We know being a parent is one of the most demanding jobs on the planet, but it’s also one of the most remarkable things you will ever do.
We know your job isn’t always easy, but here’s what we want you to know: we’re here to help in any way we can. We may be a children’s ministry, but that doesn’t mean kids are the only people we care about. We care about you too!
Do you know the last thing that Jesus said to His followers while he was on earth? Some people call it The Great Commission: “Go and make disciples.” Duplicate yourselves. Go and make more of you. Take your faith and pass it on to someone else. When we talk about helping kids begin to own their faith, we’re really just talking about discipleship. So what is discipleship? Here are three thoughts . . .
DISCIPLESHIP IS ABOUT LIVING, NOT LEARNING
Rather than only asking, “What can we teach a kid about God?” we ask, “How can we help a kid live out their faith?” It’s not just about teaching them about Jesus — it’s about modeling what faith in Jesus looks like. That’s why relationships are such a crucial part of our ministry. Because discipleship isn’t taught in a classroom — it’s modeled in everyday life.
DISCIPLESHIP HAPPENS IN COMMUNITY
In the Gospels, you don’t see Jesus doing one-on-one discipleship. That’s because discipleship happens best in a community of people. That’s why we focus so much energy on getting kids plugged into consistent small groups, why we emphasize the role of parents and families, and why we surround kids with tons of Jesus followers because discipleship takes all of us!
DISCIPLESHIP IS A PROCESS
Discipleship is never really complete because learning to live out our faith is a life-long process. And because we know discipleship takes time, we want to put people in the lives of kids who are in it for the long haul. That’s why most of our teachers don’t bail on their groups after a few months but stick with them for several years — because it’s a process.
We know that desire for your kids to be a disciple and the practicality of fitting that into all of the other things you have to do for them is a challenge.
We try to help with that by sending out a monthly email that gives you a guide on ways to join in with what your kids are learning each week at church. In that email, you will find the Big Ideas for each week along with the Bible Stories told and some questions to ask your kid to help them reflect and make connections they might not have made with us at church. Also in that email are tips and resources we have found useful that we want to share with you.
We also have a yearly parenting seminar that you can attend; it isn’t meant to give you a one-size-fits-all version of parenting. It gives you practical advice and an open forum to ask questions and find community with others on this journey.
We also try to know YOU and partner with the other ministries in our church to feed your soul. The best gift you can give your child is witnessing the ups and downs of your faith. And we want to walk beside you as you do that.
