Parents Forum – Kairos

Each year Kairos gathers online with parents and youth workers from around the country to discuss one area of significance when it comes to raising children as disciples.

For our first three years we focused on the area of media and technology, always aiming to give some thoughtful commentary as well as practical takeaways. In 2024, we changed things up and talked about the area of dating. As always we tried to present a balance of principle and practice, and we were also blessed to hear a few testimonies from parents.

The 2026 Kairos Parents Forum focused on establishing and strengthening family culture. Culture is fundamentally formative. This is true for each of us, but especially so for young people. The culture that we form in our homes shapes them and in many ways directs them, hopefully towards what is good. One of the foundations of building a strong family culture is viewing the family as a “community of daily life.” We are related to our family members through blood and the law, but our connection with them also comes from the simplest of things: our daily life together. Family culture isn’t abstract, it’s as practical as anything. It’s dinners at the table, doing dishes together, helping younger siblings with homework, and staying up late talking with teenagers. In this forum, we presented three “levers” to help each of us strengthen our family cultures and respond to what God has invited us to build. First, we need a vision of where we’re going, but also an understanding of where we are right now. Second, we want to establish daily patterns that help unite us and give context for our relationships. Finally, we want our homes to be warm - which might sound vague, but it’s not. We discussed why that’s not only practical, but also essential.