation. You need to have a process for check-ins if you want to grow and if you want everyone to stay connected.

Repetition and consistency will help build your home, so don’t doubt the importance of these small moments to ask questions and listen.

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Want a fun way to start this check-in process? Try out our Family Core Survey where your family can rate themselves and get a custom report of your strongest areas and growth opportunities as a family in 5 Christian essentials.