Ministry to Parents

God has given parent(s) the primary responsibility to raise their children in the Lord but He did not intend for parent(s) to train and instruct their children in isolation. God has provided families with the church to help support, encourage, and equip parent(s) to raise and minister the gospel to their children. This page is dedicated to providing information and resources to help equip parent(s) in their ministry to their children.

For more information on getting starting, contact Phil: [email protected].

PARENTS AT EMMAUS

At Emmaus we believe that God has given parents, especially fathers the authority and responsibility to train and instruct children up in the Lord. In addition, we believe that God has ordained the gathering of all generations, young to old, to worship Him together in one place and at one time. Therefore, each and every Sunday our children worship the Lord alongside their parents and other members of God’s family.

It is important to understand that God has ordained the church to have authority over the teaching and preaching of the word, administering of the sacraments, fulfilling the great commission, and church discipline. God has given parents the authority and responsibility of teaching and guiding children in the way that they should go. God has called the church to equip and support parents in the raising of their children.

The objective of Emmaus’ Parent ministry consists of but is not limited to:

Children In The Worship Service - Parents are encouraged to keep their children in the service with them so that thy can begin to learn to sing, pray, listen to teaching, and also witness the observance of the Lord’s Supper (children may partake of the Supper once they have been baptized upon profession of faith).

Training Room - The morning and afternoon worship services are streamed into the Multi-Purpose at Emmaus so that parents have a place to take their young children if they are having a difficult time in the sanctuary. We encourage parents to use this room to train their children to sit quietly through the service and not as a play room.

Sunday School - Sunday school will be offered for children grades K-5 during Emmaus Essentials (9-9:45 on Sundays). The teaching will center upon the catechism question that was introduced in the worship service on the previous Sunday along with selected scripture texts.

Membership and Rite Of Passage - According to our constitution, when young people under the age of 18 are baptized upon profession of faith they are considered minor members. At age 18 they are encouraged to progress through the membership process and to become full members of the church. In this way, the young person's emergence into adulthood is recognized by the congregation. We encourage parents to also mark this transition within the home so that it is clear that they are considered adults. Marking such a transition is healthy for the child, the parents, the household, the church, and society. Please talk with a pastor to learn more about this "rite of passage" concept and for ideas on how to work towards it.

RESOURCES

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Discussion Questions: Luke 11:1-4
posted on Sunday, May 5th by Joe

  1. What is prayer? (see Baptist Catechism 105)
  2. Those who love God will pray. Discuss. 
  3. Jesus prayed. Why did he need to given that he is the Son of God?
  4. How is the Lord’s Prayer to be used? Is it merely to be recited?
  5. How does the Lord’s Prayer in Luke differ from the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew? 
  6. What does it mean to address God as Father? Why is this significant?
  7. What sorts of things should we pray for under each petition of the Lord’s Prayer? Baptist Catechism 107-114 might help.

Discussion Questions: Baptist Catechism 17
posted on Sunday, May 5th by Joe

  1. Sin always has reference to God’s law. Why is this an important truth?
  2. What does it mean to fail to conform to God’s law? (Sins of omission)
  3. What does it mean to transgress God’s law? (Sins of commission)
  4. Why is it important to have a proper definition of sin? What does this have to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ?

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"Him we proclaim,
warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
(Colossians 1:28, ESV)

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