Perspectives on Sunday School and Youth Group
To have a life-long influence on the lives of young men and women is a fantastic opportunity! Godspeed is committed to making disciples, including young people, both within and also beyond the scope of the church. In their developmental years, young people are teachable and respond with energy in forming a foundation to sustain them for the rest of their lives.
The Bible speaks extensively about the joys and hard work of discipling the generations that follow us. It matters to God not only that we make disciples of Jesus, but also how we go about doing it. The thoughts below explain our perspective on discipling the young people God has placed in our care. Our aim is for everyone at Godspeed to be engaged in the high calling of making disciples. We must link hands and hearts to support one another in this blessed task.
Guiding Principles
1) Parents, equipped and supported by the church, are called by God to raise their children. We do not believe that the church is solely, or even primarily, responsible for the spiritual health of the children. In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Moses addresses the parents of Israel with these words:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
However we believe that the church is designed by God to equip, support and encourage parents as they raise and disciple their children. Paul is doing that very thing when he tells the Ephesian fathers, “Do not exasperate your children, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
2) We expect the young people of Godspeed to progress in spiritual strength, biblical knowledge and usefulness in God’s service. Rather than simply providing activities and random teaching throughout their years with us, we will do all we can to lead them through age-appropriate learning and experiences that build on the previous years. The details of this principle are reflected in our plans for each group, as explained below.
3) We seek to balance age-related classes and activities with family-integrated and multi-generational worship and programs. Godspeed intends to integrate families into many of our activities, including the worship service, prayer meetings, outreach activities, service opportunities and much more. In the same way, we support the teaching of the Bible at home and expect parents to actively lead their children toward spiritual maturity. On the other hand, we recognize that individual family members may be at different stages of spiritual growth. Therefore teaching children in age-appropriate classes helps them receive teaching they may not be able to receive elsewhere. Additionally, as a church that values family-oriented and church-oriented courtship/dating, we want to provide healthy group activities for young men and women who are considering marriage.
4) Both safety and fun are important. We want each parent and child in Godspeed to know that we value safety. Whether it’s on Sunday morning, by the pool or on a short-term missions project, Godspeed seeks to ensure a safe environment for the children involved. That said, we also value fun! We believe that children should be able to learn attentively when that’s appropriate, but we also know that while having fun, children can learn about themselves, about God and about one another.
Sunday School and Youth Group Programs – Our core curriculum arises from distinct but related goals for three educational stages:
Biblical Literacy (Grades 1-4): The intention of this stage is to build into the children a knowledge of, and love for, God’s Word. This aim corresponds with a natural inclination at this age to learn and memorize facts. We will teach Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation in a way that integrates these stories by the Gospel – God’s continuous plan of redemption for the glory of Jesus Christ. Books such as The Big Picture Story Bible and other similar curricula are ideal for this purpose. By the end of fourth grade, the kids should know and understand God’s sovereign plan, centered on Christ, and how the stories of Scripture fit into it. The context for our discipleship at this stage will primarily be on Sunday mornings.
Tools for Growth (Grades 5-7): The goal for this stage of the program is to develop tools and skills for self-study and spiritual growth. As we continue to teach the facts
of God’s word, we will also teach how to study Scripture by methods such as observation, interpretation and application. Other skills will include understanding and communicating the Gospel message, how to have personal Bible study and prayer time, tithing, baptism, communion, and church membership. For students who want to prepare for a “Turning 12/13” Bar- or Bat- Mitzvah celebration at the end of this stage, voluntary achievement goals can be set. The context of this program can be a mix of Sunday morning teaching and other events during the week. Short missions trips are also appropriate for this age.
Adult in Training (AIT) Program (Grades 8-12): This stage of the program is intended to develop an integrated, Gospel-centered worldview and prepare high-school-age kids to become godly, mature adults. The program balances development in three key areas: godly character (heart), good communication and defense of faith (head) and skills for living as a Godly adult in the world (hands). Bible teaching is focused toward understanding theology (all that the Bible teaches on a certain topic) and learning how to handle real-life challenges typically faced at this age, with the help of a support group. The context for discipleship does not include classes on Sunday morning. Rather, we invite and expect the AITs to be part of our worship service and to teach younger Sunday School students as appropriate. In place of Sunday morning classes, we use other venues and ministries, retreats, missions trips, and primarily Meat Eaters Fellowship to provide training. These activities will be hosted and supervised by adults in the church.
Oversight and Teachers – Rich Fulton coordinates the teaching schedules and calendar of events for the Sunday School and the AIT group. Rich provides schedules to each teacher so that they can prepare lessons or swap with other teachers in the case of schedule conflicts. We require that all teachers be members of Godspeed. We also require that each teacher have a helper – either an adult, or another child or AIT. Those helpers are not required to be members of Godspeed. We also ask that each teacher attend occasional teachers meetings hosted by Godspeed during the year.
Equipping Parents – The mission for our children is an extension of the mission for our church: “To go and make disciples of Jesus … by teaching children and equipping parents.” We do this by offering short courses on parenting for different stages of life, and through the preaching of the Word on Sunday mornings. Keep an eye out for courses like Growing Kids God’s Way, Shepherding a Child’s Heart, Age of Opportunity or Parenting Today’s Adolescent.
A Discipleship Cooperative – We intend for Godspeed to be like a co-op – a group of people committed to helping our kids grow. Promoting growth requires effort on everyone’s part, beginning at home and extending to service in the church. Our goal is to lead our kids into adulthood so that they can pick up the baton of kingdom building for the next generation. God’s plan to reach the world tomorrow depends on them, and His plan to use them tomorrow depends on us today!
