Cityview Family Ministry Plan2018

To partner with and equip parents to be the primary disciple-makers of their children as they help them

move from seeking Jesus to serving Jesus through the gospel.

Table of Contents

!. Introduction Page 1 Our Community Our Vision Our Mission Our Values Family Equipping Model: The Call on Families and the Church Family Ministries At-a-Glance Family Ministry Team II. Sunday Mornings Page 3 Family Ministry Descriptions Spiritual Maturity Phases Special Sunday Services for the Family III. Equipping Opportunities Page 5 Parent U Family Sermon Series Family Elective Classes Family Ministry Blog IV. Family Discipleship Page 6 4 C’s of Family Discipleship Make It Yours: Bringing Church Home Family Resource Area Milestones Parent-Pastor Chats (PPCs) The Family 6 Plan V. Families on Mission Page 7 Outreach to Young Moms VI. Focus for 2018 Page 7 Backyard Kids Clubs Unplugged: Family Camp VII. Ideas for the Future Page 7

Marriage Mentors Mission Groups (Cityview Crews)

Parenting Mentors Family Mission Trips

VIII. Appendices Spiritual Phases Descriptions Appendix A Parent U Descriptions Appendix B 4 Cs of Family Discipleship Appendix C Milestone Chart Appendix D

Cityview Community Church Family Ministry Plan 1

Introduction

Welcome to Cityview Family Ministries!

Thank you for reading through our Family Ministry Plan. We hope this will help you, as a

current or soon-to-be parent, see how we would like to equip you to disciple your children.

Our children are a blessing from the Lord and we pray with you that they will eventually give

their lives to know, love, and serve Jesus.

[Our Community]

At Cityview, we want to be on mission in Elmhurst and in the other communities our families

call home. We want the surrounding areas to take notice of Cityview like a city on a hill where

we can shine our light and others may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven

(Matt. 5:14-16).

There are about 200,000 people in Elmhurst and the communities that border Elmhurst. The

members and attenders of our church represent over twenty different towns. This gives us a

huge reach as we seek to live on mission where we live, work, and play.

Elmhurst by the numbers:

• Population: 46,371

• Households: 16,316 (of these, there are 11,929 families and over half of them include

children 18 or under)

• Median income per household: $122,890

• Public schools: District 205 includes eight elementary schools, three middle schools,

and one high school.

[Our Vision]

We envision fathers and mothers living out the roles for which God created them, faithfully

leading their families as they disciple their children, pray for and with them, and study the

Word and worship together at home. To that end, we will equip parents to do this well, and

encourage our God-given singles to participate actively in this through community living and

relational disciple-making.

[Our Mission]

To partner with and equip parents to be the primary disciple-makers of their children as they

help them move from seeking Jesus to serving Jesus through the gospel.

[Our Values]

Cityview Community Church Family Ministry Plan 2

The following values are a part of the seven core values that we have at Cityview. While we

believe all seven values are important and there are elements of all the values in Family

Ministry, the following four drive what we do: God’s Word, Missional Mindset, Gospel-

Centered Ministry and Relational Disciple-Making. For more details about our values visit

www.cityviewcc.net.

[Family Equipping Model: The Call on Families and the Church]

As is evident from our vision and mission, we believe that the home is where the primary

spiritual formation of the family takes place (Deut. 6:4-9; Psalm 78:4-8; Ephesians 6:4; 2 Tim.

1:5; 3:15). Therefore, whatever the church does should supplement and complement what is

already being done in the home. The church still has a huge responsibility as we partner with

parents in the discipleship of their children. God has intentionally built the church to be a

place of encouragement, support, love, grace, mission, etc., and one of the areas where we can

experience this most importantly is in our parenting. At Cityview, we promise to remain

faithful to equip parents to make disciples in the home and to come alongside and continue

that discipleship through our different family ministries.

While there are many different strategies for how the church and home can work together,

we believe the strategy that is most biblical is the Family Equipping Model. While the church

is not the primary disciple-maker of your children, the church should be the primary equipper

of parents so that you can be the most effective disciple-maker in your home. Since this is what

the Bible teaches, we want to be a church that highlights this important parental role across

all ministries, especially in the children, student, and college & career ministries.

What does this mean for you as parents? It means that if you do not feel comfortable leading

family devotions in your home, discipling your child, or having gospel-centered conversations

with your child, then we as a church have failed you. The longer you are in this church and

the longer your kids are in the different family ministries, the more and more equipped you

should be to disciple your kids as they mature physically, emotionally, relationally, and

spiritually.

[Family Ministries-at-a-Glance]

The Family Ministries at Cityview are made up of:

Cityview Community Church Family Ministry Plan 3

[The Family Ministry Team at Cityview]

Kyle Bjerga, Pastor of Discipleship and Family Ministries

Jackie Bjerga, Children’s Ministry Assistant

Keaton Washburn, Family Ministry Intern

We also have a great Kids Ministry Team (KMT) that is responsible for helping to plan and

lead different family events at Cityview.

To learn more about our team or for contact info please visit here:

http://www.cityviewcc.net/our-team/

Sunday Mornings

[Family Ministry Descriptions]

Cityview Family Ministries reaches parents and children from birth through college-aged

young adults. Each ministry is designed around specific age ranges and development where

the gospel will be presented in a contextualized, age-appropriate way.

Children’s Ministry Our children’s ministry is called Kids’ City and is designed for birth through 5th grade.

Kids attend Sunday classes during our Explore the Faith hour (9a) and Worship hour

(10:30a).

Nursery & Preschool: At this stage in life, we want to love the children in our care. We

know the classroom workers will make your child feel loved and cared for each and

every week. Our commitment to parents at this early stage in parenting is to equip you

on how to have a gospel-centered home and lead regular family worship in your home.

Cityview Community Church Family Ministry Plan 4

Lower & Upper Elementary: The elementary years are pivotal years for children as they

begin seeing a bigger world and begin to ask questions because of their curiosity. We

understand that a large majority of decisions made to follow Christ will happen in these

years, therefore, we are committed to providing an environment where students can

hear about the gospel on a weekly basis and can meet Jesus. Our commitment to parents

at this stage is to equip you in how to intentionally disciple your children.

Student Ministry Our student ministry is called Cityview Students and is designed for those in 6th-12th

grade.

Middle School & High School: Our commitment is to walk alongside parents by

affirming what is being done in the home. This is accomplished through teaching

middle school and high school students how the gospel impacts their identity,

character, decisions, relationships, and community. Another thing we understand is

that many of the decisions, habits, and patterns that will be carried on throughout life

will begin in this stage. Therefore, we hope to instill the importance of using the “means

of grace” (Bible reading/study, prayer, service, worship, etc.).

College & Career Our College & Career ministry is designed for 18-30 year olds.

Our commitment is to provide a place where college and career young adults from

Cityview can come to be challenged and grow in their faith together. We also work to

provide an atmosphere that is open and welcoming to Elmhurst College and other local

college students who may be looking to find out more about Jesus.

[Spiritual Maturity Phases]

There are different phases that every child will go through in life, and in the church we want

to honor the way God has designed them and also know that there is a development they will

go through physically, emotionally, educationally, spiritually, etc. The question for us then

becomes, “What phases do children go through and how can we best teach them the truths of

God’s Word, the gospel, in age-appropriate ways?”

We used various research to help us determine these phases. The most helpful was Lifeway’s

research that led them to create the Levels of Biblical Learning. Based on this and other

research, we were able to develop these phases in Kids’ City that help us see how to most

effectively teach the truth of Scripture to children of all ages and development.

To read more on Lifeway’s Levels of Biblical Learning go to

http://www.lifeway.com/n/special-emphasis/levels-of-biblical-learning.

Cityview Community Church Family Ministry Plan 5

(See Appendix A for the Spiritual Phases Descriptions)

[Special Sunday Services for the Family]

Parent Commissioning One of our milestones in the family ministry is our parent commissioning service where

we have the opportunity to commission parents to be the primary disciple-makers in

their homes.

Family Worship Sundays Another milestone in the family ministry is a child’s first time in the big worship

service. Usually held on the fifth Sundays, we have the K-5th grade classes join the rest

of the church in the worship service and for a special time just for them called Kids’ Corner.

Equipping Opportunities [Parent U]

Parent U workshops/seminars are offered roughly once a

quarter during the school year. These Parent U’s are designed

to equip parents with the knowledge and tools necessary

for discipling their children. Most of these will be presented by

Cityview pastoral staff or members, and some will be presented

by outside ministries or groups.

(See Appendix B for Parent U Descriptions)

[Family Sermon Series]

Every so often there will be a sermon series devoted to the family, usually focused on marriage

or parenting. These series will be advertised when scheduled.

If you would like to listen to our parenting sermon series Raising Havoc: Help for Parents Who Need It from May 2016 you can go to www.cityviewcc.net/sermons/ and then search for this

series in the category search dropdown menu.

[Family Elective Classes]

During our Explore the Faith hour (9a) on Sunday mornings different elective classes run and

every so often a class will be offered in The Portico track which offers practical instruction in

marriage and/or parenting.

Cityview Community Church Family Ministry Plan 6

From January 7-March 4 we will be having our next Parenting elective class based on the book

Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp.

[Family Ministry Blog]

This blog is updated regularly with articles, books, resources, or other thoughts that are

designed to equip parents in the discipleship of their children.

Family Discipleship

[4 Cs of Family Discipleship]

In order to further equip parents in the discipleship of their children, we have created a

framework we call the 4 C’s of Family Discipleship. The 4 C’s stand for: Consider, Create,

Capture, and Celebrate. A fuller description of the 4 Cs can be found in the Family Resource

Area.

(See Appendix C for the 4 C’s of Family Discipleship)

[Make It Yours: Bringing Church Home]

Every week the children in Kids’ City will bring home papers from their class that will

highlight the lesson from the day as well as something they can do at home and other

questions or topics for you to reinforce the lessons they’ve learned.

Explore the Bible and The Gospel Project, which run in our preschool and K-5th grade class,

offer apps that can be downloaded (through the Apple or Google Play Stores) to help in

family discipleship and reinforcing lessons that the children learned.

[Family Resource Area]

You will find the Family Resource Area down at the entrance to Kids’ City. This resource area

is for parents of children, teens, and college-aged students. The resources are organized

according to the 4 C’s of Family Discipleship, which makes it very easy to find resources

specific to the area(s) you would like to focus in on.

Cityview Community Church Family Ministry Plan 7

[Milestones]

As a part of our celebration in family discipleship, we have important milestones that children

can have throughout their time growing up in the church. We want to be able to celebrate

these milestones with families, so we have focused our attention on milestones we feel are

most important for children’s faith journeys.

(See Appendix D for the Milestone Chart)

[Parent-Pastor Chats]

PPCs are short meetings (20-30 minutes) that are modeled after Parent-Teacher Conferences

in school. The main purpose behind Parent-Pastor Chats (PPCs) is to provide an opportunity

for parents to sit down with the Family Ministry Pastor and/or Children’s ministry staff to

connect and discuss the spiritual state and discipleship of their children.

[The Family 6 Plan]

Each sermon series at Cityview we provide a bookmark that has all the dates of the sermons

and the passages that will be preached for every week of the series. Pick one of these up so you

and your family can immerse yourself in God’s Word all week

Families on Mission

[Outreach to Young Moms]

MOPS The goal for this ministry is to offer a bi-weekly opportunity for young mothers to gather for

Bible study, prayer, and fellowship. Through this ministry we hope to engage and reach out to

young mothers in the community who do not attend church or have a personal relationship

with Jesus Christ. Through MOPS we hold regularly scheduled Moms Night Out events where

we hope to see moms connect and relax in fellowship with one another over dinner.

Focus for 2018

The following is what we hope to roll out for 2018. (Some may be put on hold due to

interest, resources, leadership, and availability.)

[BKCs – Backyard Kids Clubs]

Cityview Community Church Family Ministry Plan 8

This summer we plan on holding Backyard Kids Clubs in Elmhurst and surrounding

communities. More details to be announced this Spring.

[Unplugged: Family Camp at Conference Point]

Unplugged is an opportunity for your whole family to be together on beautiful Lake Geneva

as you hear relevant and biblically based teaching for parents and children. Every day you will

share meals together, participate in recreational activities, and also watch the 4th of July

fireworks over the lake.

For more information and to register go to

http://www.lgyc.org/camps/family-camps/family-camp-unplugged/

Ideas for the Future

You can go ahead and label all the following as “Coming Attractions.” As we continue to serve

families and equip them, we want to open up more opportunitites. We believe there are more

things that we can do as a church to put families in the best possible position to grow and really

be a family on mission in their community.

[Marriage Mentors]

This would parallel a couple’s premarital counseling as well as continue for at least one year

after the wedding. The marriage mentors would walk alongside the couple during their

marriage preparation and offer any counsel and wisdom they can from their years of marriage.

[Mission Groups (Cityview Crews)]

These groups are designed to be ongoing Backyard Kids Clubs. The goal is for families to host

a Cityview Crew at their home. The club would be made up of kids from their neighborhood

or that they have a relationship with from school or other activities.

[Parent Mentors]

For many new parents, there is excitement and anxiety that are unmatched in life. We believe

at Cityview that the home and church are partnering together in the discipling of children.

Therefore, it is our commitment to provide parent mentors who will walk alongside a new

couple for a minimum of one year to help provide prayer, support, encouragement, meet

practical needs, etc. for the new parents. This is offered to those who are first time parents, or

parents who have special circumstances with their children that may need special attention.

[Family Mission Trips]

Cityview Community Church Family Ministry Plan 9

It is our desire at Cityview to see many congregants sent out on short-term mission trips. Part

of this desire is also to see whole families go on trips together no matter their age. Over the

next year to two we hope to offer a family mission trip option.

Appendix A

Spiritual Phases Descriptions

PHASE 1

ENCOUNTER

•Ages: 0-2 years

•Ministry: Nursery

•Core competencies: An understanding and experience of the love of God through the care, compassion, and prayer commitment of parents, workers, and church family. Children will know about who God is and what God has done in Jesus Christ to save humanity from our sin and brokenness.

•Sunday classes:

• Offered during the Explore the Faith (9a) and Worship Service (10:30a) hours.

• Curriculum: The nursery is stocked with Bible storybooks at an age-appropriate level that can be read to the children. Big Truth cards are also on the walls and can be referred to by the teachers.

•Milestone(s): Parent Commissioning

PHASE 2

EMBRACE

•Ages: 3-5 years

•Ministry: Preschool

•Core competencies: Knowledge of the God's character as revealed in Scripture. An understanding that the whole Bible is pointing to Jesus Christ coming to save humanity from our sin. The children will memorize the books of the Bible and select passages of Scripture, and Bible facts. Children will also sing songs that correspond to the current teaching unit and session.

•Sunday classes:

• Offered during the Explore the Faith (9a) and Worship Service (10:30a) hours.

•Curriculum: I Am: 40 Reasons to Trust God and The Gospel Project

•Milestone(s): God’s Word, Salvation, Baptism, Communion

PHASE 3

EXPAND

•Ages: Kindergarten-5th grade

•Ministry: Lower and Upper Elementary

•Core competencies: The ability to understand how to study the Bible by looking at the context,interpreting a passage and applying it to their lives through ongoing study of books of the Bible. An understanding of the Bible’s main storyline, and the WHAT and WHY of Christianity in order to engage friends with the gospel. Children will be challenged with Bible Skills and Drills related to memory. Children will also sing songs that correspond to the current teaching unit and session.

•Sunday classes:

•Offered during the Explore the Faith (9a) and Worship Service (10:30a) hours.

• Each quarter the children will be upstairs in the main worship service for our Family Worship Sundays.

•Curriculum: Explore the Bible and The Gospel Project for Kids

•Milestone(s): Salvation, Baptism, Communion, First Worship Service

PHASE 4

ENGAGE

•Ages: 6th-8th grade

•Ministry: Cityview Students

•Core competencies: A deep understanding of the gospel and the implications of the gospel on their identity, character, decisions, relationships, and community.

•Sunday meetings:

•Explore the Faith class during the 9a hour.

•Youth Group meets on Sunday evenings from 6-8p. The schedule offers EPIC events, large group times, and community groups.

•Curriculum:

•The Gospel Project curriculum is used during the Explore the Faith hour. All other teaching is developed and written by the Cityview Students pastors and teachers.

•Middle school community groups go deeper in discussion and application of Biblically-based video devotionals.

•Milestone: Purity Commitment, Service Project, Serving in the Church

PHASE 5

EQUIP

•Ages: 9th-12th grade

•Ministry: Cityview Students

•Core competencies: The ability to take the gospel out and to impact others by sharing their faith and making disciples as well as developing convictions and values based on Scripture that will set them up for being a committed disciple of Jesus Christ going into college and beyond.

•Sunday meetings:

•Explore the Faith class during 9a hour.

•Youth Group meets on Sunday evenings from 6-8p. The schedule offers EPIC events, large group times, and community groups.

•Curriculum:

•The high school curriculum is developed and written by the Cityview Students pastors and teachers. The curriculum in the mornings and evenings will be a combination of exegetical and topical teaching.

•High school community groups go deeper in discussion and application of the Sunday morning lessons.

•Milestone: Service Project, Serving in the Church, Send Them Out, Graduation, Church Membership

PHASE 6

ENTRUST

•Ages: 18-30 years

•Ministry: College and Career

•Core competencies: Equipped with the ability to take gospel and be on mission within their church, community, college, and/or career.

•Sunday classes:

•The College and Career group meets on Sundays from 12:30-2p.

•Curriculum:

•This is a discussion heavy community group that will meet to discuss the Bible and how the gospel shapes all aspects of our lives.

•Milestone: Serving in the Church, Church Membership

Appendix B

Parent U Descriptions

The Toughest Calling in the World (Open to all parents) Come to hear about the Cityview Family Discipleship Plan. This workshop will help you learn how to intentionally disciple your kids and give you practical suggestions for using the 4 Cs of Family Discipleship.

Pursuing Purity in a Digital Age (Open to all parents)

The digital landscape is always changing and parents need to stay up to date as much as possible. At this workshop, you will hear about the current trends of digital usage among children and teenagers. You will also be equipped with digital resources and conversational skills that will help you better protect your children from the dangers of the digital world, while also helping them become responsible technology users as we talk to them about the redeemable nature of technology.

Youth Culture: What You Need to Know (Targeted to parents of middle school and high school students) The youth culture changes rapidly and without much warning. It seems that as parents, once we have a grasp of what is influential in the lives of teens, it all of a sudden changes. At this workshop, you will hear about the current major influences on children and teenagers today including: social media, education, TV/movies, books, worldviews, etc.

Family Worship (Open to all parents) Jason Heleopoulos calls Family Worship “a neglected grace.” Our home should be a mini-church where the family worship together. We don’t want to worship as a family at church only to go home and wait to worship until next week. This workshop will offer a basic understanding of what, why, and how of family worship. You will leave with very practical suggestions for being intentional about worshipping with your family.

Teen Decision: Sex, Teens, and Dating (Targeted to parents of upper elementary, middle school and high school students)

It is no secret that teenagers are hearing about dating, sex, and relationships from all sorts of different people and perspectives. However, many of these perspectives are not grounded in God’s Word. This workshop will offer you information that will help you have conversations with your teenagers about these subjects, especially coming at it from a fact-based perspective and a biblical foundation.

Family on Mission (Open to all parents) Our church tagline is Life on Mission but how many of our families are taking this to heart and living it out. This workshop will help you understand the mission that God has called all of us to and will also offer some practical help on how your family can be more intentional with your neighbors, in your community, and with friends.

Preparing for College (Targeted to parents of high school students) For high school seniors and parents, preparing for college can be a scary time. This workshop will help parents and incoming college freshman the chance to sit down with other families who have “been there and done that” to ask questions and prepare themselves for what is waiting for them in their first year of college. Panel discussion and Q&A.

Appendix C

The 4 C’s of Family Discipleship

Appendix D

Milestone Chart