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…
2011 Children Desiring God Conference
I recently had the opportunity to attend the 2011 Children Desiring God Conference in Minneapolis, MN. Ryan Golias blogged through the conference and posted the session notes at Ministry-to-Children.com.
This year the conference theme was “Holding Fast to the Word of the Truth.” We live in a culture that doesn’t take truth for granted–doesn’t believe it is necessary for life and faith. What place should truth, and the Word of Truth, have in our ministry to young people? What is our job in bringing truth to children, and how do we do it? We are here to think through these questions.
John Piper, Russel Moore, Kempton Turner, and David Micheal spoke at the conference this year. Visit the Children Desiring God website to find out more about the conference as well as CDG’s excellent materials. Here are some links to Ryan’s notes on the main sessions. I’ll includes some notes from two of the break-out sessions I attended later this week.
Notes from the Conference
- John Piper “The Sum of Your Word is Truth“
- Russell Moore “No Longer Tossed To and Fro“
- Kempton Turner “Your Testimonies Are My Delight“
- David Michael “Children Who Will Stand Firm“
Connecting Church & Home Conference 2010
I was able to attend portions of the Connecting Church & Home conference at Southern Seminary the past weekend. I am always encouraged by hearing David Michael, Jay Strother, Steve Wright, and Timothy Jones–four men that I count as models in ministry. It was also good to hang for a few minutes at the seminary bookstore with my friend Tony Kummer. Here are some links to his coverage of the conference.
- Notes from the Opening Q&A
- Session I: Spiritual Orphans and the Household of God (Russell Moore)
- Session II: Calling Fathers to Raise Men (Randy Stinson)
- Session III: The Genesis Standard for Families (Ryan Rush)
- Session IV: Christian Parenting is Combat (Albert Mohler)
- Breakout notes from Terry Delaney (coming soon)
- Breakout notes from Lauren Foster (coming soon)
Connecting Church and Home Conference- August 20-21, 2010 from Southern Seminary on Vimeo
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Michael: Mobilizing Men for Ministry to Children
Children Desiring God Break-out Session 1
Mobilizing Men for Ministry to Children
David Michael
One of my passions is to see men involved in children’s ministry.
Bethlehem Baptist statistics:
Our congregation is 30% male and 60% female. Our nursery has 18% male workers. Our kindergarten—2nd grade group has 34% male workers. By 5th grade, our classes are approximately 50/50. 43% of our teachers are male. 23% of our team leaders are male. This is more of an administrative role, and men seem to be less detail oriented. Of our male staff, 19% are single, 69% are married, and 57% have children of their own.
Why mobilize men?
(1) Because men need to obey the Word as much as women do.
(2) Because our sons and daughters need the benefit of seeing biblical masculinity up close.
“The most important institutions of moral instruction—the family, the church, and the school, are failing to turn out responsible young men”—Al Mohler
Our boys are missing the incentives that they once had to rise up and be like men.
Our boys are missing training. Our men do not fully understand what it means to be a biblical man and pass this on to their children.
Our boys are missing a biblical vision of true masculinity. “As young men, sometimes all we need is a picture of what we could become”—Eric Ludy
Effective ministry to children and youth is effective ministry to men. Continue Reading…
David and Sally Michael: Nurturing the Faith of the Next Generation
Children Desiring God Pre-Conference, Session 3
Nurturing the Faith of the Next Generation: A Heart Response Centered on the Gospel
David and Sally Michael
Our goal is to reach a child’s heart through the instruction of his word (Colossians 1:9-10).
“It is your job to make clear how the truth you are teaching is practiced experientially.”—Lou Priollo
5 Levels of Learning—Lawrence O. Richards, Creative Bible Teaching, (Moody Press).
(1) ROTE—Ability to repeat without thought of meaning
(2) RECOGNITION—Ability to recognize Biblical concepts; comprehension; can answer a multiple-choice question. Often this is as far as we get, but we must go beyond facts to meaning and application.
(3) RESTATEMENT—Ability to express or relate concepts to biblical system of thought. Can answer “why” questions about the story.
(4) RELATION—Ability to relate biblical truth to life and see what a biblical response would be. Can make a connection to one’s own life. Can answer the question, “What difference does this make in my life?”
(5) REALIZATION/RESPONSE—Actualizing response: to apply biblical truths in daily life. Application can best be done by questioning. This is the way that they learn to think and understand. Share from your own life experience. Know your children, and it will help you guide them. Children need to know what they need to do in response to what you have heard today. This is a knowing that possesses us.
We must be faithful with the truth—beginning with the truth—then affecting the heart and emotions, and then moving the will.
Parents Seizing Opportunities
Parents are in the best position to help children apply to truth to the trials of life, that is, the homework that God gives them. God gives parents a unique position of influence in the lives of children. Parents must be clear on what their children are being taught so that they are in a position to apply these things to their lives. Parents who love God and his word seek to bring God into every situation. Take home sheets can be the difference between life and death for a child, because these are words of life for the child to believe and live or disbelieve and experience judgment. One of the best ways to bring a child to the point of response is to respond to it myself. This may require humbling myself, admitting my need, etc. One of the privileges we have when we teach children is that the Scriptures grip us.
Teach In Such a Way that Children Understand What Proper Responses Are
It is so much better for a child to learn a heart lesson though it cause her temporary pain than to experience eternal pain. Experience is a good teacher—both bad and good experiences. God brings these life experiences in order to teach our children that He is good.