Children

Targeting Comprehensive Christian Education

March 1, 2011 by Dennis

It never ceases to amaze me that anywhere in the world you say “Christian Education” people automatically think Sunday school. Is this the only Christian education the church does? If it is, then we are in big trouble. Let me explain.

In teaching the Christian Education (CE) courses in South Africa for eight years, the student’s first exercise was to list every church activity, i.e., worship, soup kitchens, Bible study, missions, etc. The challenge was for them to tell me which one was not CE! As you read further, that is my challenge to you, because the way you understand the educational ministry of your church will determine its spiritual depth. You disagree? Then my challenge is to prove my point.

Let’s start with missions. My contention is that missions is a sub-set of CE! What do missionaries do? They share the Gospel. To share the Gospel means to teach the meaning of the Gospel – this is CE! When there is a group of converts a church is started and training leaders is a number one priority. Training is CE! How about worship? Worship is leading people in worship to understand the importance of what they are doing. It is not only the sermon (which in itself is CE), but it is instructing the people to understand what they are singing and why. A well planned worship service is led by one who understands what it means to keep the people focused and aware of what they are doing. This too is CE!

View and download the complete Equip to Disciple Issue 1, 2011 (Acrobat Reader required).

Think about every ministry in your Church. Is there one thing that isn’t in actuality Christian education in some way?

So what is the point? In any good education program there must be good planning and coordination. This is where it appears that many churches fall short in seeing the big picture of what is really taking place.

If you had asked your child’s teacher what she was going to cover that year, how would you react if told she will figure that out as they go along? Imagine 12 years of this? Would anyone ever get an education? Then why do we think that we can do this in the church? This leads to a further challenge.

I will use several examples:

Youth: What are they being taught? Why? What is the plan? What should they know, be, and do after 4 years? Or is your group like most, simply teaching one topic this week and another the next; somehow hoping they will eventually develop a healthy Christian worldview by themselves. Is this what you want for your young people who will be going on to university where they will be confronted with philosophies that are not only not Christian, but in many cases anti-Christian? Have you really prepared them? This is like that teacher with no plan.

Bible studies: What is being studied? Why this study? What are you trying to accomplish in this group and study? At the end of this study what will they know, be, and do? Think about this – if you have no objectives then your objective is to accomplish nothing. But you say, “Our objective is to study the book of Romans.” Great! But what does that mean? If you ask the group at the end what they have learned about Romans you might be shocked that little was learned or remembered. Worse yet, little has happened to change anyone’s life. The goal for CE (discipleship) must be transformed lives! If our only goal is to cover a book, or to know a doctrine, then true discipleship has not taken place. Discipleship is moving people ever closer (by the work of the Holy Spirit) to being like Jesus (Rom. 8.29). So I ask you again, in your teaching, what are your goals for your group becoming more like Jesus? Will they see Jesus in every verse? Will they grow in their relationship with Jesus as a result of interacting with Romans?

Another area focuses on – preaching. Are your sermons planned for the next year? Why not? What are you trying to accomplish? What really “scares” me about wellmeaning preachers is when they say they believe they are discipling their people through their sermons. That is scary because you have already told me that you do not have a plan for what you hope your sermons will accomplish. How does your sermon connect with other teaching going on in the church? You have one ‘goal’ for this sermon and another for the next. If your people don’t know your objective, how can you expect them to figure it out when you haven’t? This is not discipleship; this is a hit-and-miss approach to giving disconnected information, with no thread to help the people tie it all together! This again is like the teacher you would not allow to teach your children.

Continued…

Last Chance for the 2020Vision Conferences

February 22, 2011 by Sue

LAST CHANCE TO BE PART OF THE 2020VISION CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE!

Register now for the two-day Orlando conference at www.pcacep.org/2020Vison. This conference will feature a great selection of resources for youth and children’s ministry that were not available at the first two conferences. You will be able to purchase these on site. Also, all conference participants will receive a cd containing the keynote addresses by Brian Chapell/St. Louis conference and Al Baker/Philadelphia conference. Come enjoy March in Orlando and catch the 2020Vision!

2020 Vision: Growing the Church through Ministry to Youth and Children

St. Louis Conference – January 18-20, 2011

“If your goal is to inspire, then you reached your goal. I feel like I have something to take back to my church. And this was just the first day!” Dana Williams

The Church grows when its members are equipped for ministry through the teaching of the word, prayer and fellowship with the saints. The Church grew during this 2020Vision conference at Covenant Seminary. Despite the snow storm which brought about the cancellation of the last day of the conference, the 100+ attendees received two days of training and encouragement that they could take back home to their local churches.

The first evening’s worship service was a great gathering which led us all to the throne of grace. Stephen Estock, chair of the CEP committee and Dan Myers, worship leader from Kirk of the Hills PCA directed out hearts toward thanksgiving, confession, repentance and readiness for the preached Word. Bryan Chappell opened the Scriptures from the book of Judges and we saw the Gospel in a new and fresh way through the life of Gideon.

The second day was filled with teaching on the family, worship, church leadership and understanding ministry to youth and children. Danny Mitchell, Eric Larsen, Mark Dalby, and Donald Guthrie were just a few of the workshop leaders who brought us great teaching. Great Commission Publications, Covenant Seminary and Christian Education and Publications of the PCA held a morning plenary featuring the resources available through their agencies. We were all challenged to ask the following questions:

Does my church have a vision to see disciples grow up from our children and youth by the year 2020?
How well prepared are the parents to disciple their children?
Is the gospel transforming lives in our leadership so that we may be models for the next generation to follow?
What steps must I (we) begin to take to develop a 2020 Vision?

Answering these questions together, we must become very intentional about the kind of ministry we will pursue in the next decade to realize our vision for the year 2020 – His church filled with strong Jesus men and Jesus women!

Thursday evening became the closing session as snow covered the ground while we worshipped together. Singing, “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. Grant us peace”, we were being given a visual picture of the work of Christ who makes us whiter than snow. Dan Doriani gave instruction from the book of Hebrews and we gained a new perspective on the “cloud of witnesses” as they encourage us to not grow weary in doing good. We went out into the snow, knowing that the same Spirit of Faith who called the saints before us to endure would continue to work within us.

After the first two workshops on the opening day, one Covenant Seminary student remarked, “This is very bold teaching on the church and our call to make disciples from the children and youth. Where are all the people who need to hear and learn these things?” If you were not there, you have another opportunity to be a participant in the 2020Vision conferences. On March 11^th -12^th at Orangewood PCA in Orlando, FL we will hold our final 2020Vision conference. You can register now online at www.pcacep.org/2020Vison. Some of the keynote speakers from the Philadelphia and St. Louis sites are featured on this site, also. CEP hopes that your church will benefit from 2020Vision and the call to grow Jesus’ church through ministry to youth and children.

Get the newest Children’s Books here at www.cepbookstore.com !

GOD’S NAMES
by Sally Michael

This new book from P&R is a great tool for parents and teachers who want to have interactive dialogue with children as you discover God’s character together. I say “together” because the parent and teacher will probably learn more than the child in these short, yet rich, messages focused on the names of God and their meanings. The learning is interactive because each chapter is filled with questions. The questions are answered as you study and discuss the nature of God.

Jehovah-Rohi – The Lord My Shepherd

Do lions need people to take care of them? How about monkeys, whales, snake, or eagles? They don’t, do they? God has made these animals so that they can take care of themselves. But sheep are different. Most sheep need someone – a shepherd – to take care of them.

This is just part of one lesson as the parent/teacher leads children through this mini-primer on the character of God as revealed by his names.

THE TEN GIRLS/BOYS WHO USED THEIR TALENTS

THE TEN GIRLS/BOYS WHO DIDN’T GIVE IN

THE TEN GIRLS/BOY WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE

THE TEN GIRLS/BOYS WHO CHANGED THE WORLD

If you want to interest your children in Christian biographies, these books published by Christian focus are the place to start. Each book has ten short stories with an added “Fact File”, “Keynote”, “Think”, and “Prayer” addendum to encourage children to ponder on what they have learned through this person’s life. Have you ever read about Betty Stam, Bethan Lloyd-Jones, Isobel Kuhn? These more obscure biographies are included along with Ruth Bell Graham, Amy Carmichael and Corrie Ten Boom. Children will want to learn more after reading these short stories, thus beginning a journey into following the lives of the saints who have gone before us. For me, reading these books has been a wonderful introduction into the lives of those who have not made the history books but should have. Order today at www.cepbookstore.com

Teach a Man to Teach and He Will Feed Thousands

September 15, 2010 by Dennis

The Why

Your pastor went to seminary. During that time he learned the Bible, biblical languages, theology, church history, and how to preach. In other words, he was trained. When your church is preparing to select new elders and deacons, they are taught the basics of what the church is, how it is run, and their role in overseeing the church. In other words, they are trained.

Aside from the leadership, which group in the church would you say is the most important? My answer would be the teachers – on all levels. Think about the fact that these people are the ones we are entrusting with the very training of the next generation of your church. Do they deserve to be trained any less than those who oversee the church?

How would you respond to this? Your teachers come to you all excited about a new curriculum they discovered. The three basic truths taught are 1) Wisdom – I need to make the wise choice; 2) Faith – I can trust God no matter what; and 3) Friendship – I should treat others the way I want to be treated. Does this sound good to you? If it does, then you need more training than you know. These are not Biblical objectives, and you must know the difference if you are going to be able to protect your children from such teaching.

What biblical objectives should You be watching out for?

Great Commission Publications, our denomination’s official curriculum publisher, puts it this way:

2020 Vision E-letter September, 2010

September 8, 2010 by Sue

Join our e-mail list

August/September

Register online for at least one of these three 2020Vision Conferences! Bring your leadership, teachers, and parents of your youth and children.

What is the 2020 Vision? Here at Christian Education and Publications we want to help the local church with training and resources that will enable you to spend this decade focused on training up a generation of Kingdom disciples. In both youth and children’s ministries we want our churches to ask the question, “What do we want our 4 year-olds to be like when they are fourteen? In ten years, what place do we want our 15 year-olds to have as young men and women in the church?”

As we answer those questions together, we must become very intentional about the kind of ministry we will have in the next decade to realize our vision for the year 2020 – His church filled with strong Jesus men and Jesus women!

PHILADELPHIA – OCTOBER 23 – CALVARY CHURCH, WILLOW GROVE

ST. LOUIS – JANUARY 18-20 – COVENANT SEMINARY

ORLANDO – MARCH 11-12 – ORANGEWOOD CHURCH

Go to our website for more information and register today!

The following article is a summary/report from the May 4^th Meeting in Atlanta where ministry leaders met to talk about reaching the children and seeing the Gospel transform their lives. Eric Wallace is director of The Institute for Uniting Church and Home. Please finish reading the article online and give us your feedback.

Kingdom Disciples: A Product of Covenant Faithfulness
By Eric Wallace

The latest research reveals that 75% of the children raised in evangelical churches are leaving the faith. It appears that the church is hemorrhaging its covenant children out into the culture. Did Peter know something that we don’t when he preached, “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off…”? Click here to continue reading…

If you are interested in learning more about 2020Vision, you are officially invited to our next MEETING OF THE MINDS on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 at the PCA offices in Atlanta. The number is limited to 20 and there are already 13 confirmed “minds” attending. So, reply today to be apart of this strategic meeting. The emphasis is on recommending and developing resources and strategies for equipping parents in the task of discipling their children. Lunch is provided by CEP.

2020Vision RECOMMENDED RESOURCES for Parents, Leadership and Children
in your church:

Gospel Powered Parenting
By William P. Farley

This book is being used in many of our churches as a tool for training parents in a small group setting. It does exactly what the subtitle describes – practically tells us ‘how the Gospel shapes and transforms parenting.’ Farley is deeply concerned that children raised in the church have grown up and left the faith. There have been thousands of books written on parenting but this one surely takes us to the heart of the problem.Read more…

The Faithful Parent: A Biblical Guide to Raising a Family
By Martha Peace & Stuart W. Scott

After clarifying the goal for parenting and the basic Biblical responsibilities of the parent and child, Peace and Scott dissect the lives of our children and give practical instruction as it applies to the infant, toddler, preschooler, school-age and teenage child in the home. For a parent crying out, “Just tell me what to do!” this book is a wonderful answer to the cry for help.Read more…

Covenant Discipleship Parents’ Handbook
By Richard L. Burguet & Ed Eubanks, Jr.

The Jesus Storybook Bible
By Sally Lloyd-Jones

If you do not yet own this children’s Bible, you have missed out on the top-seller in children’s books in the last two years. Why is everyone in children’s ministry so energized by this book? There are hundreds of children’s story Bibles. What makes this one special? Read more…

2020 Vision Recommended Resources

August 25, 2010 by Sue

2020Vision RECOMMENDED RESOURCES for Parents, Leadership and Children in your church:

Gospel Powered Parenting
By William P. Farley

Drawing upon his two life experiences of reading the Word and raising his own children in the church, Farley has this observation. The results of parenting has nothing to do with wherethe child was educated or how regular was their church attendance. The common denominator between success and failure seems to be the spiritual depth and sincerity of the parents, especially the spiritual depth and sincerity of the father.

“In my experience”, writes Farley, “the most effective parents have a clear grasp of the cross and its implications for daily life.” So, this writer begins his book with the Gospel and its power in your life. This is the perfect beginning to his fleshing out of Godly fear, holiness, love and grace as it affects every area of parenting.

Church leaders and parents should read and study this book. The one conclusion from this book that can not be overlooked is this: We must teach our children. Delegating that task to others will not work unless we are first doing it at home. This seems to be the clarion call ringing across the evangelical church today. Gospel-Powered Parenting gives clear and practical teaching to the need of the hour.

This is a twelve chapter book and would be perfect for a twelve-week study in your church’s adult education program. There are several excellent Study questions at the end of each chapter. If you are a parent, read it. The Gospel is rich and will bring power to what you are doing in your home every day.

The Faithful Parent: A Biblical Guide to Raising a Family
By Martha Peace & Stuart W. Scott

My favorite chapter, however, is entitled Parents Who Provoke. I’ve heard sermons preached from the Colossians 3:21 passage. “Father, do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged.” But these authors bring understanding to all of the ways that we might provoke our children by defining sinful attitudes that teach our children more than we would like to think. Take a look at this list: The Despairing Parent, The Controlling/Angry Parent, The “Guess What the Rules are Today” Parent, The Exaggerating Parent, The “Must be Perfect” Parent, The “Fear of What Others Might Think” Parent. And the list goes on and on. This section of the book truly helps to identify sinful behaviors in parenting that so easily entangle us all.

These authors do an exceptional job at responding to all of the most-asked questions of parents with sound Biblical answers. The book closes with a wonderful instructional prayer and a directive on presenting the gospel with detailed scripture references.

If you are parenting or giving counsel to parents, this is a valuable tool for your ongoing study. Its eleven chapters full of questions to ponder and discuss would also be effective as a small group study on parenting.

Covenant Discipleship Parents’ Handbook
By Richard L. Burguet and J. Ed Eubanks, Jr.

This parent/student handbook is an alternative to the traditional age-based Communicant’s Class, offering Reformed and Presbyterian churches of any size a way to bring students into the church as communing members when they are ready. Covenant Discipleship gives the oversight of teaching the essence of church membership back to parents, providing them with the tools and resources to guide their children through the process of learning about the essentials of the faith, importance of church membership, and the core values and theology of a Reformed and Presbyterian church.

Jesus Storybook Bible
By Sally Lloyd-Jones

“Every story whispers his name.” That is the subtitle and it is what sets this storybook apart from the rest. In the key stories from both the Old and New Testament, Lloyd Jones communicates to us and our children that Jesus is the Word. It is all about him. Most of us would say “of course, he is!” But as you begin to read these stories to your children, you will be convicted of the fact that many times you have taught these great Bible stories and have missed the point.

Here’s just one example of what Lloyd-Jones accomplishes throughout this wonderfully illustrated volume:

Many years later, God was going to send another Messenger with the same wonderful message. Like Jonah, he would spend three days in utter darkness. But this Messenger would be God’s own Son. He would be called “The Word” because he himself would be God’s message. Everything God wanted to say to the whole world – in a Person.

As I read these stories to my grandson, every one of them reminds me that he must see Jesus. He must know that the Word was written that we might come to know and love Jesus, the one true God.

Give this book to your children’s teachers. Give this book to your children’s parents and grandparents. While they are reading to the children, they will also be learning that “every story whispers his name.”

Kingdom Disciples: A Product of Covenant Faithfulness

August 25, 2010 by Editor

By Eric Wallace

A heart for seeing this promise fulfilled is what brought together 20 passionate leaders from around the PCA on May 4^th to discuss the 2020 Vision Strategy for Growing the Church Through Ministry to Youth and Children.

Having been a children’s ministry leader in the PCA, and having met many children’s and youth ministry leaders over my 21 years of ministry, I can say that the efforts of the men and women who faithfully and lovingly serve on staff are not in question. In fact, the problems we see cannot be laid at the feet of these programs.

I submit, as I did at this meeting, that we’ve lost sight of some very basic biblical principles. A renewed focus on these principles could make the difference in seeing Peter’s promise move from elusive dream to reality.

On one hand, Children and Youth ministry leaders are saying, “We’re doing all we can, but we can’t disciple children in one hour per week. We need parents to step up to the plate.” On the other hand, parents are maxed out, stressed out, and sometimes checked out of the daily process of making kingdom disciples of their own covenant children.

The Word of God Provides the Solution in a Simple Pattern

What does God’s word tell us about how God expects us, through the power of His Holy Spirit, to establish covenant faithfulness in the home? I begin with a short story.

I remember one Christmas Eve becoming quite frustrated while putting together a toy for my son. I finally, humiliatingly, after two hours of exasperation, found the directions and actually read them. I learned that I had missed an important step. I imagine anyone reading this has had the same experience at some time or another. The pieces are all there, but they were not put together in proper order. Successful completion of the project remains elusive until we read, or re-read, the directions.

What we discussed at the May 4^th meeting was a sort of “re-reading” of the directions for making kingdom disciples.

Very simply, it looks like this:

The Simple Pattern for Covenant Faithfulness in the Church and in the Home

There is a presupposed pattern submitted to, pursued, and applied for God’s glory and our good, which when rightly applied has one central motive.
The aim of this pattern is heart-level obedience. (True godly desires verses bare-legalistic duty-oriented behavior).
Heart-level obedience is lived out through heart-level relationships with God and one another (You shall love the Lord your God…and your neighbor…) which are the ultimate end to which we are all accountable.
This heart-level obedience and these relationships are not indiscriminate but maintained along covenantal lines (e.g. marriage, family, church).
The primary methodology of growth in regards to heart-level obedience and heart-level relationships is speaking the truth (the gospel) in love within these relationships, for which we are all accountable to know and to be known.
This growth, otherwise referred to as sanctification or renewal in the likeness of Christ, involves putting off the old man with its lusts and putting on the new man (Christ in you). The love that comes from Christ to God and others, being rooted in the accomplishment of Christ and applied by faith, makes covenant faithfulness not only possible but expected, and not a burden but a joy.
Heads of Households are men (or single women, or women unequally yoked to a non-believer) with the responsibility of overseeing this heart-level transformation for their households.
Overseers (elders) are men assigned to see to it that this transformation is being faithfully maintained in the broader Household of God (the Church). Practically speaking, overseers accomplish their jobs primarily by graciously equipping and holding responsible those whom God holds accountable (heads of households).

How to Re-emphasize This Pattern

The challenge that we began to discuss at the 2020VISION meeting was how to re-emphasize this basic pattern in our churches.

I will begin by stating what this does not mean. It does not mean a jihad against church programs. Truth is, these programs can actually help facilitate the re-establishment of this pattern and even enrich it. But let’s be clear, if the simple pattern is not vigorously and intentionally at work, these programs carry a load they were never intended to carry and as we have seen cannot fabricate covenant faithfulness.

What this does mean – In the midst of supporting our Children’s, Youth, and Sunday School ministries, this pattern should be heartily pursued no matter what else is happening programmatically because it represents what God has already clearly revealed in His word to guide us.

The place to start is with the establishment of this basic pattern of covenant faithfulness in the entire body of Christ. The big picture is beautifying the Church: the Bride of Christ. Do we really believe Ephesians 4:15-16? Are we building each other up by speaking the truth to one another in love? Faithful shepherding-and accountability-by the elders of the heads of households to fulfill their role is a clear biblical element that must be re-established if we are to accomplish covenant faithfulness and produce kingdom disciples.

Heads of households pursuing covenant faithfulness in the home is not a’ nice-to-have’, but a primary, foundational and non-optional element in the church’s ministry.

This represents an exciting challenge for elders, ministry leaders, heads of households, Christian Education and Publications and Great Commission Publications. The need for resources now extends well beyond curriculum for classrooms and includes resources for elders and heads of households to help them grow in their understanding and application of this biblical model.

Our rich covenantal theology has given us a simple pattern that we must livein order to see Peter’s promise realized in our time…and beyond.