The following statement sets forth the convictions and aspirations of the Elders of Orlando Grace concerning children and the role of children’s ministries. Our hope is that the body of OGC will join together with a singular passion to tell the next generation the glories of the Lord that our children might learn to put their trust in God. The Value of Children

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise. Ps. 8:2

The loftiest exercise and highest honor which an individual can engage in is the praise of God. Our children, as persons created in the image of God with a capacity to know and worship Him, have the opportunity to share in this high calling.

We affirm, therefore, that our children are designed for dignity with immense value before God. Our children are a blessing from the Lord and are to be received with thanksgiving as gifts from His hand.

As parents and as a church, therefore, we must recognize the sobering reality of our responsibility to serve as godly examples to these precious little ones, knowing that to whom much is given, much is required.

The Nature of Children

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Ps. 51:5

The fall of man through the sin of Adam has rendered the offspring of human beings corrupt and subject to sin. Our children are born with a depraved nature and foolishness is bound up within their heart. However, though sin has marred the image of God in man, it has not destroyed it.

The Scriptures hold out the hope of God’s gracious salvation by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit and union with Jesus Christ through faith in His death and resurrection. As parents, we rejoice in the redeeming power of God to transform our children into vessels to be used for His glory. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 1 Cor. 13:11

According to Scripture, children are not only morally depraved, they are also immature and in need of instruction, discipline and guidance. Children are in the formative stages of learning to think, reason and make moral judgments about what is good and bad, true and false, and wise and foolish. They are easily swayed by cunning and deceit. They lack experience in righteousness, and need to grow up into a way of speaking, thinking and reasoning that is mature and not childish.

Therefore, our children need to be nurtured with love and patience toward mature adulthood.

Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Mt. 18:3-4.

However, although we are to leave our childish ways behind and press on to maturity, there are qualities characteristic of children which must remain with us if we are to walk in a manner pleasing to God, namely, humility and a spirit of dependence. According to our Lord, unless we adopt this attitude the kingdom of God will remain outside of our reach (Mk. 10:15).

The Responsibility of Parents

And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. Dt. 6:6-7

The Bible lays upon parents the primary responsibility for the spiritual nurture and instruction of their children. This high and holy calling must be received with both a thankful and humble heart for the rewards are great, but the task exceeds that of any mother or father. We must look to the Lord to build our homes lest we, as parents, labor in vain.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.’ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Eph. 6:1-4As the text above indicates, both fathers and mothers have authority over their children and have a responsibility to provide instruction and guidance. Fathers, in particular, are singled out and admonished as leaders in their homes to raise their children "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

Implications for Children’s Ministry In light of the above, it is clear that the various children’s ministries of Orlando Grace must not be viewed as the primary means of spiritual instruction. Rather, the Elders envision a ministry to children which helps strengthen and reinforce the teaching of parents in the home. Because parents bear the primary responsibility for the spiritual nurture of their children, the church’s most important task in ministering to children is the faithful proclamation of the word of God to the end that parents may be established and grounded in the whole counsel of God and equipped to carry out their God-given duties. One important element in the training of children involves their continual exposure to the passionate praise of their parents exemplified during the worship hour. There is much for children to absorb as parents model a reverence for God, a hunger for His word, and a delight in His presence.

Therefore, our desire is to see the children of Orlando Grace worship together with their parents as soon as they are able to sit through the service without causing undue distraction. Our children will develop a sense for the importance of worship as they observe Mom and Dad engage in the worship and praise of God week in and week out.

Concluding Thoughts

In light of the fundamental truths set forth above concerning the value and nature of children and the primary responsibility of parents to raise their children in the instruction and discipline of the Lord, we conclude that Orlando Grace will serve as a powerful influence in the lives of our children as the church encourages parents to become enthralled with the grandeur of God, to have God’s truths in their hearts and on their lips, and to understand that they must pass these life-giving truths on to their children. As the leadership, body and parents of Orlando Grace are faithful in carrying out their God given responsibilities, the children of OGC will be wonderfully blessed.