“We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done”
— Psalms 78:4

Vision

The vision of the Children’s and Family Ministry at FCC is for children to grow into men and women who boldly take their place within God’s grand redemptive story.

To do this, we want Fountain City Church to be a place where children grow as followers of Jesus who belong, both to God through Jesus Christ and to their church community, who believe the gospel and God’s Word, developing a robust biblical worldview, and become men and women who faithfully love God and love others through Christ.

We also want Fountain City Church to be a place where parents find rest and hope in the life-giving power of God and families become living witnesses of the gospel by loving God with all their hearts, souls, and strength, their neighbors as themselves, and each other in Christ.

We pray for our children to grow into young adult men and women who are…

Faithful – Possess discernment to decide what is most faithful to Scripture and honors Christ.
Fearless – Fearless through life’s challenges from knowing God is in control.
Spiritually Fervent – Hearts of devotion to the Lord, actively obeying Christ in everything.
Resilient and Perseverant – Through adversity, continue walking with the Lord in peace.
Take their Place in God’s Redemptive Narrative – Love, lead, and serve others well in their families and communities in the name of Jesus Christ.

Values

High View of Children

Children are a gift from God (Psalms 127:3) and welcomed by Jesus (Mark 9:37, 10:14). Because children are created in the image of God, they are spiritual beings and capable of experiencing the Triune God of the Bible. Children can worship before they understand everything about worship and begin grasping theological truths at a young age. Children are an important part of the body of Christ and God works through children to teach the church about himself.

Holistic and Long-term Focus

We consider a holistic view of children as we plan. We focus our efforts on shaping who the children are becoming long-term. We ponder what we would like to be true about them in their twenties and thirties and work backward in our planning and prayers.

Vigorous Support of Parents and Families

Parents hold the greatest influence on who their children are becoming; yet, many cultural factors are making family life harder than in past centuries. We want to support and encourage parents through relationships, resources, training, adult discipleship, and support. In a time of isolation and frenzied parenting, we want Fountain City Church to be a place of community and rest.

Intergenerational Ownership

Many supportive adults within the community are needed for a child to form a strong faith because the Bible shows that God designed children to grow in families and community units. Children and students need to experience the fullness of life and worship in the faith community to learn and absorb all that it means to be a follower of Christ. Children need to hear the faith stories of older Christians to see how their own life narrative is shaped by Christ.

Relationship Driven

Children and students learn in relationships with safe and caring adults. This means the adults doing the teaching matter as much as the actual teaching; therefore, we strive to create learning experiences that maximize appropriate adult-to-child relationships while holding to consistent safety standards. As children grow, we want to encourage mentorship so that students have a network of trusted adults.

Rich Biblical and Theological Teaching

Children and students can comprehend deep biblical and theological truths. Rather than watering down the Bible to make it relatable, we make biblical and theological instruction simpler for children and then expand on our teaching as they grow. God’s grand redemptive narrative naturally connects with who we are as people created in the image of God. As such, the gospel is powerful at any age. We also want children to learn the essentials of the Christian faith, learn how to live out this faith, and to develop a biblical worldview. We want to expose older students to a variety of worldviews and prepare them to think critically about what they believe and why.

Prayer Driven and Holy Spirit Dependent

We want everything we do to be bathed in prayer because we know that only God can save and transform hearts. Without continually abiding in Christ, we can do nothing.