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:

• Providing resources to increase knowledge and practices of biblical parenting.
• Providing weekly household worship guides to encourage daily worship within the home.
• Providing discussion questions for the morning sermon and catechism outlines for the afternoon sermon for use within the home. (See below)
• Providing accountability to the call that God has given parents.

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: The Power Of Christ: His Act Of Calling, Second London Confession 26.5
posted on Saturday, November 9th by Joe

1. Who is the head of the church? Who has all church power been given to? Who gave it to him? Why has it been given to him? Why does this matter?
2. What is the first thing that Christ does in the execution of his church power?
3. What does it mean that “the Lord Jesus calleth out of the world unto himself, through the ministry of his word, by his Spirit, those that are given unto him by his Father”? For help, see Second London Confession (2LCF) chapters 3 and 10.
4. What do these words refer to: “that they may walk before him in all the ways of obedience, which he prescribeth to them in his word”?
5. What does this phrase mean: “Those thus called, he commandeth to walk together in particular societies, or churches”?
6. What are the two purposes of the church membership mentioned at the end of 2LCF 26.5?
7. What would you say to a professing believer who says, I love Jesus but I don’t want anything to do with the church?

Discussion Questions: Luke 15:11-32
posted on Saturday, November 9th by Joe

1. Why is it important to keep the situation described to us in Luke 15:1-3 in mind as we seek to properly interpret The Parable of the Prodigal Son?
2. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a good name for this parable. What does the word “prodigal” mean? If we aren’t careful, How might the name mislead us? 
3. Who does the younger son represent? What can we learn about sin and repentance from what is said about the younger son?
4. Who does the father represent? What can we learn about God the Father from this parable?
5. Who does the older son represent? What can we learn about sin (of another kind) and repentance from what is said about the older son?
6. Where is Jesus in this parable?
7. How will you apply this text of scripture to your life today?

previous posts...