Baptism is a significant act of obedience, and an important milestone in the life of a young believer. These booklets outline a process, objectives, and sessions for leading a young person through the meaningful process of baptism preparation. Used together, the Pastors’s Supplement and Mentor’s Guide (designed particularly for fathers) outline a thorough church-sponsored youth baptism process. The Mentor’s Guide provides outlines for six “faith talks” for use by mentors during the preparation time, and it includes two appendices, which provide theological justification for the suggested process. The Pastor’s Supplement contains instructions for church’s wishing to implement a youth baptism process (see below) along with a CD with forms (Microsoft Word 2007) that you can customize for your church. Continue Reading…
Thursday Book Club: Dads as Shepherd Leaders
I just recently finished reading Timothy Witmer’s book for pastors on faithful shepherding. One passage that stood out to me was a discussion of Richard Baxter’s model for “feeding the sheep,” that is faithfully and personally teaching the members of his congregation, by feeding and equipping fathers. I found the passage personally convicting and challenging. I wanted to share this passage with you. It can be found on pages 150-151:
What better way to multiply the personal ministry of the word than by equipping dads to pray and read the Scriptures with their families. Note that Baxter suggests that we “give them an example.” How many of our families would be well fed if we merely gave some simple suggestions to their shepherds?
“Get masters of families to do their duty, and they will not only spare you a great deal of labour, but will much further the success of your labours. If a captain can get the officers under him to do their duty, he may rule the soldiers with much less trouble, than if all lay upon his own shoulders. You are not like to see any general reformation, till you procure family reformation” (Richard Baxter, Reformed Pastor (1656; repr., Carslisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1997), 102).
In doing this you are not only multiplying the ministry of the Word among your people but helping fathers fulfill their God-given responsibilities. Undoubtedly, many elders will have to repent of their neglecting this duty themselves in order to proceed with a clear conscience. This is progress, too, and a great place to start!
Thursday Book Club: Little Hands Learning to Pray
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working through this excellent little book on prayer for preschoolers. The book contains eight units filled with 4 to 12 two-page devotional thoughts on prayer. Each devotional includes one Bible verse, two short paragraphs of explanation, and a full-page illustration with interactive questions. The first four units and first 64 pages of the book teach the ACTS method for praying, which I learned as a teenager in church:
- Adoration: I love you, God.
- Confession: I’m sorry, God.
- Thanksgiving: Thank you, God.
- Supplication: Please God.
The second section teaches a theology of prayer with the following units:
- God’s Word Teaches Us How to Pray.
- Jesus Prayed.
- Bible People Who Prayed
- God Listens to our Prayers
Here are some of the cool features of the book. The ACTS method is classic, and I really like the idea of teaching it in this simple format to our littlest ones. The interactive pictures are useful for family devotions and for use in a children’s ministry context. The sample prayer diary at the back is super useful for family devotions. And the Bible Passages list on pages 134-135 is also really helpful for making this book a tool to use as a supplement to a Bible lesson on prayer. **I think every Christian children’s book should have a Scripture index.** I highly recommend this book for use at home and during a children’s ministry setting.
I received a complimentary copy of the book, Little Hands Learning to Pray, from Christian Focus Publications for review purposes.
Thursday Book Club: What is the Church?
Today’s Thursday Book Club involves a bit of self-promotion.
What is the Church? is Sojourn’s second children’s book, written by Mandy Groce and Bill Bell. What Is The Church? was written to teach preschool children that the church is not a building. It is a people that God has called together and made alive by faith. The book teaches the five Christian identities which every believer should embody. This is the concept behind the second part of our current Faith-Mapping sermon series. And you can see it explained simply in this Sojourn Vision video from last year:
Church 101 from Sojourn Community Church on Vimeo.
I’m highlighting the book now, because this is a great way to teach the concepts you’re learning in Sunday Gatherings to your kids when you are at home. Get the book. Pick up a copy at the book table on Sunday or purchase it online here. Then, talk to your kids over the next few weeks about how you’re learning to be a worshiper, family member, servant, learner, and missionary.
Thursday Book Club: 3 Family Ministry Books in 2011
To cap off 2010, scholar and Sojourn member, Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, highlighted three family ministry books that he’s excited about for 2011. These books “not only make the case for comprehensive family ministries but also provide the tools for churches to make the transition to family ministry from current programmatic models.”
First off, A Theology for Family Ministry from B & H Academic provides a comprehensive look at the problems and the possibilities of doing family ministry in the twenty-first century.
Then, Trained in the Fear of God: Family Ministry in Theological, Historical, and Practical Perspective, published by Kregel Academic and edited by Randy Stinson and myself [Dr. Jones], sets family ministry in its biblical and historical context then shows how the biblical implications can be put into action.
And then comes the Family Ministry Field Guide: How Your Church Can Equip Parents to Raise Disciples, a book for vocational ministers and lay-leaders alike that represents the results of a two-year study of what to prioritize in your church’s family ministry as well as what’s most helpful and what’s most needed in the field of family ministry.
Check out some other things Dr. Jones is excited about in his full post at Family Ministry Today.