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Children's Ministry at Grace Bible
Fellowship
A Biblical Philosophy for Children’s Ministry
A basic conviction of Grace Bible Fellowship is that the local church is
to make a priority of ministering to the whole family, not just
individual Christians. This was the model Jesus displayed (John 11:1-3;
Matthew 19:13-15). Peter was committed to ministering to the whole
family (Acts 2:39) and so was the Apostle Paul (Acts 16:31). The early
church was commissioned with the responsibility of discipling all family
members (Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21). We need to do the same.
Families are to the church what cells are to the body. Healthy cells breed
healthy bodies. Healthy families breed healthy churches. So it is
imperative that the local church help nurture godly families. This means
the church has to work in tandem with families to help them maintain
godly marriages and godly parenting. Godly parenting is a prerequisite
for those who desire to lead, pastor and oversee the local church. The
Holy Spirit mandated that if a man wants to be a qualified pastor in a
local church then he must “be one who manages his own household well,
keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does
not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the
church of God?)” (1 Timothy 3:4-5). Godly churches are composed of godly
families.
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A Practical Balance in Children’s Ministry
To that end, Grace Bible Fellowship takes children’s ministry seriously.
We are obligated to help parents disciple their children and to raise them
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Young children are
impressionable, flexible, vulnerable and teachable. They are ideal
candidates for the kingdom of God (Matthew 18:3-4) and they have the
ability to understand basic gospel truth. So we take teaching them
biblical truth seriously. Children’s ministry is not just entertainment or
babysitting. True biblical children’s ministry is proactive, systematic
and deliberate with the goal of teaching children biblical truth and
modeling godliness for them so they can develop and grow in Christlikeness
in all ways--physically, socially, mentally and spiritually (Luke 2:52).
Kids are also in the growth process, immature, gullible, naive and in need
of guidance (1 Corinthians 13:11). This also needs to be taken into
consideration as we work with our children. Kids are fun, energetic,
imaginative and inquisitive. They have special needs and we need to teach
in accordance with those needs. We can’t stifle them with unrealistic
expectations. So we are dependent upon God’s wisdom in the discipleship
process with our kids as we try to find the balance (James 1:5).
Children’s Sunday School Ministry
Currently we provide Sunday school for all children from ages two through
5th grade (we also provide ministry for grades 6-12th).The Sunday school hour meets
every Sunday during the first hour.
Presently we are using the newly updated Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF)
Sunday school curriculum. CEF has had an impeccable reputation for 70
years in ministering to children worldwide with biblical fidelity. See
everything about their ministry at www.cefonline.com. Our senior
teaching-pastor, Dr. Cliff McManis, has collaborated in various ways with
the local CEF chapter here in the Silicon Valley. The current curriculum
begins with Genesis and goes through the whole Bible in survey-like
fashion, highlighting key events and people in biblical history with an
emphasis on God’s character, gospel basics and practical application for
today. And all the lessons are accompanied with updated brilliant visual
aids that bring the stories alive for the kids.
A Real Life Testimonial:
Timothy is one of our regular-attenders in the Children’s Sunday school
ministry. He’s 11.
When asked, “Do you like Sunday school, Tim?” he
answered, “Yeah!”
“What do you like about it?”
“My teacher and learning
about Joseph…it’s fun.”
Children’s Church
Two Sundays out of the month, the younger children, grades 5th on down,
are invited to attend Children’s Church. This is a time of Bible teaching,
singing, praying and interacting for younger children during the preaching
time of the main worship service. The emphasis is to teach and engage the
younger children at their level with biblical truth. The children come to
worship with their parents and join in the welcome, singing, prayer time
and giving and then are dismissed with the Children’s Church ministry
team. It usually lasts about 40 minutes. Currently, the children are being
taught through the gospel of John.
2-3 times a month the children stay with their families for the worship
service. This gives families the
all-important opportunity to worship together as a family unit. This also
allows the younger children to learn the importance of the two ordinances
God gave to the Church—communion and baptism.
Please note that Children’s Church is entirely
optional. Some families choose to keep their children in the worship
service with them every week. That is fine and fully supported by the church
leadership.
If you have any questions about Children’s Ministry, please feel free to
call Pastor Cliff McManis
at the church office: (650) 630-0009.
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