“But those who drink of the water that I will
give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”
John 4:14 |
Foundation We live
in a time of emptiness. It is a great irony because there seems to be more "stuff” than ever before. Yet, so many
lives are empty of happiness and meaning. So many homes are starved for love. So many churches are thirsting for energy and
direction. God's intention for us was not to be empty, starving or thirsty - literally, figuratively. God's purpose through
Jesus Christ was for us to be filled with his joy, power and love that only the Holy Spirit can instill. How does one come to drink
of the water of which Jesus speaks in the above verse? Faith in Christ to start, but then the church must
have a way of imparting knowledge of this water so that each member has the opportunity for it to become a gushing spring.
That way is Christian Education. The traditional understanding of Christian Education has been to think of it as an activity
and simply as a presenter of knowledge. Both are important aspects in their own right, but something is missing. That missing
part is the learning's connection to ministry – in other words, its relevance to everyday life and life-long faith. This then is a new vision of Christian Education. First and foremost, it elevates Christian Education from an activity
to the fundamental and enabling enterprise of this church because every other ministry flows from it. Christian Education
from age 4 to 94 is the source of this living knowledge of Christ, this "spring of water gushing up to eternal life."
To understand the purpose and meaning of worship, to truly minister to members and to the community, to become what God has
intended us to be, all springs from Christian Education. |
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Vision
Therefore the vision of Christian Education at Lebanon Reformed Church imagines an energetic and effective ministry
rising from these cornerstones: The Word of God, Spirit-led teaching that continuously connects knowledge with ministry, fellowship
and reflection. The timetable for achieving this vision is two years relying on God's will and the following goals.
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Goals
· It will be a ministry that will equip this church and its members to fulfill their call to be the
body of Christ in this world and to be the heart of Christ in this community and region.
· It will be a system that empowers all members and participants to discover and/or develop their spiritual
gifts towards the larger ministry of the church and enable the individual believers to grow in Christ as far as they
are able.
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It will be an endeavor that strengthens families by
instructing children and parents in God's ways and by bringing them closer to God through their relationships with Christ.
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It will be an effort that particularly values and nurtures
young people as the future of the church and our world.
· It will be an approach that combines various Christian Education methods to meet believers at their current stage (children
to adults; new to lifelong) and provide them with what they need to grow in Christ.
· It will be an organization that will continually review itself to ensure its maximum effectiveness.
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It will be a process that engages its leaders through
a covenant; values and strengthens its current leaders while raising up new leaders -the ultimate result of learning.
· It will be a means of fostering caring, as well as energizing fellowship and discipleship
among participants.
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Tools
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Classes
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Enrichment
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Children in Worship Faith Walkers Middlers Young Adult Ministry and Confirmation Adult Discussion |
Fellowship Time (prior
to classes) Leader
Training
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Evaluation Evaluation is an essential
part of any vision and the efforts to pursue it. Therefore the minister and elders will be responsible for an annual performance
audit, which will include feedback from leaders and participants, of the entire Christian Education Ministry. In addition,
there will be semi-annual performance reports and any other reports as needed.
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