What I Would Do Differently
APPENDIX 5 The Ministry Plan
The plan is designed to equip and train the children’s ministry teachers of Beechwood Baptist Church to provide the children with biblical teachings that will develop and lead them to holistic Christian growth. The children’s ministry needs intentional, strategic planning if it will be effective and bring a life transformation to the children.
Vision
Our vision is to see the children’s ministry teachers increasing awareness and understanding of the children’s ministry and teaching and discipling the children to grow in biblical knowledge and Christlikeness.
Mission
The mission is to equip the children’s ministry teachers to be more faithful and accurate in providing the children with scriptural truth that will lead them to grow in Christlikeness, godliness, love, and obedience to God’s word.
Goals
1. The children’s ministry teachers will be trained through a curriculum that is relevant to training and instructing the children in biblical truth and spiritual formation.
2. The teachers will be equipped with materials that are relevant to the children’s spiritual needs.
Strategies
1. The church leadership will enlist leaders who are born-again Christians and also love to teach children.
2. The church will provide and make available teaching materials for the teachers. The teaching resources must be biblically grounded and relevant to the spiritual
needs of the children.
3. Enlisted children’s ministry teachers will be taken through a study of the teaching materials by the church leadership for at least a month before they are allowed to teach the children.
4. The teaching materials should be reviewed annually to address the current needs of the children.
Actual Plan
1. Teachers should understand the expectation of the church, parents, and the children in organizing the children’s ministry.
2. Teachers should understand that children learn better when they are taken through varied learning activities.
3. Teachers must prepare and plan for each class as they think through and anticipate each learning activity.
4. Teachers should have some activities ready for each child to do as soon as they enter the class. Teachers can spend time with children who arrive early for more activities that will prepare them for what they will experience in the larger groups when other children have come. Activities that involve Bible puzzles and Bible games can be utilized. Children may be asked to match hidden words or missing words in a Bible verse.
5. Engage the children in learning activities that involve their thinking and action. As the children learn the truth of the scripture, they should be provided with opportunities to interact with their peers and teachers to practice and demonstrate what they are learning. As Ellis Nelson rightly observes, faith is developed and communicated within a community of believers as they relate and interact with each other.1
6. Evaluate each learning activity and learn from activities that went well and those that should be reviewed.
1See Ellis C Nelson, Where Faith Begins. (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1971), 30.
7. Plan for future improvement.
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ABSTRACT
EQUIPPING THE CHILDREN’S MINISTRY TEACHERS AT BEECHWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH LOUISVILLE,
KENTUCKY Olatoyosi Omolara Fasipe, DEdMin
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2021 Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Robert L. Plummer
This project aims to equip children’s ministry teachers of Beechwood Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, to teach biblical foundations to the children. Chapter 1 presents the purpose, goals, context, rationale, definitions, limitations, delimitations, and research methodology of the project.
Chapter 2 provides the biblical and theological basis for the church’s responsibility to teach the gospel to children. First, the chapter examines God’s commandment to teach children to love, obey, and fear God. Second, it discusses the sufficiency and authority of the Scripture for effective teaching. Finally, the chapter demonstrates that children’s ministry teachers should be a godly example to children.
Chapter 3 addresses theoretical and practical issues related to children’s
ministry teachers as developers, trainers, and disciplers of children. The chapter examines notable studies on the teaching, training, and discipling of children.
Chapters 4 give a detailed description of the implementation of the project and the analysis of the data. Chapter 5 present the evaluations of the project.