Children's Ministry: Embrace a Biblical Vision

This is the first of seven monthly posts from the book Zealous: 7 Commitments for the Discipleship of the Next Generation. Podcast and other links are at the bottom of this boast.

For more about this series of posts go to the Introduction post

These posts will contain a summary of the commitment along with some ways we are trying to implement that commitment at Trinity Baptist Church.

The first commitment is "Embrace a Biblical Vision for the faith of the Next Generation."

In our children's ministry, and in every ministry, we don't want to focus on doing something. We want to focus on where we are going so that what we do has the end goal in mind. In Zealous, David Michael writes,

Vision-oriented parents, Christian educators, and church leaders think about and act according to what they want to be true of their children in 10, 20, or 40 years hence. Their priorities are shaped by asking questions like:

What do we want our children to know and understand about God and His Word?

What do we want them to understand about the gospel?

What marks of faith and spiritual maturity do we want them to have?

There are more questions on page 27.

Our goal and the answers to these questions must be found in the Bible. David Michael uses Psalm 78 to show what a Biblical vision looks like.

Verse 4 says "tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD and His might and the wonder that he has done."

We need to MAKE MUCH OF GOD. Don't just talk about God but rather glorify God so that the coming generation does the same.

The psalmist writes in verse 7 that we teach the next "so that they should put their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments."

We need to make much of God WITH THE GOAL OF A GROWING HOPE IN GOD throughout their lives.

Our children's ministry needs to make much of God so others will grow in the hope found in God.

To put in more familiar words, we want to help families Joyfully Pursue the Living God. I am not suggesting we develop a new mission or vision statement. We need to live out the truths we find in God's Word.

It is my prayer that children, parents, and our whole church family would grow more and more into the image of Christ (Col. 1:28). "Him we proclaim, warning EVERYONE and teaching EVERYONE with all wisdom, that we may present EVERYONE mature in Christ." (emphasis mine).

Pastor Dave