{"id":5714,"date":"2017-03-16T04:30:40","date_gmt":"2017-03-16T10:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artiosmagazine.org\/?p=5714"},"modified":"2023-08-29T11:21:05","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T17:21:05","slug":"vision-christian-education-local-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baonline.cog7engage.net\/vision-christian-education-local-church\/","title":{"rendered":"A Vision for Christian Education in the Local Church – Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

You see that three-year-old who can\u2019t sit still during the sermon? The one whose daddy had to take him out of the worship gathering three times last week because he was being disruptive? Yeah\u2026that one.<\/p>\n

Well, in 15 years he will be 18, graduating from high school and youth group. What if I told you that 18-year-old him can find any verse in the Bible in 8 seconds flat, tell you the author and theme of each book of the Bible, recite several long passages of Scripture, and discuss the many attributes of God at length? And he\u2019s planning on teaching the middle school Sabbath school class. He regularly leads corporate prayer, and he knows every member of the congregation by name and greets most of them every week.<\/p>\n

The 4-year-old girl that sits two rows in front of him?\u00a0 She\u2019ll have all that Scripture stuff down pat, too. At 19, she\u2019s already known as a prayer warrior. She\u2019s also helped coordinate several outreach events that have brought a lot of new members into the church community. She has a busy schedule but is known for being incredibly trustworthy and diligent.<\/p>\n

And the 6-year-old boy across the aisle? At 21, he\u2019s coordinating the congregation\u2019s ministry to shut-ins while training to become a pastor. He\u2019s reserved but has a knack for making everyone around him feel comfortable, which is important because many of his friends ask him questions about what God has to say about various life issues.<\/p>\n

The really cool thing is that it isn\u2019t just them. Their entire peer group knows the Bible backwards and forwards. It takes some of them a while to find their ministry niche, but when they do there is no doubt that God\u2019s hand is with them.<\/p>\n

This Vision Starts Now<\/h3>\n

The amazing thing is that this doesn\u2019t have to be a mere dream. This vision can become a reality, but ONLY if your congregation defines the vision and becomes intentional about helping it to take shape.<\/p>\n

Think about it. Really think about it. When the kids of your congregation graduate from high school, what are their church family\u2019s hopes for them? What do you want them to be able to do<\/em>? Say no to drugs and premarital sex? Keep coming to your congregation\u2019s worship gatherings every week? Or have you set your expectations higher than this?<\/p>\n

My hope and prayer for the children of my congregation is that by the time they are 18, they would all<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n