“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done... so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.” -Psalm 78:4–7
Throughout the Bible, we see over and over God’s call for His people to invest in the next generation and to pass on our faith in Jesus to those who will come after us in advancing God’s Kingdom. For those who are parents, they are specially called to be disciples who faithfully seek to share the gospel and make disciples in their own homes. At Wheaton Bible Church, we know this is a big assignment and believe that it is our responsibility to partner with parents in this critical role and privilege. We know it takes many things to get this done: time, resources, tools, hard work, planning and lots and lots of prayer. And so, we are committed to join with the families of WBC in this God given journey of training the next generation of men and women to follow Jesus and make disciples themselves. As a part of that commitment, we’ve formed the Next Generation team. From children’s to student ministries staff, along with our adult ministry pastors, we are now working together to strengthen our partnership with parents, to provide more encouragement, more support and equipping to help you tell the next generation about Jesus.
There are three distinct ways the Next Generation team of Wheaton Bible Church wants to partner with your family:
At home and in the church—in daily discipleship and in worship—we want to challenge your family to live and grow in the truth of God’s Word, experiencing together the meaning of such Scriptures as John 15 (“abiding in Christ”), Ephesians 4 (“built up in the body of Christ”), and others.
We will regularly provide opportunities to inspire, equip, and encourage parents in their role as disciplers of their children—helping them identify daily discipleship and worship opportunities, and make prayer a priority in the home. These training times will be designed to complement and maximize our home discipleship guide/curriculum for families.
These strategically planned ministries for children and students—designed to work in partnership with parents—will help your sons and daughters grow in their faith as followers of Christ and see the world from a biblical perspective. These ministries include Sunday morning classes for children and students, Awana, Quest 56, Studio 78, programs for children and students with special needs, as well as junior high and high school Core Groups.
These Milestones track alongside our children and students in their spiritual journey, from Family Dedication to a commissioning of graduating high school seniors to a launching as they go out into the world “on mission” for Christ. Each Milestone consists of an equipping class that prepares/equips parents to disciple their children at these key moments in their faith journey, and a parent-child event that celebrates each important milestone.
We, as the Next Generation team—the Children’s and Student Ministries of Wheaton Bible Church—want to partner with you as you and your children take this discipleship journey together. We want to provide encouragement, support, and equipping for the day-to-day discipleship, and for the transitions that take place along the way. Please feel free to contact any of these ministry leaders if we can be of assistance to you.
Home Discipleship Guides
Recommended Reading for Parents and Grandparents of Children or Teens.
Learn more about the Legacy Milestones Ministry.
Subscribe to a podcast or listen to Parenting audio resources.
Connect with other parents who homeschool and find resources for homeschooling here.