We believe it is our duty to teach the whole council of God at age appropriate levels. Our children’s classes will be focused on Biblical education, rather than entertainment. When one considers how many hours a week our children are educated in school and steeped in contemporary culture, it is crucial to focus the few church hours on Biblical instruction.
We believe all truth is God’s truth, so at times it may also be necessary to teach history, culture, science, or philosophy in order to accurately teach God’s word. Some of the doctrines in the Bible are controversial, but we do not intend to shy away from those subjects. If each member is well versed in the Scriptures and history, culture, science, and philosophy—where they touch Biblical issues, we believe he will be prepared to understand and counter any incorrect arguments.
We believe men are supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the church, so our mixed adult classes will be taught by men. This decision has nothing to do with a woman’s ability, rather we are upholding God’s plan in this matter (I Tim. 2:11-14). God created men and women differently, and directed men to be the heads and protectors of their own families (Eph. 5:25-27 ). Since the church is the family of God, it is vital that it be led and protected by men of integrity.
We believe that teachers, by definition, have a significant impact on their students’ lives, so we will make sure all our teachers uphold sound Biblical teaching. False teachers can pose a serious threat to our congregation, so our elders and evangelist will guard against false teaching.
We encourage all members and their families to study on their own at home. We know that Biblical instruction at church is limited by time. We will make a consistent effort to encourage family devotions and home Bible studies (Deut. 6:6-9 ).
Educational Guidelines
- Teachers should be well prepared for every lesson.
- Children can fellowship before services, after services, and at youth activities. Class time should be devoted to learning. This is not to say that there can’t be opening activities, crafts, puppets, etc, but all class activities should reinforce Biblical teaching.
- Because there is no clear transition from childhood to adult, we will only ask men to teach mixed classes above 6th grade. Too many children grow up without enough positive male influences in their lives, so we want to encourage our men to be more involved in teaching the youth. We will also need women to be youth sponsors and teach the female teens.
- All teachers in our congregation will be approved by the evangelist and/or elders and asked to sign a Teacher’s Statement of Faith before teaching.
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