FAMILY DISCIPLESHIP

We welcome people of all ages at Grace, including children (Matthew 19:14). We aim to come alongside parents and grandparents, partnering with them in the discipleship of their children and grandchildren. Our prayer is that every child would come to know and treasure Christ (John 17:3; Matthew 13:44) and love his bride, the Church (John 15:12).

“We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.”

Psalm 78:4, ESV

CHILDREN & Students

We encourage children to participate in our 9:30 am church worship services as much as they are able, recognizing that they take in far more than we realize. Even if they don’t understand everything going on around them, they can begin to gain a sense of awe for God and reverence for his word as they watch adults worship God with all their hearts and sit under the authoritative teaching of God’s word.


Deciding when a child should be expected to sit through part or all of a service is a wisdom issue. We have chosen to offer nursery for ages 0-3 during our entire service, though some parents choose to have their youngest ones with them until the sermon. For children age 4 through kindergarten, we offer a children’s church time during the sermon.


We also have Sunday school for children up through middle school from 11:00-11:50 am. We encourage high school students to participate in one of our adult Sunday school classes. Sunday school provides a time for age-specific teaching and discussion in God’s word. We take a God-centered approach to our teaching, helping children to see and apply the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ to every area of their lives.


Parents

God calls parents to be the primary disciple-makers of their children (Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Ephesians 6:4), but the church plays a significant role in discipling children as well. We aim to partner with parents as much as possible by training, resourcing, and encouraging parents. We also encourage parents to serve in our children’s ministry. We currently offer a parenting Sunday school class to help train parents to shepherd the children toward Christ.

GRANDPARENTS

God has given grandparents a role in discipling their grandchildren as well (Deuteronomy 4:9; Psalm 71:17–18; 78:4). Indeed grandparents often have a lot of life experience and years of walking with the Lord, both of which are great assets in discipleship. In addition to investing in the lives of their grandchildren as much as possible, we encourage grandparents at Grace to invest in the lives of the children at Grace, whether by giving them an encouraging word or serving in our children’s ministry.