Family Ministry

For kids from age 0 through grade 3, there are very minimal changes. Most kids in this age range won’t notice a disruption to what a typical Sunday looks like. 

But going forward, there are two primary changes in this space: alignment of curriculum and the introduction of Community Groups beginning in Kindergarten. Our curriculum will no longer be coming from an outside entity (e.g. Orange, Gospel Project, Grow, etc.) but instead will be originating in-house - just like our Sunday morning teaching in the Worship Center. As a default, our curriculum for kids will align with what we’re teaching adults. If the grown ups are studying the Book of Titus on Sunday mornings, then the kids are too. Obviously there will be some exceptions to this throughout the year, but it will be our default to be in alignment. In addition to alignment to our adult teachings, all children will learn and engage with foundational truths every Sunday morning. 

We want to introduce the Community Groups model to children younger than we recently have been. Beginning in Kindergarten, we will be using the Community Group terminology with them. Of course, we want to continue to create safe places for children to learn about Jesus (that isn’t new to our ministry!). But children also thrive in consistency, especially when it comes to influential adults in their lives. Imagine if they had a different school teacher every day! Instead, we want children in Chapel Kids to have a consistent, reliable role model (or group of role models) in their lives - to point them to Jesus and help them as they begin a discipleship journey. 

And since we’re playing the “long game” in discipling kids, imagine how cool this will be when they reach adulthood. Being in a Community Group won’t be the exception, it will be the norm! This is just what disciples of Jesus do: they surround themselves in Christ-centered community.

When you think of Movi, what do you think of? I’m guessing it’s something like this: what happens on Wednesday night at The Chapel. It’s a time, and it’s a place. That was never the intention, but sometimes that’s how we talk. (We do it for adults too: if I ask you, “Where is The Chapel?” you may give me the address of one of our four campuses. In reality, “Where is The Chapel?” should be answered with, “All over the place!” Because The Chapel is actually people not a place.)

Chapel Students automatically pulls us out of time-and-place thinking, and reorients us to people-and-mission thinking. The midweek gathering at our campuses remains, but it is just that: a gathering of students. Chapel Students encompasses this gathering, but it goes beyond it. Chapel Students show up to a Fall Camp, or they serve elsewhere in our ministries, or they grow alongside us in the Sunday worship gathering. They are a part of something bigger than just a couple of hours on a Wednesday night. 

Moving forward, students in grades 5-6 will be a part of the new ministry known as Chapel Kids. Students in grades 7-8 will now be a part of Chapel Students. 

It’s important to note that there is still a gathering on Sundays for 7th and 8th graders, but it is not just for them. We want them to join the rest of their church family in our worship center. We want to engage students in this age bracket earlier than we have been, as we prepare them to integrate into the body of believers as adults. We have been doing that in 9th grade, when a student reaches high school. We want to begin that process earlier. 

We believe that they will not only receive value from this environment, but bring value as well. Paul tells Timothy, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for all believers” (1 Timothy 4:12). These 7th and 8th graders have an opportunity to bring their developing faith into the fellowship of all believers, and are encouraged to set an example. We want our church to be a place where younger disciples are not ashamed to express their faith in worship – and we want our church to be a place where older disciples give praise to God for the generation that is coming behind them! Older disciples can inspire the younger with years of faithfulness; younger disciples can inspire the older with passionate devotion!

In addition, there are some recent studies that show a person’s worldview is largely determined by the age of 13. This is where many of our 7th and 8th graders are! As they begin to shape their worldview, we want them to be surrounded by the family of God from every walk of life, and to begin to discover their spiritual giftedness. 

We have no reservations at all about having younger people in our Sunday morning gatherings. Our pastoral leadership and preaching team are excited about this, not resenting it. If we say we are serious about reaching every man, woman, and child with the Gospel - then we better be comfortable having children in our midst! It’s important to note: for those 7th and 8th graders who follow Jesus, they are not “the future of the Church” (as people sometimes say); they are the Church, and they are therefore our brothers and sisters - even if they are our much, much younger brothers and sisters. 

As for Wednesday nights: this will not be the first time that 7th and 8th graders have been in the same environment as high schoolers, and it has gone well in the past. On certain occasions, like Fall Camps or other outreach events, we have combined these age groups and seen fruit from it.

For most Wednesday night gatherings through Chapel Students, we will have combined teaching, singing, and fun. We will also find strategic opportunities to separate students based on age as we place them in Community Groups. It is in these Groups where the message is contextualized and applied, so smaller group conversations based on grade and age will be essential to that end. 

This is definitely one of our greatest concerns in making these shifts, although we remain convinced it is the best path forward. But we don’t want a child in grades 5 or 6 to disengage altogether over the perception of moving backwards. Our team knows - both as parents, and as former pre-teens ourselves (once upon a time) - how important it is in these ages to feel “older.” 

It’s important to say out loud: we won’t be making this change overnight. Some campuses may move at different speeds based on the space they have and the kids that God has brought to their ministry. Some students may not really notice that many changes, based on how things operate at their campus already. 

Across the board, though, we are exploring ways to make all of our current “King’s World” spaces feel new and unique for this next chapter. In some cases, a fresh coat of paint will go a long way! At some campuses, we are creating new rooms or completely redesigning existing rooms that will be tailored specifically for grades 4-6. There will be a noticeable difference between our younger Elementary spaces and these new spaces for the older grades. For kids in grades 4-6, they’ll see rooms outfitted with games and couches, designed for conversation and connection. If you know our church at all, you know that we prioritize creating safe, fun, and awesome spaces for kids - and this will be no exception.

We would LOVE that! One of the best ways for anyone, including a student, to grow in faith is to serve like Christ. We will continue to encourage and create opportunities for all of our children (and student) ministries to serve and discover their spiritual gift. 

We want, and need, people who desire to invest in this upcoming generation. But you don’t have to be a seminary graduate or a theological scholar to do this. In order to disciple these younger believers, you merely need to be one step ahead of them. And you don’t need any Bible education to love them, pray for them, care for them, and be a supporting influence to them. I promise you: you can do this, even if you don’t feel like you can. But you do need to say, “Yes,” to what God is leading you to do.

If you want to have a conversation about what it would look like to partner with us in discipling the next generation, we’d love to hear from you. You can do that here.