The ACR spoke to Leah McKenna about her ministry at home and in the online world.
Leah, thanks so much for talking with us. Can you tell us a bit about yourself for those who don’t know you?
Thanks for chatting with me! I’m a mum of four kids aged between 3 and 9. I live in Sydney and I attend an Anglican church.
In my past life, I was a children’s minister. I sort of fell into that because I just loved children’s ministry so much that I signed up for more and more of it and got annoyed that things like work or study would get in the way. It just made sense to go to Bible college so I could learn how to do it better. It hadn’t occurred to me at the time that I might do it vocationally!
Then when my first child was born, I finished up that role so I could devote my time to the ministry inside my home. I like to say that my ministry went from a few hundred kids down to one.
Raising Disciples is your website and Instagram account that helps mums to teach their kids about Jesus. It was recommended to me by a friend and I have been finding it really encouraging. How did Raising Disciples come to be?
When I quit my job to be home with my son, I went into it with enthusiasm and a picture of what it would be like and … I hated it. I was stuck at home with no friends and a baby who didn’t sleep or eat and I really felt like I had ruined my life.
But over time, I found my groove. I found mums who walked alongside me, and I found purpose in motherhood: I was doing it to raise disciples. My days went from messy chaos to having intentional direction. I was on God’s mission within my home.
The next stage of parenting was much easier for me, because the children’s minister of my past life was allowed back out of the box as I worked to teach my preschooler the gospel. I found there weren’t many resources for parents to use at home with pre-readers, so I wrote my own program. And then I figured I might as well share it with others after all the effort I put into it!
My Instagram page was born as a way to advertise this resource, and the others I’ve made since then, but over time it has sort of transformed into an open diary of gospel-shaped motherhood. It’s been a creative outlet for me as I share what I’ve found helpful in navigating the trenches of young children. Motherhood is important and can be enjoyed, and I hope I can help other mums see this too.
Your posts cover all kinds of topics, from suggestions on how to train children to sit at the table to why bringing your baby to church counts as service. What prompts your choice of content? You seem to have a real talent in working out how to reach audiences—is that something you had previous experience with?
That’s funny you say that. I think people in my life would say I’m very good at being blunt. It doesn’t usually go well for me in real life, but maybe that seems to work well online!
I honestly am just posting whatever is on my mind as I watch mums navigate this stage of life—advice that has been helpful to me, or theology that I think is important. I have no idea what will be received well or what won’t. One post got 350k views and 10k comments and I put very little effort into it, but a post that I thought might really help mums in their daily lives got hardly any traction at all. I don’t believe anyone on the internet knows what they’re doing! So I post topics occupying my mind and pray that God will use what he uses.
As your account gains ever increasing popularity, I imagine you might have had to navigate the social media world in a new way. What have been the joys and challenges? How have you seen God at work in this online ministry?
The internet is weird. I post things and often it feels like it disappears into the void. A few thousand people might have read it but I’m just sitting on my own in my house and I never see these people. I get very little feedback, but I suppose all ministry is like that in a sense. People consume what you have to say, and you often only hear a response when someone disagrees!
I have wondered if it is unhelpful to those I know in real life. I quite like being in the trenches alongside other mums at church, but online it is more black and white, and you only see a curated view of someone’s life. Authenticity is limited. I met someone recently who follows me online who said, “I cracked it at my kids this week and told myself ‘Leah would never do that’”. And that just broke my heart because I would do that. I want to be an encouragement to do motherhood well, not a source of feelings of guilt and failure.
But then when I have people message me to thank me for something I posted, or I see something harmful online and watch Christian parents buy into it, I get motivated to keep going.
Is Instagram more harmful than it is helpful? I’m not sure.
What encourages you most in the ministry of your home?
Aside from God’s word, other mums who are further along than me. God’s people were not made to congregate online, but in person with a local church. God has given us a source of encouragement and wisdom, if only we would use it instead of turning to Facebook groups for answers!
What are your hopes for the future of Raising Disciples?
I’m not sure! I would love to release more resources. I have many half-finished projects, and more in my head—I just need the time to do them!
Otherwise, I have no plans. While I do love having a space to write and think out loud, I do think in person discipleship is far more useful and effective. So I guess my plans are to continue living a quiet life, to be obedient to God and to serve others in whatever capacity he decides.