EBC Philosophy of Ministry to Children
Our EBC philosophy of ministry to children defines the compelling values and motives we hold and the effect those have on how we minister to children. As a church, our values and motives are to be informed, indeed they are to be determined, by God’s revelation, the Scriptures. Cultural considerations hold only secondary status as they inform our values and motives; they are not determinate. At Emmanuel, we hold Scripture to be supra-cultural.
Three areas of Biblical inquiry drive EBC’s Philosophy of Ministry to Children:
AUTHORITY
Because we serve under the authority of the Great Shepherd, we acknowledge that parents, not the church, comprise the primary God ordained authority structure over their own children (Exodus 20:12; Eph 6:1-3; Col 3:20; Prov. 6:20; 23:22). Though all God’s commands to submit to authority apply equally to children and adults, note that the commands specific to children for obedience are always linked to their parents, not to others in authority. Therefore we believe that all children’s ministry should be vitally supportive and complementry to parental influence and that children’s ministry is incomplete apart from the church equipping the parents for godly parenting. Children’s ministry as a stand alone ministry is not only incomplete but is antithetic to the Scriptural model. Therefore EBC parents, along with the church’s spiritual leadership, will have controlling input into EBC’s ministries for children. God’s intention is that EBC ministry to children would be shaped by His heart’s desire that the hearts of fathers would be turned to their children and that the hearts of the children would be turned to their fathers (Mal 4:6).
TEACHING AND APPLICATION
All teaching at EBC must be Cristocentric. All God’s revelation, even Old Testament stories, point to Christ. Effective teaching will always show relationship to Christ as applicable in the child’s life. A child is not capable of understanding complex theological constructs but is eminently qualified and is capable of plumbing the depths of simple faith in Christ. Age appropriate teaching does not have to be shallow and teaching must proceed from Bible stories to age appropriate application. Since children are susceptible to false teaching just as are adults, care needs to be given to teach doctrine as revealed without inadvertently adulterating it to promote a change in behavior.
WALKING IN FELLOWSHIP IN THE LIGHT
Godliness is not specific to age. All God’s commands, His standard, and His provision equally apply to children and adults. The children’s ministry leader’s expectations should match God’s reality. Apart from actively engaging their role in the Body of Christ, even children will be stunted in their growth. Children need to appropriate Christ’s view of His Body, the Church, and how they fit in to the body. They need opportunity to encounter Christ in other members and to delight in Christ’s life in themselves. Children need nurturing as they grow in the body, and as they earn trust, they should be given increased opportunity and responsibility. They need to understand the function of spiritual leadership in the church and how they personally relate to church leadership.