From RC Sproul, Jr.:
"At present [at our church] we have roughly 250 souls under our care... roughly 45 families.... between 100 and 150 children who are members of our body. We have no programs for them. We do not have a school. We do not have Sunday School. We don’t have a scouting program. We do not have a youth group. All we have is each other.
"So here is my question. Do you know the names of all the children in your congregation? I have not studied our church directory.... I’m not a terribly good memorizer. But I know the names of our children. I know them, I believe, because they are our children. They are not a part of a set of programs of the church. They are instead a part of the church. We are one body together.
"That doesn’t mean, of course, that I decide how much TV should be watched in their homes. I don’t set the modesty standards for each child. They have parents for that. The point isn’t that it takes a village. The point is that we are to not only discern the body, but love it. How can we love that which we do not know?
"The children of [our church] are not something to be used. They are not something to be herded, or processed. They are instead the object of our love, and the recipients of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Don’t create programs for them. Instead learn their names. Instead have a conversation with them. Instead, be the church."
good quote.
ReplyDeleteThis is THE concern that has led me to your blog. We are members of a big church where we all go our seperate ways on Sunday - to our churches within the church: Youth group; Sunday School; Children's
ReplyDeleteChurch, and we repeat that to a smaller degree on Wednesday night.
What a wonderfully refreshing, logical and Biblical path you are following. It almost makes too much sense!
We need this kind of church in Richmond!