Youth Discipleship
At Calvary Baptist Church it is our desire to bring up our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). We believe that this responsibility is entrusted to the parents of each child and in particular to the father, as Ephesians 6:4 indicates. We also see this command and precedent in Psalm 78:4-7, “[4] We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. [5] He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, [6] that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, [7] so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.” These passages from the Word of God shape the way we approach youth discipleship in our local church.
As our local church family works together to disciple our children we do not desire to take from fathers and mothers the responsibility that God has placed upon them, but we desire to equip and assist fathers and mothers as they disciple their children in the Word of God. How do we seek to fulfill this objective? In the following ways:
- We seek to recommend and provide doctrinally sound resources that parents and children can bring into their homes in order to be equipped for good conversation and godly instruction from the Word of God.
- We seek to provide instruction for fathers and mothers on how to develop godly relationships with their children in the home and faithfully teach their children the whole counsel of God.
- Our church leadership seeks to equip, affirm, and assist a rotation of fathers and mothers for teaching our children when our local church gathers. In other words, we desire for spiritually mature fathers and mothers to teach our children even in a local church setting rather than a “children’s” or “youth” pastor. We believe that it is best for spiritually mature parents and grandparents to come alongside of other parents and grandparents and work together to bring up our children in the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- We seek to pray regularly for our children to be born again, truly know Christ, and exercise genuine faith and repentance toward Him. We also seek to pray for one another as parents and grandparents that we will, by God’s grace, faithfully teach our children and grandchildren the Word of God.
The following is a list of some of the resources and curriculum that we use in the discipleship of our youth.
Resources we recommend:
- The Gospel Story Bible - Marty Machowski
- The Ology - Marty Machowski
- Wonder Full - Marty Machowski
- The Radical Book for Kids - Champ Thornton
- “The Big Book” series by Sinclair Ferguson
Curriculum we employ:
- The Big Picture Story Bible - David Helm - (ages 0-4)
- Truth78 - Desiring God - (ages 4-13)
- Genesis2Revelation - Great Commission Publications - (ages 13-16)
- A Baptist Catechism written by Benjamin Keach and adapted by John Piper
In addition to our Sunday gatherings, our local church meets together for Family Discipleship on Wednesday evenings. If you are interested in joining us for this time of instruction, prayer, and fellowship, please contact our church office at 906-786-6323.