Big Picture Vision for Sellwood Church Children’s Ministry

Pillar I. Seeking to Make Disciples of Jesus

Matthew 28:18–20

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Commission We Have Been Given Applies to the Children and Students of Our Church

After Jesus suffered the wrath of God for the sins of sinners and rose from the dead, he gave us a commission that should govern all of the ministry work of Christians and churches. We are to make disciples of him. This commission should define the big picture goal of the children and student ministry of Sellwood Church. Our goal is to make disciples of the children and students of our church, teaching them obedience to Christ in all things, for the glory of God.

We Need to Acknowledge the Need Our Children Have for Regeneration and Not Assume It

No one is born a saved disciple of Jesus. Rather, everyone is born in sin, rebellious towards God, and deserving of his just judgment. That includes you and me, and it includes the children of our church. Becoming a disciple of Jesus requires the miraculous work of God upon our hearts — the work of regeneration.

The Bible seems to convey to us that even very young children can experience the new birth through the gospel of grace. God saves people by grace, even through the most elementary faith in the person and work of Christ. 

However, we should not assume that the children of our church are born again. We do not have any promises in the Bible that every child born to a Christian home will experience the new birth, and many children raised in Christian families will come to know Christ in a saving way later in life. And yet, we have great gospel hope for our children. And we are called to minister to them in that hope.

While a child may be born again, it is particularly difficult to discern the difference between a child’s natural desire to please his/her parents, friends and teachers, and the fruits of abiding faith. Therefore, we should be careful to be clear with our children about the promises of God available to anyone who believes, and that means them. We must always remind children of every person’s need of a new heart that loves and obeys God. We must remind them of the good news that God generously supplies sinners with this new heart according to the precious promises of the gospel. Because of the work that Christ has done, all who trust in Christ (young and old) are his forever — whether they have been baptized or not. The children of our church should be regularly reminded of these general promises of the gospel for everyone, while not being affirmed in their individual faith apart from the counsel of their parents and church leaders. As a church, we publicly affirm an individual’s faith in baptism.

Encouraging Baptism as a Declaration of Saving Faith

In the teenage years children become more independent and begin to establish a stronger individual identity, and the nature of their faith becomes more apparent. They are able to pursue baptism on their own, and engage in the ministries of the church. It should be made clear to children and teenagers that the way that God has appointed a believer to publicly declare their saving faith in Christ is through baptism. Furthermore, if God has granted someone the new birth and granted them repentance and saving faith in Jesus, they should pursue baptism and a life of discipleship to Jesus in the local church. The elders of the church are available to speak and pray with anyone who would like to pursue baptism after any church service.

Teaching Obedience to Christ in All Things: Obedience that Springs from Faith

In the children and student ministry of Sellwood Church we encourage children to obey God. We believe that it is good for all children to learn about God’s call to obedience and what it means to obey God from the heart, even if they don’t yet have a saving relationship with Christ. By learning what it means to obey God, children can see how they fall short and are in need of Jesus. And as children grow in their understanding of what obedience to God entails, they can better understand the cost of discipleship. Moreover, those children in the church that do have genuine faith in Christ can be nurtured in a true heart-obedience to God that springs from faith as they learn about the life they are called to live.

Prioritizing the Gospel in All Our Teaching

As with all the teaching in our church, the gospel must remain central in our children’s ministries. The message of the Christian faith is not that we need to try and be better, more obedient people. Our children’s ministry must never become a school for moralism and behavior modification. The gospel message must always remain central for the benefit of regenerate and unregenerate children. God brings about regeneration through the proclamation of the gospel, and he also spurs the regenerate believer on in faith-filled obedience through that same message.

Pillar II. Serving Sacrificially and Joyfully

1 Thessalonians 2:8

 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

Giving Ourselves in the Ministry of the Gospel to Children and Students

While the message of the gospel must always remain central, ministry is more than teaching a message. Ministry is about giving ourselves to others, laying down our lives for their good even as Christ laid down his life for us (John 15:13). In the Children and Student Ministry of Sellwood Church we seek to invest ourselves in the children and students of the church, to understand them, to come alongside them, and to sacrificially serve them.

It should be our aim to communicate our loving interest and investment in their lives. This could mean a discipleship relationship with the children and students, in cooperation with the parents, that transcends the scheduled classroom time. It should mean acknowledging the children and students when we see them in the halls of the church, striking up conversation with them, and seeking to understand them.

Hebrews 13:17

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Serving with Joy for the Spiritual Benefit of Children and Students

The writer of Hebrews tells us that when a leader serves others with groaning and not with joy, they are of no benefit to those they are serving. This applies to children’s ministry. We desire to be committed to lean on the Lord for a supernatural joy in the gospel — a joy that we can share with the children of the church. It is important to us that children know that the church delights in serving them because Jesus delights to serve his church. We are not serving merely out of duty but out of delight, in God and in them.

Pillar III. Prioritizing Congregational Togetherness

Hebrews 10:24-25

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Why We Don’t Offer Nursery During the First Half of the Worship Service

One of our values as a church is to gather as a whole congregation every week for worship. For this reason we do not offer nursery care or any other children’s programming during the first part of the weekly worship service. We want to have all the children and children’s ministry workers together with the whole church as we hear the announcements at the start of the service, sing praises to the Lord, confess our faith, and participate in the corporate reading of Scripture as a church. We recognize that children (especially very young children) make noise and move around. As a church we seek to nurture an environment where all children of every age (and their parents) feel welcomed in the worship service.

Pillar IV. Strengthening & Supporting Relationship with Parents

Deuteronomy 6:6–7

6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Deuteronomy 5:16

“‘Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

Ephesians 6:1–3

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

Colossians 3:20

 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Supporting Parents in the Work of Discipleship

The Bible highlights the ministry of parents to their children. Parents have a special call to minister to their children, and children have a special call to obey them. One of the aims of our church’s ministry to children and students is to support and strengthen the parent-child disciple-making relationship. 

A Children’s Curriculum Aimed at Families

One of the ways that Sellwood Church’s children’s programming seeks to strengthen ministry in the home is by utilizing a curriculum which is designed to work alongside family devotions.

To learn more, please contact the church office.