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Christian Education
What should a Christian Education program look like? Please describe your preference for adult education opportunities.
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What should a Christian Education program look like? Strong children, youth and adult ministries are vital for the health of the church. If children enjoy attending church, while at the same time learning God’s Word, they will more likely remain steadfast in their Christian faith when they are older. It is the responsibility of the leadership to prepare and present the Gospel with excitement, yet without compromise. The purpose of the Christian Education program is to disciple the believer to know, understand and live out God’s plan and purpose in your life while developing a close intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior
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In general Christian education is vital for the spiritual growth of every believer. The education of the Christian within the church has slowly been going down and being polluted with worldly philosophy. It is the responsibility of the church to teach the believer at every age level the uncompromising Word of God.
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Infants Curriculum appropriate for this age level, which would also include music, praying over the children and activities which help children begin to relate to God and one another. |
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Primary age Curriculum appropriate for this age level with the purpose of developing a knowledge of God, of salvation through Jesus Christ and a desire to obey God. Worship and “hands-on” activities should also be included for this age group.
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Youth Youth have the potential to understand and desire more of God than most adults give them credit for. They are hungry for something real in which they can put their life and faith. They are easily bored and distracted, not because they can’t or don’t want to learn, but because they are not challenged. We often think all we can do with youth is provide games, music and activities. The youth are being filled at school and everywhere else with the postmodern worldview philosophy and have in many cases given up in hopelessness. Youth who finally graduate high school and go to college are losing their faith in the first year because they do not know their faith well enough to defend it against seasoned college professors. We must take the teaching of our youth in the Christian faith and the Christian worldview seriously. This should happen with teaching systematic, Christian doctrine and current cultural worldview philosophy with a purpose of preparing them for their future |
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Adults Adults are returning to church after being away for years and many are attending church who have never been educated in any Christian doctrine. In order to properly educate the adult student, we must teach systematic Christian doctrine with the purpose of renewing their mind to God’s Word. The non-believer has been instructed for years with a world philosophy which has caused them to think in a completely different sphere than the Christian. We try to communicate with them from the Christian sphere of thinking and do not understand why they don’t comprehend. There must be a planned teaching/training process to renew the adult student’s mind to the absolute Truth of God’s holy Word. |
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What kinds of support should be given to the Sunday School and other teachers in the Christian Education Department? The education department should be given all the support needed in order to accomplish the goal of teaching the believer and equipping them to fulfill God’s purpose for their life. This would include, but not be limited to, financial support in obtaining curriculum, supplies and for training seminars; continuing education as needed to develop teaching skills; and leadership training to help department heads train their staff and solicit volunteers. |
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Please describe your preference for adult education opportunities. Adult education classes should cover two areas, vertical and horizontal. The vertical area addresses the believer’s relationship with and knowledge of God. Here, the individual believer develops and matures as a disciple of Christ, learning about God and how they, as a new creature in Christ, can relate to God. From this knowledge and understanding of God the believer is able to grow in an intimate relationship with God. The horizontal area incorporates instruction on how to fulfill God’s plan and purpose in the believer’s life. During this segment, believers are trained and equipped to successfully manage and overcome the everyday issues of life. Subjects included in adult education would be marriage and the family, overcoming fear, stress and worry, basically the how to’s of life taught in the Bible. Adult education classes should teach the believer how to apply God’s Word and live a victorious life. Classes would change throughout the year in order to incorporate t he different subjects desired and needed by the church community. Our philosophy of ministry is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph 4:12), and to prepare the believers to “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…” 1 Pet 3:15 |
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