Birth through 6th Grade
Who Are We?
Discipling the Next Generation:
The Vision and Philosophy for Children’s Ministry at Gainsville Baptist Church
2 Timothy 3:14-15: You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 145:4: One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.
The Responsibility to Impart Truth to the Next Generation
Every generation of believers has a biblical responsibility to ensure that the next generation knows and hopes in the mighty acts of God. God’s desire from the very beginning has been that the older generation would impart truth to the next generation.
In the passage above, Paul instructs Timothy to continue in the things he has learned. Notice a few things about Timothy’s learning: 1) Timothy had learned “from childhood.†This tells us that the next generation must learn at an early age. 2) Notice the words “from whom,†indicating that Timothy had learned those things from more than just one person; thus, Timothy was obligated to several teachers and examples. 3) Notice the source of Timothy’s learning, “the sacred writings,†as well as the result of his learning he gained the “wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.†We must conclude that it is necessary for the next generation to learn from the older generation the truths clearly taught in Scripture and to insure that these truths are consistently lived out.
The Manner of Imparting Truth
Psalm 145:4 tells the older generation how they are to impart truth about God to the next generation; we are to impart truth with praise: “One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.â€
Those with the responsibility of teaching the next generation are to “praise the works of God to that generation†in order for that generation to see the greatness of God. We are told that we are to train the next generation by means of praising God. Thus, our discipling of children should promote praise in its methodology. The aim of imparting truth is worship.
The Goal of Imparting Truth with Praise
The goal of imparting truth with praise is to raise up children and young people at Gainsville Baptist Church who are utterly surrendered to Jesus and to spread of the gospel among the nations. We want to raise up a generation so committed to the cause of Christ that no price is too high to pay to follow Jesus. God is the one who will raise up these kinds of followers of Christ—He can make hearts for Christ from any type of situation. However, His primary way of doing this is through God-honoring, God-exalting families and churches. One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.
How to Disciple in Order to Raise Up Uncompromising Followers of Christ
1. Parents must train their children.
Raising up uncompromising followers of Christ happens when parents teach and model a God-centered, Scripture-oriented worldview to their children. (Deut. 6:4-7)
2. The church partners with parents in educating the children.
The church can be an important complement and reinforcement to what parents teach and model at home. (Deut. 31:10-13)
3. The church must help equip parents to educate their children
Pastors and teachers equip the saints to do the work of the ministry, which includes the ministry of parenting. (Deut. 4:9, Eph 4:11-12)
What We Do
As the philosophy above indicates, the church exists to come alongside families in their responsibility to disciple their children. Gainsville does this in a variety of ways:
Sunday School
From 9:45 – 10:45 a.m in the educational wing. Our Sunday School is divided by grades and taught by teachers committed to growing children in Christ. We currently use curriculum from the Regular Baptist Press. Classes exist for ages birth through sixth grade.
Children’s Church
During the Sunday morning worship hour, beginning at 11 p.m. Designed for children ages 2–5, these children will participate in the corporate worship service through the children’s sermon. After this point, a rotating team of teachers leads them through The Praise Factory curriculum, which is designed to “manufacture active minds, noisy joy, and prayerful hearts.†The Praise Factory is designed to teach children big truths about God in kid-sized portions.
Discipleship Classes for Kids
From 6:00–7:00 p.m. Sunday evenings, in the educational wing. Children’s discipleship is divided into three groups.
3–8: How to Study your Bible—for Kids teaches children basic Bible study skills by using a combination of fun illustrations, games, puzzles, and activities. Climb up to the tree house of the M and M Detective Agency and let Max, Molly, and Sam the Beagle put you through a special six-week “inductive detective” training course. The agency has a big mystery to solve—the mystery of discovering for yourself what God’s Word says. Wow! Sounds like an adventure!
K–2: I Stand in Awe. God, who is the most valuable Being in all the universe, reveals Himself with clarity and authority through His Word. This means that the Bible is precious and should be valued more than any other book. This study seeks to acquaint young children with the characteristics of the Bible and its message of redemption. The goal is for children to develop a deep affection for the Bible and learn to treasure its Author.
Pre-K: Children’s Catechism. Children will be led through and learn a systematic summary of the Christian faith.
**In addition to these classes for children, classes for parents on biblical parenting, such as Shepherding a Child’s Heart, are offered during the same time period.
RA’s/GA’s/Mission Friends
From 7:00–8:00 p.m. Wednesday evenings, in the educational wing. Royal Ambassador’s (for boys grades –6), Girls in Action (for girls grades –6), and Mission Friends (children ages ) seek to instill in the hearts of children a passion for taking the gospel to the nations through missions education, prayer, and activities.
Vacation Bible School
July 24–29; 6:30–8:00 p.m. VBS is an annual highlight of the church calendar. Using a variety of means, our VBS seeks to reach children for Christ and make disciples. This year’s theme is “Big Apple Adventure.â€
317 Kids Sports Camp (Outreach)
July 6–8; 10 a.m.–2 p.m. The 317 Kids Sports Camp seeks to reach the children of Lincolnton and surrounding areas with the gospel through the avenue of sports. Instruction is offered in basketball and soccer, lunch is served, and admission to the camp is free. This event is designed to reach un-churched children and their families for Christ.