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Entrusting The Faith

Entrusting The Faith

By: Eric Rutherford
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How do we equip our families with a biblical worldview? How do we prepare the next generation for life? How do I grow in my walk with the Lord and in my marriage? If you wrestle with these questions, you are in the right place to find answers. This podcast equips families so that future generations may know Christ. Learn Biblical instruction, grow closer to Christ, and apply the tools learned to build a legacy.© 2026 Entrusting The Faith Christianity Parenting & Families Relationships Spirituality
Episodes
  • Discipling the Next Generation: A Vision for the Church and Home - David Michael, Truth78

    Discipling the Next Generation: A Vision for the Church and Home - David Michael, Truth78
    Jun 2 2026
    Episode OverviewEric Rutherford sits down with David Michael to explore what it actually means to pass the faith from one generation to the next. They unpack the biblical mandate behind next generation ministry, why churches often miss the mark despite good intentions, and what a practical, vision-oriented approach to discipling children looks like — in both the church and the home. This episode is directly relevant to fathers who want to lead their families with intentionality and theological depth.Key Points1. Truth78 is built on Psalm 78 — and so is the mandate. The organization takes its name from Psalm 78, which describes a God-given responsibility to pass a testimony of faith from generation to generation, so that those not yet born would set their hope in God. That multigenerational vision is the driving framework for everything Truth78 produces.2. Next generation ministry has one primary reason for existing. It is not primarily to attract families, to keep children safe, or to give parents a distraction-free worship service — though those are fine secondary outcomes. The primary reason is to transfer truth about God from one generation to the next. When that gets displaced by secondary concerns, problems follow.3. Most churches lack an intentional 18-year plan. Churches are generally intentional about presenting the gospel and running quality programs, but few have a structured, long-range strategy for what truth they want children to have by the time they leave home. David argues for what he calls vision-oriented parenting — asking now what you want to be true of your child at 20, 30, or 40, and building backward from there.4. The Whole Counsel of God — five streams. Drawn from Acts 20 where Paul declares himself "innocent of your blood" because he did not shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God, Truth78 has organized comprehensive discipleship around five streams:Gospel Proclamation — a robust, not superficial, understanding of the gospel; many teenagers who grew up in church cannot explain why sin is a problem or how Christ's death solves itBiblical Survey — walking children through the full narrative of Scripture, Genesis to Revelation, multiple times over 18 years (the More Than a Story two-volume resource does this in about 750 pages)Moral and Ethical Instruction — practical wisdom from Scripture, through the Way of the Wise curriculumSystematic Theology — essential doctrines taught accessibly; the ABCs of God covers all of God's attributes in 40 lessons for early elementary studentsBiblical Theology — the redemptive story arc running through all of Scripture, taught through resources like What a Savior5. Kids are not bored by depth — they hunger for it. A common fear in children's ministry is that heavy content will lose kids. Truth78's experience is the opposite. First graders learning the word "incomprehensible" as an attribute of God love it, use it, and bring it home. Children respond positively to being taken seriously and given something real.6. Transfer of truth is not merely transactional — it targets mind, heart, and will. The goal is not just filling a child's head with correct theology. Instruction is aimed first at the mind (understanding), then the heart (desire), then the will (obedience). Truth that stays only in the mind loses its power. The framework is: get from the head to the will through the heart.7. Parents are the primary disciplers — not the church. David is direct: the church and home must partner together, but the discipleship responsibility belongs to parents first. Many parents default to "that's why I take them to church" — essentially outsourcing what is biblically their calling. The church's job is to give parents the vision and tools to do what they are already called to do.8. Men especially need practical tools, not just a call to lead. David has talked to hundreds of fathers over the years. Not one pushed back on the responsibility. The gap is not desire — it is knowing what to do. Give a man something specific and achievable. One example he offers: make it your aim daily to bring Christ near to your wife and children. That might be a quick prayer at the door before school. It does not require a formal devotional setup to be meaningful.9. Every church member has two contributions to make. David challenges every person in the pew — not just parents or ministry workers — with two things: set a worthy example and pray. Children are watching adults in the congregation; that influence is happening whether it is intentional or not. And 15 minutes of prayer per week — three minutes a day, five days — focused on the next generation in your sphere could move mountains if done across a whole church.10. Prayer is the engine — everything else is infrastructure. Perfect curriculum, aligned leadership, committed parents — none of it accomplishes anything unless God moves on the hearts of children. David closes with the ...
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    43 mins
  • Mental Health, the Church, and Equipping Families to Help - Dr. Eric Scalise

    Mental Health, the Church, and Equipping Families to Help - Dr. Eric Scalise
    May 26 2026
    Eric Rutherford sits down with Dr. Eric Scalise to tackle one of the most under-addressed areas in faith communities: mental and emotional health. They cover the stigma that still surrounds Christian counseling, the role of AI in making biblical resources more accessible, and why the local church is uniquely positioned to be a first-responder community for people in crisis.Key Points1. The stigma around mental health in the church is real, but it's changing. Many Christians wrestle with depression, anxiety, and fear while believing those struggles are signs of weak faith or sin. This creates a culture of silence, where people suffer privately until something breaks. Dr. Scalise argues the church needs to be a place where brokenness can be named — not hidden.2. The church is a mission field in both directions. Dr. Scalise shared a vivid illustration: a church had a banner reading "Now entering the mission field" as people exited the sanctuary. His challenge to the pastor: it needs to be on the inside too. Broken people are already in the pews. That is equally the mission field.3. Pastors are not required to be counselors — but they need a plan. Research shows roughly 75% of people in crisis who hold a faith will first turn to their pastor, priest, or rabbi. Yet most seminaries and Bible colleges do little to equip pastors for this. The answer is not to burden pastors with counseling roles they aren't called to, but to identify and train lay people within the congregation who are.4. The first-responder model for church care. The goal is not to produce licensed therapists in every pew. It is to develop people who can pull someone out of the water, stabilize them, and get them to the right level of help. Practical skills: listening well, creating a safe space, practicing the ministry of presence, knowing some scripture, and knowing when to refer.5. Relationship is the primary driver of counseling outcomes. In research on lay counseling effectiveness, the single most predictive factor for positive outcomes was not technique or credential — it was the quality of the relationship between the person seeking help and the one providing it. A well-trained lay counselor often achieves comparable outcomes to a licensed clinician. That is a strong case for investing in church-based care.6. AI as a tool, not a replacement. Hope for the Heart partnered with Pray.com to build the "Hope for the Heart AI Counselor" — a closed AI system that draws only from their 108-topic Keys for Living Library (approximately 15,000 pages of biblically grounded content). Unlike open AI systems that can surface dangerous or unbiblical information, this tool only returns content that has been vetted. Dr. Scalise was clear: AI is a resource and a starting point, not a substitute for human relationship.7. The closed vs. open AI distinction matters enormously for safety. Open AI platforms pull from the entire internet — which can produce harmful, unbiblical, or even dangerous outputs (Dr. Scalise referenced a real suicide linked to AI responses). Closed systems like the Hope for the Heart AI Counselor draw only from curated, trusted content. That distinction is not a technical detail; it is a safety decision with real consequences.8. Shame is the deeper barrier — and it can be addressed. Dr. Scalise distinguishes guilt from shame clearly: guilt is about what you have done; shame goes to who you are. Nearly everyone he has counseled carries some degree of shame. AI tools can help lower the initial barrier for people too ashamed to ask questions face to face, giving them a private, anonymous starting point to begin exploring what they need.9. Core issues vs. connected issues. A presenting problem like depression rarely exists in isolation. Surrounding it are connected issues — abuse history, trauma, grief, family dysfunction, addiction — that also need to be addressed. Every person's story is unique. Effective care requires understanding the whole picture, not just labeling the symptom.10. Most common topics people seek help with: Anxiety, depression, fear, worry, anger, forgiveness, and abuse. On abuse alone: national statistics indicate 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 4 boys will experience abuse before graduating high school. In any given Sunday service, that means roughly every third or fourth adult has abuse in their background. The church needs a plan for this.Quotable Moments"We live in the most technologically sophisticated society ever in history, but also the most relationally disconnected.""The sanctuary is as much of a mission field as what's outside of it. Brokenness doesn't show those kinds of boundaries.""In most presenting cases, a competently trained lay counselor has about the same outcome measures as a licensed clinician. The predominant factor is the quality of the relationship.""Shame off you." — A three-word sermon Dr. Scalise proposed for pastors ready to create a culture of openness in their church.Resources ...
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    40 mins
  • Why Praying for the Nations Changes Everything - Kyle Eipperle, Operation World

    Why Praying for the Nations Changes Everything - Kyle Eipperle, Operation World
    May 5 2026

    What if the simplest, most overlooked act in your faith could shape nations, strengthen your family, and even change your life’s direction?

    In this episode of Entrusting the Faith, Eric Rutherford sits down with missionary and Operation World researcher Kyle Eipperle to unpack the power of prayer, global missions, and raising families with a vision far beyond their home.

    After nearly 20 years serving in Ukraine, Kyle shares how God redirected his mission back to the U.S., not to slow down, but to multiply impact through one of the most influential global prayer resources in the world.

    This conversation will challenge how you think about prayer, expose the spiritual realities most people never see, and equip you to lead your family with purpose.

    Highlights:

    • The surprising origin story of Operation World and how it grew into a global movement
    • What an “unreached people group” really means and why it matters more than you think
    • Why prayer, not strategy, has always been the foundation of global missions
    • How entire political systems have shifted because believers prayed
    • The hidden spiritual battles happening in countries you rarely hear about
    • How to disciple your kids with a global, gospel-centered worldview
    • Real stories of people who started praying… and ended up becoming missionaries

    Why This Episode Matters:
    Most Christians never think beyond their immediate world. This episode expands your vision.

    You’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of global missions, a renewed conviction about the power of prayer, and practical ways to lead your family spiritually, starting at the kitchen table.

    Bottom Line:
    If you want to grow in faith, lead your family well, and understand your role in God’s global mission, this episode will open your eyes in ways you didn’t expect.

    https://operationworld.org/

    Do all of the following at https://entrustingthefaith.com/

    • Sign up for the newsletter
    • Contact me about speaking opportunities
    • Buy the book Leading Well at Home: Husbands and Fathers Can Biblically Lead Their Families
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    25 mins
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