Katechein
There is great benefit to spending time with wise, godly Christians. We seek to season the consciences of students and children by bringing them together at church with believers of all ages to learn abut God and His truth. Additionally, we emphasize that parents are the principal shapers of young minds and that the home is the primary campus in which those minds are shaped. As a result, we do not offer the typical entertainment-driven youth ministry for junior high and high school students or children's ministry for the younger ones, but rather challenge parents to disciple their children at home and build upon that foundation through a ministry that involves them closely in the life and teaching of the church as a whole. As students and children hear the gospel and see it lived out among the whole congregation, we trust that God will faithfully accomplish His sovereign purposes in their lives.
“Paul defined the church as “the pillar and the support of truth”(I Tim. 3:15)…In each generation, the church’s most critical task is to uphold and proclaim the truth as it was delivered to her by her Lord. One important aspect of this task is the diligent preparation of the church’s young children to continue to be the support and pillar of the truth in the generation to come. God calls the church of each generation to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). - Starr Meade in "Training Hearts, Teaching Minds”
We're of the persuasion that catechizing is the way to go in accomplishing that with our children. Of course, not everyone may come to the same conclusion (and no one would necessarily be wrong). We simply believe the church can offer support, accountability, and organization as we come alongside one another in this endeavor. All this to say, we believe that a program using Scripture and a catechism at it’s center is a great way to accomplish all of this.
So on Sunday mornings we gather before worship for a time of large/small group discussion, scripture memory, and catechizing. We call it Katechein. Other activities like crafts, games, character qualities are nice and fun, but they are the icing on the cake. Life is busy and not everyone wants all the extras. At least not as the focal point.
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